


Enter The Ninjaverse

by BionicStars



Category: Lego Ninjago, The LEGO Ninjago Movie (2017)
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Canon Universe, Chases, Crossover, Gen, Multiple Selves, Multiple Universes Colliding, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), POV Multiple, POV Third Person, POV Third Person Limited, POV Third Person Omniscient
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2020-12-09 11:36:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 58
Words: 549,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20994173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BionicStars/pseuds/BionicStars
Summary: The Time Twins have returned, and with it they have brought a new threat: the loss of Lloyd's elemental powers. With Lloyd's powers taken, the Twins escape through a Vortex. Not the Time Vortex, however, but instead a rip in the very fabric of the universe itself. Lloyd's quest to stop the Twins leads him to new worlds, new faces, and new revelations into himself.Fic updates weekly on Fridays!





	1. Chapter 1

“And… there!” Lloyd huffed as he let go of the massive stack of boxes onto the large truck, “That should be the last of them!” 

From the reflection in the side mirror, the driver waved a thanks to Lloyd as the truck sputtered to life.. The armored vehicle made its way away from the docks, heading towards the heart of the city. It joined a convoy of its fellow trucks, making its way into the city. 

“That should take care of the last of the shipments from Hiroshi’s Labyrinth,” Wu walked up from behind Lloyd, making his way to Lloyd’s side, “The others should be at Borg Tower now. It appears my fears of attack were unfounded.” 

“A ninja is always prepared, even if it’s unlikely. We should get going,” Lloyd chuckled, “I’m sure they’ll want our help at the tower. 

Nodding in affirmation, Wu turned away and began making his way into the parking lot. Reaching into his pocket, Lloyd hit a button on a small keychain, causing a massive green car nearby to rev to life. It drove directly towards them, pulling up right alongside where Wu had walked to. The large windscreen popped open as various screens brightened to life. 

The two climbed inside, Lloyd taking the front seat and Wu behind him. The large canopy closed over them as Lloyd took the wheel, steering the car towards the main road. Once he shifted it into drive, he pressed down on the pedal to accelerate the car into the city. 

With Borg officially rebuilding his tower from Garmadon’s takeover, he had offered to house the ninja’s more dangerous artifacts -such as the Golden Armor and Realm Crystal- inside a new vault specifically designed to contain them. While at first the group had been hesitant, Jay’s reminder that Nadakhan had broken in rather easily made them reconsider. So long as the public didn’t know they were housed there, better they be in a place they could get to easily than one they would need to travel to. 

It had taken the better half of a week to get everything shipped under intense guard to the new building, but with the last of the haul making its way to the Tower, all that now remained was to set everything in place. Master Wu, normally one to allow his team to do their work, had insisted that he come along. Since he had offically hit his older ages, his energy from his younger self still seemed present, a fact that the team both enjoyed and worried for their training going forward.

“It’s fastest if you take the main expressway and then get off at fifteen,” Wu offered, “That way we can avoid the more congested traffic. The main road was destroyed by the Colossus” 

“I know how to drive around the city, Master Wu,” Lloyd rolled his eyes, “And I know about that, I was literally driving down the road when it happened. You sound like Mom when she was first teaching me how to drive.” 

“It is the role of your Master to offer his wisdom when he can,” Wu chuckled, “Growing up once more makes one test the value of their patience once again.” 

“Well don’t worry,” Lloyd smirked, “We’ll be there in no time.” 

Lloyd made his way onto the expressway just as Wu had instructed, falling in line with the rest of the traffic. Around him, the still rebuilding city sprawled around him. Garmadon’s behemoth had destroyed a good portion of the infrastructure of the city, resulting in extensive repairs. The worst of it remained downtown near the Tower itself, making traffic heavily backed up and navigation even worse.

It’d been months now since Lloyd had defeated his father again and had him sent to jail. There were many things that he wished had gone differently. The alliance, the plans, his own decisions, there were many things that he was forced to learn from. In particular, one person still remained in his mind, haunting him whenever he closed his eyes. His hands tightened slightly on the wheel as he looked to the building where he’d last seen her face, or rather where it used to be, staring back at him with those knowing and yet unwilling eyes… 

But all was better now. That was what he told himself. It had to be better now. The city would rebuild, just as he would. His team was back together, the Sons of Garmadon were in jail, and the city was rebuilding stronger than ever before. It would all be better. They were moving forward and that was what was most important of all. He smiled to himself as he guided the car down off exit fourteen, earning a small sigh from Wu. 

“Master, I’m going to cut through the underpass and go right to the tower. We’ll make it there fine!” Lloyd grinned, “It’s just an extra min-” 

“Lloyd!” A small screen on the dashboard sprung to life, “Lloyd, this is Pixal. Come in Lloyd!” 

Immediately, Lloyd reached out and hit the button to trigger the comms, “This is Lloyd, Pixal what’s wrong?” 

“Lloyd, thank goodness we reached you. A massive mechanoid has appeared in front of Borg Tower. Analysis indicates that it is-” 

From outside the car, a massive screech filled the air. The sound was piercing, hollow, and a twisted mass of thousands of individual noises coming together to form a barely coherent noise. That, mixed with the mechanical screech that followed it, made Lloyd’s eyes flash with recognition.

“Iron Doom!” Lloyd turned to Pixal on the screen, “Pixal, are the others there?!”

“All but Nya have arrived. I believe she is currently getting backup,” Pixal’s voice turned analytical, “Lloyd, how much time until you arrive?” 

“I can be there in two minutes!” Lloyd hit another button on the car, causing its massive engine to flare fully to life, “Pix, redirect all traffic from the underpass to the tower! I have Master Wu here with me too. Tell the others to hold them off until I arrive!” 

“Duly noted,” Her voice turned sour, “Though I hope that the Tower is salvageable after it’s done.” 

Lloyd didn’t waste another second. The car roared as he slammed his foot down on the gas, sending the car speeding forward down the road. He weaved the vehicle as accurately as he could through the traffic, alerts popping up on the canopy to give him at least some reaction time. Automated bars came down to block traffic, giving them a perfect straight shot into town. 

As the car drew closer to the Tower, Lloyd could hear its noises again. The last time he’d heard that was when the machine disappeared into the Vortex. Only Kai and Nya returned from it at first, wielding the Reversal Blade. Wu had emerged too, but much later and as an infant. All of that, however, precluded the twins defeating them at every turn, taking the Time Blades, and then nearly succeeding. The thought alone made his blood start to boil. 

“Lloyd!” Wu shouted, but the onscreen prompt flared up more prominently. A massive portion of building was now falling towards the street, right in the oncoming path of the car. Without even thinking, Lloyd reached out and yanked a lever off to his right. 

The canopy burst open, sending the two’s seats flying into the air. The car drove forward into the rubble, crashing into it and flying off into the air only to careen into the ground again. Lloyd and Wu’s seats ejected a large parachute, stabilizing them as they began to drift towards the ground. 

“Lloyd,” Wu, somehow having grabbed his staff at the last minute, pointed towards another building, “We can gain a vantage point from there!” 

“Got it, Master!” Lloyd reached down and undid the seatbelt on the seat, standing up in the chair He leapt from it and focused, sparking a green swirl of wind under his feet. The wind rapidly spun into a large vortex, surrounding his body in a transparent light green sphere. The vortex carried him straight up into the air, uplifting him onto a nearby building. Wu landed beside him, a sparkle of gold fading as he landed.

The two shared a nod of affirmation as they both jumped off, performing Airjitzu again. The two landed on the lip of a window of a small skyscraper. In this fashion, the two soared up the multiple stories of the skyscraper. After nearly a minute of ascension, the two landed on top of the gravel-laced roof overlooking the city.

Immediately, Lloyd ran towards the other side of the building. Even as he panted from the exertion Airjitzu put on him, he scrambled towards the other edge. One he had, he looked out towards the towering and distinct shape of Borg Tower, and more importantly what was now in front of it. 

The side of the Tower had a massive gash torn in it, jagged bits of glass and framework beams tracing the line that was carved into it. The building let out a large pillar of smoke from the tear, like blood leaking from a wound. Several cars and trucks, including the one they had just sent forth, were strewn about the area, all in various states of destruction. In the center of the large span of street in front of the building, however, was where what the two had heard from all those blocks away now stood. 

The Iron Doom slithered forward, cracking the pavement underneath it from the sheer weight of its metallic form and the thousands of snakes slithering within it. It rested directly in front of Borg Tower, staring at the handiwork it had done to it. The machine’s head graced nearly a quarter up the building itself, itself the height of a building. The monstrosity’s large beady eye shone a red gaze onto its contents, looking into it to see what it had wrought from its attacks.

A large burst of orange light, however, drew Lloyd’s attention down to the street. Standing on the steps of Borg Tower were Kai, Jay, Cole and Zane, all with their hoods drawn and weapons out. Kai’s unsuccessful attempt to scratch the surface of the Iron Doom made the behemoth now tower over them, staring at them like a child ready to squash an ant

“Nya!” Kai put his hand up to his ear, letting Lloyd hear him through his own earpiece, “We need our mechs, NOW!” 

“Green Ninja!” A distorted noise of thousands of voices all crying out at once emanated from the mechanical behemoth, “Is this the best your pathetic team can DO?!” The mech slowly drew a large sword from its back, the weapon the height the size of a small parking garage alone. 

The massive copper sword swung forward, smashing right into the side of Borg Tower. Glass exploded, filling the ground with shadows as the shards rained down towards the ninja on the ground. The booming noise of sword cleaving through concrete and support was enough to bring many to their knees. Lloyd instead shot his eyes down to his team.

Lloyd had just enough time to see the glass heading right towards Kai and Jay. Immediately, he threw his arms out, leaping up into the air. Concentration flowed through him, and when he opened his eyes, a massive translucent green dragon had appeared underneath him. The creature let out a reverberating roar before swooping down straight towards the two. Wind shot through him as it went into a perfect dive, heading for the building as gravity carried it faster than its wings ever could.

“I got you!” Lloyd shouted, his dragon reaching out with its front legs to try and snag hold of the two. The glass, however, would be far faster than his dragon could carry him. His own voice was lost to the deafening roar of the wind around him.

Before he could even get to them, a bright flash shot up in front of him. He pulled back on his dragon’s reins instinctually, narrowly missing the wall of ice that had formed over the steps of Borg Tower. The glass smashed harmlessly into it. The force of such a sudden stop made his beast cry out, and the strain to maintain it nearly made him loose focus. Lloyd leaned his dragon over towards the right, flattening his body to the saddle to peer down towards the ground. 

“Go, Lloyd!” Zane’s voice rang out of a comm in Lloyd’s ear as Lloyd could faintly see him lower a gray shuriken from the air and thrust his fist out, causing the ice wall to shatter, “We’ll follow behind you!” 

Lloyd started to say more, but a loud thump from behind him made him turn. Master Wu now stood behind him, one hand on Lloyd’s saddle, and the other with his staff held out behind him. His eyes, unlike the more calm and collected gaze he’d normally held, were now filled with a steely determination. How he’d gotten down from the top of the skyscraper, he didn’t ask.

“I shall accompany you,” Wu declared, “These two are my responsibility. I thought that they’d be lost in time forever… but it seems I must strike the decisive blow myself instead.” 

Lloyd’s lips curled into a smile. He faced forward and raised the reins, “Then let’s go, Master!” He snapped the reins hard, causing his Elemental Dragon to bellow out. The beast flapped its wings hard, sending the two forward towards the Iron Doom. 

By now, the machine had already pulled its sword out of the tower now sporting a massive gash across its surface. Its singular eye flared red as its other hand reached back, drawing its other sword from its back. It brought the two in front of it, pointing the one in its right hand directly towards the dragon. Lloyd immediately barreled downwards to avoid the incredibly fast jab towards him. 

“How is that thing so fast?!” Lloyd shouted, coming out of the barrel just in time to find they were now towards the waist of the machine. The other sword was coming down directly towards them already! To avoid getting cleaved in half, Lloyd twisted his body so he was now perpendicular to the ground. He flew right around the torso of the machine, his gi flapping hard around his face with the sheer speed. Yet to his shock, he could see the mech was already starting to spin around to attack again. 

“Ion!” Lloyd patted his dragon, “Take out its arm!” 

With a small snort, Ion opened its mouth, gathering a massive ball of green energy between its jaws. The Iron Doom’s right arm was already swinging down, its massive sword slamming into the roof of a nearby building. It’s sheer strength cleaved through floors effortlessly, ready to intercept him. 

“Master!” Lloyd shouted, “Get ready! I’m going to get you on that thing!” 

Wordlessly, Wu let go of the saddle, planting his staff onto Ion’s back and readying himself. A loud crackling exploded as Ion let loose the energy ball it had gathered, sending it flying directly towards the massive arm of the mech. The energy struck its elbow, causing the mech to cry out in pain as snakes were either vaporized or burned by the strike. The action caused the arms to slow.

“Now!” Lloyd yanked Ion to fly straight upwards, sending it right up into the sky. The dragon immediately shot upwards, spinning itself around rapidly. The action allowed them to cut right through the air. Lloyd heard something behind him just as they cleared the shoulder of the massive mech. Lloyd continued to climb, climbing until the Ion was reaching the top of several skyscrappers. 

Immediately, Lloyd looked down. Just as he thought, he could see Wu running straight up the arm of the Iron Doom and towards the cockpit. He looked around, expecting to see his team’s elemental dragons or a mech flying after him. He pressed into his comm, but nothing came from it. He peered over the side of Ion’s neck towards the ground so very far below. 

A look further down showed Zane, Kai and Jay fighting off several Vermillion, which seemed to spawn endlessly from a large hatch in the bottom of the mech. The three were knocking warrior after warrior apart, but they would continue to endlessly reform. Nya was nowhere to be found, and instead bursts of fire, ice and lightning were what kept the three from being overwhelmed by the horde. He wasn’t getting any backup. 

Lloyd grunted as he looked down towards the Iron Doom. Already he could feel the strain of flying Ion with such intensity. He was easily out of practice with this, yet they didn’t have any of their mechs nor any vehicles. The only way he was getting on that thing was using Ion. The wind rushed around him as his dragon flapped its wings, the sound mingling with the metallic grindings of Iron Doom on the street. 

A sudden flash of warning in his head caused him to jerk Ion off to the right. A large gray cocoon had just launched from the chest of Iron Doom. The green ninja found himself suddenly with his head perpendicular to the street as the ball just barely grazed the chest of his dragon. Another flash in his head warned him another was coming, this time aimed directly at the saddle. He had just enough to throw Ion down towards the street, the beast letting out a roar as the projectile zoomed past the right side of Lloyd’s head. 

There wasn’t time for thought as Lloyd was back to flying Ion with all his might. Each cocoon that launched would curve down to the street and break open, little red snakes slithering out and moving towards the downed suits of armor to reanimate them. Yet he had no time to even look down, sans for when he was diving down towards the ground. The machine simply kept firing them at him, with every so often a howl of clanking gears and thousands of unnaturally high pitched voices twisted together emanating from the machine’s head. 

Lloyd passed around the top of a skyscraper. Above him, another cocoon projectile fired off, arcing down somewhere into the city. For a moment, the thought flashed in his head that if they kept this up, they’d be endangering the other citizens. He had to get onto that machine now! 

At this height, the two were out of range of the machine. Yet it meant he too was out of range of it. It gave him just enough time to breathe, enough time to think. And in that respect, it reminded him of what he could do. The idea in his head seemed impractical, but it was the only one he had. 

“Alright, buddy!” Lloyd flattened his body down onto Ion’s saddle, “We’re going in for it now!” 

Ion responded by reaching out with its feet, digging its talons into the top of the skyscraper and cracking the windows underneath. Lloyd steeled his gaze as the Iron Doom stared back. He panted a few times before he brought his hand down onto Ion’s neck. The beast bellowed as it flared its wings out as far as they would go and gave a flap hard hard enough to crack even more windows under them. He’d have to remember to pay the owners of the building back later for this. 

But the time for consideration was over as Ion shot right up into the air. A cold chill overtook Lloyd as his dragon shut its wings. For a brief moment, there was no weight on him. He could feel his body starting to lift up from his dragon’s saddle. As that feeling of weightlessness passed, it was replaced with a moment of crushing force as Ion snapped it’s body like a rubber band and shot straight down towards the Iron Doom. 

The machine responded with another howl and another cocoon firing from its body. Ion kept its wings right against its body, using the pure force of gravity to bring it right towards the machine. The only motion that it used to dodge anything coming at it was a simple wriggle to nudge its right out of the way. The sight of the snake-like mech was coming towards him faster and faster. The sound of the air was deafening against his ears as they descended faster and faster. 

Right then, Lloyd felt it again. That sense of something flying right towards him. In that moment, he let go of Ion. The dragon suddenly phased out of existence, leaving Lloyd now to feel the full force of wind against him. He drew his hood over his face at the last moment, before throwing his arms out to his sides. He took a deep breath, and then shouted. 

“NINJAGO!” Around Lloyd, a massive vortex appeared under him and a large ball around him. The Airjitzu tornado shot him straight up into the sky, just barely managing to avoid the barrage. Yet just as he did so, suddenly the vortex enveloped him as he transitioned straight into Spinjitzu. Now without the updraft that Airjitzu provided, he was now falling with a piercing point of his tornado to guide his descent. 

Even inside the tornado, Lloyd could see the massive sword of the machine raising up to cleave right into him. It swung in an arc directly towards where he was heading, spelling certain death for his descent. Yet just as the two were about to make collision, Lloyd shouted, “ION!” 

Lloyd came out of his tornado just in time to feel Ion’s saddle under him again. The dragon bellowed as it reached out with its feet, grabbing the sword and hitting it with the full weight of its body. The arm of the machine let out a sickening “CRRKHCUCK!” as the speed at which Lloyd had built up from the Spinjitzu was transferred directly into the machine, causing the arm to bend unnaturally downwards. Iron Doom let out a bellowing cry as likely hundreds of snakes had been torn in half by the machine bending in that fashion.

Once the sword stopped bending, Lloyd stood up on Ion’s saddle and jumped down onto the massive cleaving blade of the Iron Doom. Once he landed, he collapsed down onto his knee, panting hard from the exertion and adrenaline that was now pumping straight through him. He turned back to his dragon, which was still holding onto the blade. 

“Good… good job buddy…” Lloyd panted as he stood up, “I’m heading in now!” 

Even if he was talking to something of his own creation, Ion slowly lowered its head and blinked for him before it disappeared again. Lloyd forced himself to catch his breath as he ran straight down the arm of the machine and right towards the main cockpit viewport. 

From what Kai and Nya had described, Lloyd had expected the cockpit to be rather large. The two had recounted that they and Wu had fought Krux and Acronix inside of it, and in turn that Wu had pulled a time blade out of the massive vortex opener from the cockpit itself. Stepping inside of the machine, however, told him just how much the two had undersold the size of the thing. The cockpit was hardly visible from the ground, and yet inside Lloyd could maybe stack three of himself on his head and just barely touch the ceiling. 

The entire cabin had an ethereal red glow, with the sunlight outside not even penetrating past the controls. The two large seats were completely empty, with neither of the twins in sight. As Lloyd hopped past the two seats and forward into the machine, each step he took gave a metallic echo through the large cabin. A sinister slithering purveyed the space around him, a noise that emanated from all around. 

Lloyd opened his hands, summoning small green energy orbs around them should he need to fire them. In his haste, he didn’t bring a sword. Not that he needed one, but now inside of the Iron Doom having one would have been a small comfort. 

The ninja took a step forward. His foot pressed down on the metal padding below him, causing a loud creak to fill the room. His senses flared with danger, but it was already too late. The metal sunk down into the ‘floor’ as multiple large writhing Vermillion snakes shot up and wrapped around his leg. Lloyd had no time to react as his leg was dragged down into the floor, causing him to slam forward against the floor. 

Immediately, Lloyd raised his hand and fired a blast of green energy down into the snakes. The pain he caused them was enough to make them let go, and he pulled his leg out of the opening. He rolled his body to the side so he was on his back, just in time to see an orange blur swing down towards him. 

Lloyd’s right hand pulsed with power as he brought it straight up towards the blade to intercept it. The two powers clashed together, causing a spark to form between them. The light between the two was almost blinding in the darkened cabin. As he held the blade at bay, Lloyd forced his eyes to colhease the image in front of him. 

“Well, well, well!” Acronix grinned, “Bro thought we’d have to capture all of the ninja just to get to you, but it seems you’re just as foolish as your Master!” 

Lloyd formed another ball of energy in his other hand and swung it up towards Acronix. The black haired twin leapt backwards, narrowly avoiding having his face cleaved off by the blow. Lloyd hopped to his feet and leaned back on his left leg in a fighting stance. 

“Acronix!” Lloyd hissed, “How did you get out of the Time Vortex?!” 

“Funny thing about time Green Ninja!” Acronix smirked, “When you control it, getting lost in it is just a minor setback!” 

Acronix thrust the orange blade in front of him, letting an arc of orange power fly towards Lloyd. The ninja slid to the right, narrowly avoiding getting hit by the ability. It took a moment for him to remember, but the second he did a feeling of confusion shot through him. 

“How did you get the Reversal Blade?!” Lloyd quierred, “Wu threw it out of the vortex with Kai and Nya! It’s in the boiling sea!” 

“Correct!” Acronix ran his hand along the weapon, “It currently still is in the boiling sea! But once we landed in the future, now that we knew where it was, it was easy to force the Master of Fire and Water to get it for us!” 

Another blast of energy arced out towards Lloyd. This time, Lloyd threw up a massive green shield around himself, taking the blast head on. The blast did not dissipate over his shield, and instead completely enveloped his body. Before Lloyd could even perceive what had happened, he was on the ground with his leg stuck in the hatch again. 

“Have you already forgotten?” Lloyd had to thrust his head to the right to avoid having the blade driven into it as Acronix laughed, “Control time… control everything!” 

“I think you need to focus on controlling your ego first!” Lloyd shoved his hands into the floor panels, sending a massive shotgun-like burst into them. The result was the entire section of floor being blasted up from the floor, sending both of them flying. 

Lloyd landed on his feet, wobbling for a brief second to obtain his balance. Acronix, meanwhile, was thrown into the opposite wall, letting out a hard cry and then landing on the floor with a loud thud. He grumbled as he pulled himself upright. 

“Are you waiting for something, brother?” Acronix panted, “Let’s show our guest here the main event.” 

Lloyd twisted his head around, only to see his entire body enveloped in a red glare. The world around him froze, like pressing pause on a movie. As he remained frozen, Krux lifted him up into the air using the Pause Blade and let out a long hiss towards his brother. 

“Next time,” Krux huffed, “You’re going to the be the one to take care of Wu!” 

“This was your plan, Krux,” Acrnoix rolled his eyes, “If you didn’t want to take care of Wu, then you should have just told me.” 

“Wu wasn’t even supposed to get onboard again!” Krux spat, “You were supposed to separate the ninja so we could capture just Lloyd.” 

“Whatever, we have him here now and that’s what matters!” Acronix shot back, “Just strap him to the manipulator and let’s get this over with.” 

Krux glared at his brother for a long moment but ultimately obliged him. Using the red blade, he hovered Lloyd over towards the center of the cockpit. Acronix reached over and pulled a lever on the control module, causing another section of the floor to open. Several snakes slithered out of the way as a massive crystal rose up from the floor, one that was imbedded with several massive wires that lead down into the ground. Once it clicked into place, Krux pressed Lloyd against it and unpaused him in time. 

“I hope this hurts, Lloyd…” Krux snarled, “I hope it hurts as much as it did for us!” 

Krux nodded to his brother, whom reached over and pressed a glowing button. Lloyd’s senses had just returned to him when he felt his entire body light up. The crystal behind him started to hum, then began to shake, and then began to roar. Lloyd tried to push himself away from the crystal, yet Krux responded by pausing Lloyd’s hands and feet with the blade. 

The crystal let out a long bellow, right before Lloyd felt it. Immense pain. Pain that he’d felt before. His lips let out a strangled scream as green energy erupted from his hands. The energy shot backwards into the crystal, filling it with power. His eyes turned that brilliant shade of green, leaking out of them into the air in whisps. A cold feeling blossomed in his chest and began to arc outwards to fill his entire body, sapping him of warmth. 

The Time Twins watched on as Lloyd felt something leaving him. Something important to him. Something that was deep inside him, being drained out like water from a river. His body locked up as he felt more and more of it being lost. The cold had started to turn into ice, and from ice into something even colder…

Lloyd felt something strike him in the small of his back. The icy grip on his body was released, sending him forward onto the floor. He flopped onto it, his entire body aching and feeling incredibly… weak. His eyes were no longer green, a sight he saw in the metallic floor’s reflection.

Acronix made his way over to the front of Iron Doom, leaning out the viewport and replacing the Pause Blade into the main apparatus. With all four blades in it once more, the center disc began to quickly spin and crackle. As he got back in, he looked over to Lloyd with a smirk.

“Lloyd,” The sound of a staff hitting the ground near his head was followed by him feeling an arm grip his shoulder and lift him up from the ground, “Lloyd, are you hurt?!”

Turning his head, Lloyd saw the telltale beard of Wu in front of him. Slowly, Lloyd tried to stand up, but he felt his entire body refusing to do it. He slumped back down to the floor, panting for a moment and raising his hand. 

“Well there you are, Wu,” Krux grinned, “I figured you in your old age would take even longer to deal with our warriors.” 

“What… what did you do to me?!” Lloyd raised his hands up in the air, focusing his strength into them. He intended to form a massive beam of energy, yet all he could create was a tennis-ball shaped disc. The effort alone caused him to gasp and fall back onto the ground. 

“Oh come now, you can’t be that stupid! Or, I guess you can with a Master like Wu!” Acronix laughed, “This entire machine is fueled by pure Temporal Elemental Energy. So tell me, what happens when we combine it with even more Elemental Energy?” 

Krux shot a look to his brother of annoyance, one that Acronix simply sighed at and shrugged, “The point is, you’re now powerless! And oh!” He pointed behind the two, “It looks like it’s time for you two to leave.” 

Lloyd and Wu looked simultaneously behind them. Ten suits of armor filled with snakes were walking towards them, each of them branding some form of sword or spear. Lloyd forced his body to try and stand up again, yet he was unable to do so without Wu’s support. As the two stood with each other, the warriors brandished their arms and pointed them towards the two. 

At the same time, the entire machine lurched. Lloyd shot his head around to see Krux and Acronix at the cockpit, having input something into the console that looked foreign to him. Outside, Lloyd could see vertical blue streaks beginning to form. Worse, he saw the tops of the skyscrapers start to descend. The entire machine was begin lifted up into the air, and that could only mean one thing. 

“Throw them out, warriors!” Krux shouted, “Let them fall to the ground in front of their friends and students!” 

The two stepped aside as the jabs from the Vermillion forced the two to step back Wu knocked aside several of their weapons with a swipe of his staff, yet having to support Lloyd he could only do so much. As the large jagged blades started to close in, Wu took a few steps towards the viewport.

“W-We… can’t let them…” Lloyd groaned out, “Master, the… crystal…” 

Wu didn’t respond. Instead, he looked over to the now massive glowing green crystal attached into the system, and then to Lloyd. But the two sights were quickly obscured by swords, and by now the two were right up against the viewport. The Twins simply looked on with smug expressions, Acronix putting his chin on his fist and Krux crossing his arms. 

“Lloyd,” Wu spoke quickly, “How much of your power do you have left?” 

Lloyd looked down to his hands. He focused hard, bringing everything he could. He summoned all he had left, only to see he had only an orb perhaps half the size of his arm. And that took effort. He looked up to Wu desperately. 

“That is perfect,” Wu turned, “When I say, use it.”

Without another moment’s hesitation, Wu suddenly wrapped his staff around Lloyd and pulled Lloyd into his chest. He kicked off the viewpoint, throwing the two of them out of the machine. The Vermillion warriors rushed to the open window, hissing and throwing several of their swords towards the two of them. 

Lloyd felt the full rush of wind against his body as the two fell. With the angle the two were falling, Lloyd was being held against Wu with the ground rushing up from behind him. As the two fell, they passed directly by the large Vortex Manipulator that was now rapidly spinning and churning with temporal energy… 

“Now!” Wu struck out with his Staff, sending Lloyd flying directly towards the machine and away from Wu. Lloyd’s tired eyes flashed with understanding as he reached up, pushing all the power he had left into his fists and sending it out in a singular laser directly out towards the Iron Doom’s chest. 

A large electrical explosion filled the air. The Iron Doom bellowed as its chest suddenly began to crackle and spark harder than normal, with the color red filling it as opposed to the mingling of the four blades together. The machine raised up towards the large portal in the air, its hands moving down to its sides as it suddenly convulsed. It let out another loud scream before something red suddenly shot out from it. The machine shot upwards into the large deep blue portal, its surface turning a deep green for a brief moment. In another instant, it was gone. 

The red spark began to careen in the air, flying at random as the air pelted it. Just as it started to arc downwards, a massive white and golden blur intersected it. Lloyd fell through the air for a few more seconds before suddenly his body was enveloped in the same red as he had been before. Just as his perception of time began again, he was on the back of Master Wu’s ornate dragon. 

“Let’s get to the others,” Wu stated with a frown, “We need to discuss this.” 

Lloyd had no ability to do anything other than slump against the dragon. He groaned heavily as his vision started to falter, and the last thing he could focus on was the sparkling trailing gold of the dragon’s wings as the beat seemed to lull him into the darkness’ embrace. 

\--- 

“I have stabilized him,” Zane’s voice cut through the dark as Lloyd felt something against his chest, “His heart rate has increased. He will awaken shortly.” 

Slowly, Lloyd opened his eyes. As he did so, his surroundings came into painful focus. He was inside the cabin of the Destiny’s Bounty, his cabin in particular. From the faint noise he began to pick up, he could tell they were in the air. 

“Lloyd!” Nya’s voice came from his right, “Thank goodness, we were worried you were…” 

“Yeah!” Jay’s voice came from his left, “You’ve been out for hours!” 

Slowly, Lloyd turned and let his body adjust again. All of the Ninja were around him, Zane pressing some apparatus of his against his chest. As it retracted from him, it allowed Lloyd to slowly see Kai and Cole staring at him with a mixture of terror and relief. 

“What… did they…?” Lloyd gently turned onto his side and pushed himself to sit up slightly. 

“Yes,” The ninja’s presence was cut through by the sound of Wu’s grim tone, “I’m… afraid, that they did indeed steal most of your elemental powers, Lloyd.” 

Lloyd looked down towards his hands, slowly summoning a green spark. As soon as it grew big enough to encompass his hand, it refused to go any further. The light sparked for a few moments before it stuttered out of existence. 

“We have to get it back!” Lloyd pushed himself up fully, “Do we know where they went?” 

“Hey, hey!” Kai’s hand moved to push Lloyd back down, “Easy, you just went through a lot.” 

“But, the Time Twins… they, they traveled in time, didn’t they?” Lloyd blinked. 

“Zane,” Wu turned, “Explain what you and Pixal determined.” 

Zane nodded his head, “Yes, Master Wu. From what Pixal and I have analyzed, it appears that the two have used Lloyd’s green power to achieve dimensional transit. The high amount of energy left behind near the region of their jump suggests that some massive hole was ripped in space, not unlike the signatures from when the machined jumped in time.” 

“Dimensional… transit?” Lloyd rubbed his forehead, “Wait, you’re saying they jumped in… universes?” 

“That is what the readings suggest,” Pixal’s voice spoke up, “To confirm, we analyzed these readings to the signatures given off by the Realm Crystal when in use. While not entirely exact, the wavelength and energy density displacement patterns are similar. There is a connection between them. Given what was relayed to us from Wu’s testimony, we can assume that the Time Twins have managed to use Lloyd’s power to transport the Iron Doom.” 

“But how could they even jump universes?!” Kai questioned loudly, “And, what universe did they even manage to go to?!” 

“Insufficient data to answer that, Kai,” Pixal bowed her head, “There is one theory that we have at the moment, but it will require a demonstration to prove its effectiveness. Lloyd,” Pixal looked to him, “Are you able to stand?” 

Lloyd threw the blanket overtop him aside and turned, leaning forward and standing upright. He wobbled for a single moment, but then stepped forward with a confident stride. The slight amount of dizziness he felt inside his head he forced back as he nodded to Pixal. 

“Please follow,” Pixal turned, “We require a large area to sufficiently judge this situation.” 

She and Zane quickly shuffled their way out of the room, followed by Master Wu. Cole and Nya, however, stood back for a moment. As Lloyd took another step forward, Cole reached out and took hold of his left arm, with Nya doing the same to his right. 

“You sure you’re okay, kid?” Cole pursed his lips, “It took me awhile to feel strong enough to actually get moving again after the last time this happened.” 

“Yeah, don’t push yourself Lloyd,” Nya looked to the side, “If I’d gotten our mechs there faster we might have been able to stop them before this happened…” Her fists tightened.

“Hey, I’m fine guys!” Lloyd forced a smile onto his face, “Come on, let’s see what Pixal has to do. I’m fine to walk on my own.” In truth, having someone to lean against would have been welcomed, but with this situation weighing on him right now, he couldn’t afford to show weakness. 

The three made their way out of the door to the room and down the main hallway, stepping out a door onto the main deck The rush of wind hitting their faces as they did so told Lloyd they were already in the air. A thin layer of cloud flew by on either side of the Bounty, with the twin dragon heads on the front cutting through the white layer.. 

The Bounty was currently hovering above the city, Borg Tower in the immediate distance. Beneath them was a massive park, one that housed Zane’s memorial. Beside that statue was one that Wu had had excavated from his father’s tomb and restored, a proud visage of the First Spinjitzu Master standing firm in the heart of the city. The streets around the park, as well as the park itself was completely lifeless. Standing in the middle of the deck, Pixal held something in her hands. The second that Lloyd saw it, he gasped. 

“The Realm Crystal!” Lloyd looked up to Zane, “Why isn’t it being guarded inside of Borg’s Tower?” 

“Because this is critical to our hypothesis,” Pixal extended her arm, “Lloyd, I want you to focus all your remaining power into the crystal.” 

“Huh? Why?” Lloyd asked as he took the weighty gem into his hands, “What’s your theory?” 

“If what we think is true,” Zane was the one who spoke up now, “Then the Time Twins used your power and the collective hive mind of every Vermillion to open a hole into another universe. The fact we were able to read energy displacement signatures, however, means that the hole is not fully closed. Since we do not have a massive array of networked minds to use for this, the Realm Crystal may allow you to do the same. However,” Zane looked Lloyd in the eyes, “For now, see if you can sense where the rest of your elemental energy is.”

“Sense it?” Lloyd looked down into the shiny surface, “I’m, uh, not sure what you mean but… if you say so, Zane.” 

The others took a step back as Lloyd focused. The green energy that he could still summon crackled in his hands, then immediately was forced into the crystal’s murky depths. As he continued to focus, the crystal began to glow a brilliant green, its surface glowing brightly as he held onto it. The light around the cyrstal continued to grow and grow, enveloping everything around him. 

Then, nothing. Or rather, the light gave way into nothing. Lloyd felt nothing around him, even if he could see the crystal in his hands. The nothingness around him felt, vast. As though he’d just fallen into the ocean and seen into the depths. But he did not feel the weight of the water around him. The world around him had completely faded away. 

He felt something. Lloyd physically turned his head, but he saw nothing. He couldn’t see where the feeling was, but he felt it. In the nothingness, it was the only thing that actually felt like he was comforted by it. And with that feeling, he felt a pull towards it. It wasn’t strong enough to move him, but enough that he could easily let himself go into it… 

A sudden feeling of alarm shot through him. Lloyd physically gasped as he pulled his hands away from the Crystal. It fell to the deck of the Bounty, turning back to its regular blue color. The world around him reformed, turning into the worried look of his friends staring at him. 

“Lloyd! Lloyd!” Kai’s sharp tone snapped the remnant of that strange sensation away, “Lloyd, you still with us?” 

“Y-Yeah, yeah I am…” Lloyd gently picked the Crystal up again, this time feeling like it’d tripled in weight, “I… yeah, you were right Zane. I felt… something. Something was pulling on me. Everything seemed to just, disappear and there was nothing, but it was like, the feeling was pulling me towards something inside it…” 

“Then my hypothesis is correct,” Pixal announced, “Lloyd, your power combined with the Realm Crystal allowed you temporary access into the Void between universes. The pull you felt was the energy inside the Iron Doom in another universe at this very moment. If this is to be fully correct, that Crystal should allow you to follow them.” 

“Wait, follow them?!” Jay yelped, “But, how does his power let him do… well, that!” 

“My father created the Realm Crystal using his own energy,” Wu walked forward with his staff knocking against the deck, “And Lloyd’s green power derives from that same energy. My father created the Realms. If he was able to create worlds inside of one universe, then I see it as no stretch to believe that his power would allow him to travel to others as well.” 

“Likewise, elemental power is regenerative,” Pixal looked to Zane, “And in order to do so, it requires a connection to a living host. Because the Twins did not fully remove Lloyd’s power, the energy is still connected. This is analogous to how you defeated your father, Lloyd. Your power is still connected to the Iron Doom, and thus you are attracted to it in. According to Borg’s Void theory, in the absence of everything, matter will be drawn to other matter. Assuming that your matter, in this case your energy, is currently in another universe, you will be drawn to it.” 

The deck went silent as the weight of what Pixal was saying dropped upon them. The Twins were in another universe at this moment, using Lloyd’s power as a battery in order to sustain itself there. Lloyd could follow it, and all he needed was the Crystal. 

“Well that’s convenient and all,” Cole scoffed, “But you’re saying that Lloyd here is going to act as an express trip into an entire other universe?”

“Exactly,” Zane affirmed, “Lloyd’s remaining energy will allow us to follow the Iron Doom and reclaim his lost power.” 

Lloyd focused on the Crystal again. His power and this would give him the ability to jump entire universes? The thought alone was almost… overwhelming. Just those few brief seconds he’d spent in the void were unnerving, and now he was going to go into another place entirely?

“Lloyd,” Pixal spoke up, “What do you know about the multiverse theory?” 

“The… what theory?” Lloyd shook his head, “I didn’t exactly go to the best school, Pixal.”

“I’ll explain it,” Zane stepped in, “Lloyd, imagine a universe comprises everything. Every moment in time, every piece of matter, and every event that ever happened. Now, imagine that for some reason, those events were altered even in the slightest. Every time even a miniscule event is changed, it creates a new universe. This universe is separate from our own. Do you follow?” 

“Yeah,” Lloyd raised an eyebrow, “So, every little action can create a new universe?” 

“Yes, but even the smallest change could dramatically alter the entire universe. For example,” Zane turned, “Imagine a universe in which Garmadon never returned from the Dark Realm. The events that proceeded after that would never have happened. There would be no Overlord, no Golden Master, and the events on Chen’s Island would proceed very differently. Changing one thing can alter the entire course of history. That, however, it simply a universe in which history is altered. Some universes may even have different fundamental physics than our own, others may as well be considered complete reinventions of our own.” 

“A complete reinvention?” Jay blinked, “Like, we don’t exist?” 

“That would still qualify as a historical revision,” Zane shook his head, “Imagine a universe where Spinjitzu was not created, but instead was replaced with something else. Or imagine a world where the very matter of our universe is not what we perceive it to be. This is an Alternate Universe, of an AU for short. Any universe in which some constants remain across them qualify as an AU.”

“Okay, so these AU’s, how we will know what they’ll be?” Lloyd looked down to the Crystal, “I, couldn’t see anything. I could only, feel. Like I was being pulled on by a rope.” 

“That’s the problem,” Pixal announced, “We will have no idea until we arrive.” 

That brought silence to the deck. Some were trying to still put together what these AU’s were and others knew that this was dangerous. Simply jumping in headfirst without even seeing the water was risky. They could be jumping right into a rocky shore, or into infested waters. It was dangerous without even considering the fact that Lloyd didn’t have most of his power. 

“So… when do we leave?” Kai smirked, “We should get moving right away.”

The others turned to look at Kai. Kai simply shrugged his shoulders, “What, Lloyd here doesn’t have his powers and I for one don’t want to make him wait any longer than he has to. Let’s get moving already!” 

Wu looked out to the ninja on the deck. He can a hand through his beard for a moment, then he nodded, “Yes, Kai is correct. We do not know what the Time Twins want, but it is our responsibility to stop them. Every moment we waste is another moment they possibly grow even stronger. Lloyd,” Wu looked him in the eyes, “Are you recovered enough to go?” 

“Yes, Master!” Lloyd nodded his head briskly, “I am.”

“Then go, my Ninja!” Wu turned, “The Twins are out there, and it was my hubris that brought this upon the world. I will accompany you. Pixal, I must ask you to remain behind. With the ninja gone, the city will need a protector.” 

“Understood,” Pixal turned to Zane, “Zane, I, do not think that I will be able to maintain communication once you have departed. I would like to ensure your safety.” 

“There’s nothing to worry about, Pixal,” Zane reached out and took both of her hands, leaning in towards her, “I will keep myself safe for you and return.” 

Pixal smiled widely, pulling Zane in a bit closer. Nya smiled as well, only to see Jay snickering somewhat. A sharp jab to his ribs made him reconsider that as he straightened himself upright. 

“What of the Time Blade that Lloyd knocked out of the machine?” Pixal voiced as the group made their way over to Lloyd, “It could be a valuable asset.” 

“I have hidden in it a place where it shall never be found again,” Wu shook his head, “It is too dangerous to allow the Twins to get their hands on it once again. I do not know if they can use blades from another universe, but to allow them to travel in time as well as universes… it would make them nearly unstoppable.” 

“Alright, team…” Lloyd looked around to his friends that now circled him, “I don’t know what Krux and Acronix are planned, but we beat them before and we’ll do it again. They got the drop on us this time, but not again. Are you ready team?” 

“Yeah!” The others shouted, each of them reaching out and putting a hand on the Crystal. 

“NINJAGO!!!” The team shared a chant as Lloyd focused his energy into the Crystal again. Once more, the light enveloped him, sending the reality that he was apart of fading away. 

Again, Lloyd was in the void. The nothingness was there, all around him, or rather not around him. He couldn’t put into words how it felt. But he didn’t have time to think about that. He focused again, and there it was. That pull. As though he was letting himself fall down into someone’s arms, he allowed the pull to overtake him. Fear gripped him for a brief moment, but he resigned himself to it. 

He felt himself falling, but likewise not. The pull was carrying him away. He forced himself to stay calm, to allow it to happen. As it started to drift, the pull became even stronger. Like a magnet being drawn to its source. He took in deep breaths as he felt himself accelerating, getting closer, and closer… 

Lloyd… Lloyd!! Lloyd!! Lloyd’s eyes shot open, though no light came to him. The voice cut through the ether, like being yelled to from underwater. Instantly, he forced himself away, relinquishing the hold the pull had on him. The second he did, he felt himself rapidly flying back towards where he had ‘started’ in the void. 

“Lloyd!!!” Nya’s shrill tone sounded in his ear as Lloyd found himself back on the deck again. The others were all crowded around him now, yelling as though he hadn’t been able to hear them…

“Huh?” Lloyd looked around, “Gah, guys you can quiet down! I’m here! We were almost there!” 

“Uh, you were almost there!” Cole shook his head, “Lloyd, you just started to flicker and then, you were gone!” 

“What?” Lloyd turned, “You… you guys weren’t in the Void with me?” 

“No, we’ve been yelling for you to come back!” Nya frowned, “Why didn’t you take us with you?” 

“I… was, I thought I was…” Lloyd looked down into the Crystal, “Zane, why weren’t you following?” 

“This is a possibility Pixal and I believed could happen,” He looked up, “Lloyd, it appears only those that possess the green power can travel dimensions.” 

“Huh? What?” Lloyd shook his head, “No, no that’s gotta be a mistake. I should be able to take you guys with me!” 

“If you were at full power, that might have been possible,” Zane solemnly paused, “But since you have so little of your elemental energy left, it appears we cannot accompany you.” 

Lloyd felt his hands tremble. That feeling of the Void was crawling over him again. He… couldn’t take his friends with him? But why? Was he really so weak he just couldn’t do it? He looked around to their troubled faces, feeling his confidence shatter. 

“Lloyd,” Wu announced, “You must go after your power.” 

“But, Master!” Lloyd looked around to the other Ninja, “I can’t do this without them! You saw what happened last time!” 

“Yes, but we cannot afford to leave you without your powers,” Wu’s voice faltered for a second, “It… it pains me to say this, but you will have to undertake this mission on your own.” 

“Master…” Lloyd’s hands shook even harder, “I don’t even have all my powers. I don’t think I can summon Ion. What am I supposed to do?” 

Suddenly, Lloyd felt hands on his shoulders. He turned to see Kai and Cole leaning against him. Jay and Nya reached out and placed their hands on top of his own, steadying the shaking. Zane moving forward and put his hand on Lloyd’s arm. 

“Don’t worry about us, Kid!” Kai’s voice was filled with his usual bravado, “You’ve beaten everything that’s gotten in your way, you can do this!” 

“We’ll be right here waiting for ya!” Cole followed up, “You got this.”

“You’ll be fine, Lloyd. You’ve already beaten so much, these nasty twins will go down in Round two!” Nya chipped in. 

“Get them back for, well, taking you down!” Jay pumped his other fist, “You’re the Green Ninja, if anyone can beat those guys, it’s you!” 

“You’ll succeed, Lloyd,” Zane smiled softly, “You have always been strong. You can beat them.” 

As they all stepped back, Lloyd could see it in their eyes. None of them wanted him to go alone, but he had to. There was nothing else he could do. Their praises, however, were enough to get his confidence back up. Enough to make him grip the Crystal with a harder grasp. 

Turning, Lloyd looked to a crate on the deck and opened it. Form inside, he drew out two long golden katanas, sheathing them onto his back. Once he had, he held the Crystal tightly and gave a large smirk to bolster himself.

“Alright… alright guys, I’ll get those Twins!” Lloyd declared, “I’ll be back before you guys know it!” 

The group let out another cheer. His confidence swelling, Lloyd took a deep breath. He looked down into the Crystal again, focusing his power. The last thing he saw before the light began to envelop him again was all of his friends smiles, urging him on to take back what was his. 

Then, nothingness. The third time around, he was expecting it. And even more, he felt somewhat less scared about it. Without hesitation, he let himself fall backwards into the tug, carrying off into the void. 

Just as before, he felt himself accelerating slowly. The confidence he had inside him burned against the lack of any other feeling as he drifted. It was like floating on the surface of a lake, being carried towards something. Opening or closing his eyes made no difference; there wasn’t anything that he could see either way. 

The tug grew in intensity. Lloyd’s breath picked up as he felt himself getting even faster. The feeling of nothing became a feeling of hurtling towards something. Slowly, trickles of light were beginning to form in his vision, starting as small splotches and then growing into large bands. The bands started to colhease and speed by as he went further and further into the darkness. 

Lloyd felt the need to brace himself. The light finally joined together into one blur, until once more the light blinded his vision. Slowly, he felt something against his feet, then he felt the air around his body. 

He opened his eyes. Around him was… a city. A, rather large city. A city that was made out of, blocks. Or, not blocks, but something like it. He could see, something everywhere. Like… little circular pegs? 

He turned around. Behind him was a massive statue. A statue of a man carved out of rock, holding up in his hand a large series of the same blocks that formed everything. From the positioning of the figure, they seemed to be forming something in their hand. The arc of the pieces going from his foot to his hand almost made it appear as though he was, building them? 

A massive explosion made Lloyd jerk his head back around. Off in the distance, he could see it. The Iron Doom, towering over the city. It looked almost… out of place, against everything. But he didn’t have time to think about that! From the distance, he could tell he had landed perhaps a mile or so away. 

“Alright, Krux, Acronix!” Lloyd shouted, drawing his hood over his face, “Here I c-”

Lloyd’s declaration was cut off as the foot of a massive mechanical shark suddenly pressed into the street right overtop of where he stood, causing the pavement to fracture as it let out a massive bellow towards the Iron Doom. From atop the shark, a single battle cry could be heard: 

“WHAT’S MY NAME?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings reader, I would like to thank you for taking a moment to read my work. Enter the Ninjaverse has been a massive project of mine since I first saw Into the Spiderverse this previous spring. My love of the idea of alternate universes and the desire to write an action-adventure style story finally pushed me to sit down and create this entire story. 
> 
> Firstly, I do want to mention some of my inspirations up front: Underverse, Re:Creators and Spiderverse are all stories that pushed me to work. These three were where my initial idea sprung from, and for anyone that can spot the parallels, I would like to say that you have a keen eye. 
> 
> As many people wonder about posting schedule, I will be updating Ninjaverse weekly on Fridays. I have decided to write chapters in massive 'batches' that I then slowly post so that when I begin posting chapters, I give myself a decent span of time to work on the next 'batch.' Thus, the only hiatuses that I should undergo will be working on these batches. 
> 
> Please see my tumblr for information about all my fics: https://bionicstars.tumblr.com/ ! There you can ask me questions, submit things, or just see what's going on with the stories!
> 
> I hope that you enjoy my work, and in the words of the Fold: Jump up, kick back, whip around and Spin!


	2. Chapter 2

_When Garmadon threatened to destroy the city, WE WERE THERE!_

_When the city actually was destroyed, WE WERE THERE!_

_When something that may be mildly interesting to the network arises, WE ARE THERE!_

_This is… _ ** _GOOD MORNING NINJAGO!_ **

****

_“Gggggoooddd morning Ninjago! I’m Michael Strahan and this is Robin Roberts, super excited to be bringing you all the newest news!” _ ** _EXCITEMENT!_ **

_“Robin, I think we’re gonna have to be bring up an old favorite of ours, the Garmadon Attack Forecast, because our city is once again under attack!” _ ** _ATTACK FORECAST!_ **

_“But wait a minute, Michael! This means Garmadon has gone back to his old ways, right?” _ ** _WRONG!_ **

****

_“It appears a new mechanical menace has attacked the city! And just to make itself even more notable, it’s a massive snake! What is it with all these animal-themed vehicles, Michael?”_

_“I’m not sure, Robin! But this new menace is even BIGGER than the Garma-Mech! Why, I bet if it slithered its way up to our news building right now, it’d be able to pluck us right out of our seats just by reaching forward!”_

_“Wait, what’s this Michael? I’m getting word the Ninja are riding into battle alongside Garmadon!” _ ** _TEAM-UP!_ **

****

_“Right you are, Robin! Today we're not seeing double dragons, but rather a dragon and a shark! Both deadly creatures, both super dangerous! It's a showdown of land, sea and sky, and don't any of you worry, G-M-N will bring you every single blow from our cameras still installed from Garmadon's previous rampages!"_

_“Right now it seems the Garma-shark is charging straight towards the bay! Don’t any of you even think about going outside right now, unless you want to see what happens when a shark steps on yyyccczhhzhzhzhzhzhz-”_

The broadcasting radio sparked and died as the massive vibration from the foot of the Garmashark knocked it into the pavement. The terrified couple listening to it shrieked and ran in the opposite direction, abandoning their meal in favor of trying not to find out what the Garmashark had recently stepped in.

Off in the distance, the Iron Doom let out a massive bellow. It stood with part of its lower body submerged into the Ninjago City Docks. Several buildings were already turned into blocky rubble by hand of its swords, and as it seemed to undulate and twist unnaturally to all those who hadn’t run away fast enough. The behemoth’s raw power caused citizens to run as fast as their rectangular legs could carry them. 

“Ugh, I’m telling you, General Number Son!” Garmadon huffed as he leaned over the edge of his control panels, “Young couples always eat outside the restaurant. They don’t just sit inside, no no they go outside even if its raining and eat their food there! I mean, your mother and I did that whenever were in the middle of a siege, but that at least had reason!”

“Dad!” The strained and sharp voice shot out from the other end of the receiver, “Dad come on, we got this! Let us defend the city!”

“Son, your father has put his foot down on this one! I mean, I mean just LOOK at that thing!!” Garmadon thrust all four of his hands forward, “I mean really, that’s just… that’s just… it’s all an insult!”

“Insult? I have literally no idea what you’re talking about with that,” The voice stuttered, “You can’t take that thing all on your own! Just look at how it’s moving!”

“Son, you just don’t get it, do you?” Garmadon sighed, “And here I was, thinking I’d imparted all the knowledge I had knocking around in this head of mine. Well, at least the Warlord stuff, I have to wait until you’re older for some of it. But getting off track!” Garmadon growled, tightening his claw hand over the control stick, “Tell me, what was the name of the forecast that news channel you all love so much used?”

“The… Garmadon Attack Forecast?” The voice awkwardly answered, “Why...?”

“That’s right! The _Garmadon_ attack forecast! I’m the only one with exclusive rights to demolish this city whenever I please! And, and now this thing comes in here, looking like some massive snake that decided to go get some big robot chicken arms and slither its way into my territory! I just can’t stand for that!” 

“Sharks do not have legs by default,” A filtered male voice cut in on another channel, “By your logic, your own steed is on equal level of realism with this new enemy. That is to say, highly unrealistic.” 

“I told you to stay off this channel, white one!!!” Garmadon slammed his lower left hand into a red button to silence him, “General Number Son, I want you to stay back until I give the order! You got that?!”

“Dad I’m sure we can help!” The frustrated voice emanated from the console again, “And please, my name is _Lloyd!_ You just pronounce it with one ell!”

“Lulloyd, I’m not getting into this discussion again with you! If you have problems then wait until you mother gets here and take it up with her!” Garmadon groaned out.

“Oohh, Lady Iron Dragon is coming?!” A feminine voice excitedly shouted on the channel, “Garmadon, you gotta let me show off what I’ve learned! I found this new trick that can totally-“

Garmadon’s fist came down on the button again, “Lulloyd, after this battle is done we’re going to have a discussion about proper communication channel order! Tell the silver one to stop talking!”

“And we, we talked about this, dad!” Lulloyd groaned, “You gotta start learning everyone’s names! That was Nya, _N-y-a!_ Come on, you can remember my name just fine!”

“Because I named you that way so I wouldn’t forget!” Garmadon scoffed, “Look, son, once I get over to these posers, I’m going to let loose, and trust me, you do NOT want to be around a Warlord when he shows his true colors. I know you’ve seen in all those cartoons where the big hero suddenly starts screaming a lot and then just wins?” Garmadon started to grin, “I just win, but I won’t be the one doing the screaming.”

“Uhm, did he just imply that he’s going t-,” Jay was cut off by another button slam.

“Okay, okay dad just…” Lulloyd sighed over the intercom, “Just, tell us if you need us, okay?”

Rather than respond, Garmadon reached down and hit a button on the underside of his semicircular control panel. A thin ray of light shone in his face, then quickly expanded as the hatch to the Garmashark’s head opened. After a moment, a lurch upwards caused the panel to begin rising out of the shark’s forehead, elevating him upwards until he now stood higher than the massive blue dorsal fin of his mech.

The dead shining eyes of the flagship shark mech stared off to either side. It’s massive claws dug into the pavement, causing cracks to form in it as cars wildly swerved and began driving away at high speeds. Clotheslines, barrels and anyone with an unsecured connection was knocked over as the shark raised its right foot and slammed it down hard into the pavement. Several pieces of now broken pavement went flying.

“ALRIGHT, LISTEN UP YOU SNAKES!” Garmadon shouted his boisterous voice through a megaphone in his upper right hand, “I WANT YOUR NAMES RIGHT NOW SO I CAN KNOW WHAT I NEED TO ADD TO MY HALL OF DEFEATED FOES!” 

At first, the Iron Doom didn’t move. It’s one massive pulsating red eye stared across the city, looking right over the head of the Garmashark. The behemoth’s outline on the horizon was alien, sending the fleeing citizens even further away from the docks in a horrifying panic. 

In response to being ignored, the Garmashark leaned backwards, pointing its fins upwards towards the rotating dial on the Iron Doom’s chest. A flurry of missiles flew out from them, slamming directly into their mark. The smoke obscured the entirety of the Iron Doom’s face for a few seconds. 

When its red eye pierced the mist, Garmadon gripped the microphone to the speakers on the Garmashark, “YOU HAVEN’T EARNED THE RIGHT TO IGNORE ME! I DEMAND TO KNOW YOUR NAMES NOW SO I KNOW WHAT TO CALL YOU WHEN I RIP YOU APART!” 

Slowly, the Iron Doom leaned its head down. The shadow it cast covered the Garmashark. Once Garmadon was shrouded in darkness, however, he pulled a switch that caused the eyes of the Garmashark to flare up with a brilliant blue light. The shark let out a massive mechanical bellow at the Iron Doom a moment later. 

“Is this your city’s defender?” The collected voice of Krux cast out across the city, “Is your city so weak as to rely upon a deranged madman to defend it?” 

“OKAY, AT THIS POINT I’M STARTING TO THINK YOU’RE REALLY IGNORING ME!” Garmadon shouted once more, “NAMES!” 

“The Hands of Time have no time for such a foolish display!” Acronix took the microphone from his brother, “Let it be known that once we have conquered your defender, we will not hesitate to demand your obedience! Compliance will be necessary, on risk of death.” 

The Iron Doom leaned his mighty head back, letting out the twisted amalgamated screech of thousands of snakes crying out at once. Those in the city that had no already fled were reduced to terror as the strangely moving mechanoid beared down on them. 

“Dad!” Garmadon turned to see the face of his son hovered beside him. Underneath Lulloyd was his massive green mech dragon, its jets keeping it aloft. Behind him, the fire mech, quake mech, water mech, lightning mech and ice mech all found places behind the Garmashark. 

“Lulloyd! I told you to stay away from here!” Garmadon shouted, gritting his teeth together upon seeing the ninja behind him, “Don’t you understand anything?! You’re my General Number Son, you know what example this sets for the rest of the group?!” 

“Oh, yeah, yeah like you listened to me? That thing is going to level the city!” Lulloyd countered, “It’s our city too, we need to be here to defend it!” 

“No, don’t you get it?!” Garmadon huffed and turned his head around, “You were supposed to be my backup forces! I was going to drive him back towards you and have you help finish him off! What, did you think I was going to completely neglect the fact I have six units in reserve?!” 

“Uhm… yes?” Nya’s voice rang out on the comm, “You haven’t exactly been super clear what the battle plan is.” 

“Or what exactly we’re supposed to be doing outside of stay behind?” Jay followed up. 

“It seemed more reasonable to assume you didn’t have a plan, and were simply trying to save face by ignoring us entirely until it was too late.” Zane added. 

“I thought my brother did something right for once,” Garmadon sighed and put a hand to his forehead, “I though he taught you to be patient and wait for orders like good little soldiers. But no, he couldn’t even do that…” Garmadon sat up, “You want orders? Fine!” 

“Such a pitiful sight!” Acronix’s voice rang out, “Not even this city’s defenders can communicate with one another. Truly, this city is in great hands!” 

“Lulloyd, silver, white, red!” Garmadon shouted into his own comm, “I want you on the Junk Depot Docks immediately! You will wait there until I’ve driven that thing towards you! Black, blue, you two fall back to your little mech storage place, if this thing breaks through, then it’ll be up to you to stall it. You all got that?!” 

“Yes sir!” The five ninja on the comm all shouted simultaneously, each of them dispearsing towards their designated area. Lulloyd, however, remained still. 

“Nya, Zane, Kai, you go on without me,” Lulloyd gripped his two red control sticks tightly, “I’m staying up here with dad. He needs aerial support!” 

Garmadon opened his mouth to say something, but it seemed the time for discussion was up. As soon as the mechs began to disperse, the Iron Doom had reacted. Using its massive copper blade, the mech swung its weapon towards the now retreating machines It cleaved its way through the tops of buildings with ease, causing the rectangular floors to fall towards the ground in perfect square chunks. The mech stuck the Fire Mech directly in the back, causing the two massive canisters on the back to explode. Billows of brick clouds and flames went up into the sky as Kai went down into the streets as his mech broke into pieces upon hitting the ground.

“Lulloyd, sword, NOW!” Garmadon ordered before he pulled a switch. His platform retreated into the Garmashark, the hatch closing up above him. The second he had, the shark bellowed once more. The artificial land aquatic fish darted forward, its jaws ratcheting open. The entire head of the shark suddenly hissed as it rotated ninety degrees, allowing is jaws to directly clamp around the midsection of the Iron Doom. 

At the same time, Lulloyd’s mech dragon unfolded a set of secondary boosters, giving it incredibly speed as it soared into the sky. Lulloyd yanked his control sticks backwards, making his dragon’s mouth open. Its tongue turned into a massive cone mounted over several cylinders, which fired off as a massive rocket into the hand of the Iron Doom. His mech dragon banked right as the missile made contact, causing a massive explosion. The tail of his dragon fired backwards with another twist of the control sticks, slamming into the same place. 

The Iron Doom’s arm trembled as the sword shook inside of its grasp. The machine growled towards Lulloyd as he spun his dragon into a drill, soaring right between the right arm now coming directly at him. The secondary thrusters retracted, and in its place, each of the spines on the dragon fired off. They shot up towards the cockpit of the machine, smashing into the massive dial in its chest.

At first, the twins only smirked. Yet the time it took for them to see what was going on underneath of the missiles gave the Garmashark time to plow directly into the torso of the Iron Doom. The shark’s fin went just up past the Iron Doom’s midsection, meaning such an action hardly rattled it. Then the shark head hissed and twisted independently of the body again, turning perpendicular to close its jaws around the massive plate over the lower portion of the mech. The metal bent inwards as the jaws ratcheted closed. 

In response, the Iron Doom bellowed again, bringing its fists down onto the head of the shark. Bits of white brick flew in several directions, yet the jaws continued to close. The large metal plate creaked as the jaws had gotten a firm grasp on the metal. The shark hissed as the body began to step backwards, revealing a line of black pieces with ratcheted segments over them, by which three large gears were forcing the head and body apart. 

The mech dragon soared up above the top of the Iron Doom, its feet pointing down towards the large massive eyeball of the mechanoid snake. All four feet launched off, plowing into the glowing orb. The machine let out a low growl, yet it remained unmoved. 

“Dad, this thing just keeps taking hits!” Lulloyd shouted into his comm, “You’re a warlord, where is its weak spot?!” 

“Forget about a weakspot!” Garmadon shouted back in Lulloyd’s ear, “Aim for the top of the piece I’m yanking off!” 

Immediately, the mech dragon twisted downwards, its body snapping about to turn in such an arc. The dragon’s eyes shrunk into its head, then launched outwards as the two green orbs had been turned into missiles of their own. They flew directly into the top of the metal plate the Garmashark had seized, causing an ear-piercing screech as the metal weakened from the impact. A second later, the shark’s head thrust backwards and reconnected with its body, the plate having been wretched open and now laying across the pavement in front of the shark. 

“There we go!” Garmadon shouted, this time his mech being the one to launch several tiny white missiles from between the ‘gills’ of the mech, “Alright snakey, let’s see how you fall!” 

The darkness cast by the Iron Doom shrouded the interior of the mech in shadow. The missles connected directly with their target… yet no explosions went off. Instead, the missiles seemed to be swallowed up into the darkness. As soon as the flicker of light from the end of each missile was just swallowed up, the darkness appeared to be moving. 

From the panel’s now exposed interior, snakes began to pour out. Each of them moved organically, slithering out onto the street. The citizens that were still close enough to see the strange creatures shrieked and fled in terror as the unnatural serpents began to contort and colhease around each other. The alien creatures moved unnaturally and poured out over the streets in a horrifyingly sickening display. Snakes brought together tiles of pavement and chunks of building, bringing them together to form a crude shell. Large chain mail armor spilled out of opening as well, which snakes promptly filled and colehased together. 

“It appears we cannot teach you obedience without you first seeing the extent of our army!” Acronix laughed, “Fall beneath the might of the Vermillion!” 

Within seconds, tens of soldiers had formed out of the mass, with the massive shell towering over the men. The soldiers ran forward and brandished swords from their backs, jumping up onto the Garmashark’s large legs. Their swords hacked about at the metal, crawling up the mech as their went. 

“Hey, hey, hey! Hands off the shark!” Garmadon shouted. His mech suddenly turned about and slammed itself up into the side of a nearby building. As bricks fell onto the street, the shark leapt into the air and spun about, attempting to throw the soldiers off of it. The Vermillion clung tightly to it, however, only a few losing their grip and being flung in all directions. 

The shark’s spinning, however, was interrupted by the massive hand of the Iron Doom gripping it by the tail. The shark was slowly hefted up into the air, the Iron Doom adding its other hand to the grasp. The midsection of the behemoth hissed, its top torso rotating rapidly about in a perfect arc. The shark was sent spinning about in the air, the wind whipping against it. As soon as the Iron Doom let go, the shark was sent soaring over the city. 

Said shark howled as it soared through the sky, breaking off antenas from rooftops and smashing into anything unlucky enough to be built high enough. The side of Ninjago Tower was plowed into, finally stopping the momentum of the mech. A perfectly shark shaped hole cut from slopes and curves showed the exact point of impact, glasses turning into broken shards and panes as it flew to the ground. Several floors were completely caved in as the Garmashark was planted firmly into its walls. 

The shark’s jaws ratched open before hanging there, its body covered in stray plates and sparking tiles. The distance from the tower to the dock was nearly a third of the city, and the sight of a flying shark only earned terrified calls over the comms. 

“Lloyd, do you have a visual on your dad?!” Nya shouted, “I’m on my way!” 

“Garmadon has given us our posts,” Zane countered, “Lloyd is is best position to intercept.” 

“Uh… I’m kinda inside a building, what just happened?” Jay asked sheepishly. 

“I’m on my way!” Lulloyd shouted, “Anyone got visuals on Kai?!” 

“I have him with me,” Nya answered, “He’s currently knocked out though, so he isn’t going to be of much help right now.” 

“There are a ton of snakes coming from that thing… at least, I think they’re snakes!” Lulloyd informed the group, “Zane, I need you to get out there and freeze them in their tracks!” 

“It will be just like old times,” Zane responded, “I am feeling so nostalgic. I am beginning to feel a desire to return to the old days. Ice, ice baby.” 

“Just get there!” Lulloyd shouted, “I gotta go get my dad!” 

Within seconds of impact, the Tower began to creak and groan as it leaned forward. The large supports in the front had been severed by the shark, and slowly, the top half of the building began to cave in forward towards the city streets. Citizens below yelled out in terror as the building that housed the mayor’s desk was soon about to deliver itself atop their heads. Said desk began to slide from the top of the building, accelerating towards the edge.

Just as gravity began to take hold of the top half, Lulloyd’s mech dragon slammed up into the very top of the building. Its front claws dug into the top, turning tiles into slopes as it bent them inwards from the force. The secondary boosters kicked in, forcing the top of the building back into an upright position. As it slowly did so, a black blur shot out from the cockpit and onto the roof, taking a moment to jam a brick in front of the desk before breaking open the door to the stairwell. 

Lulloyd rushed forward into the stairwell, leaping over the railing of the stairs and falling directly through the rectangular gap between the rows of stairs. As soon as he saw a severed piece of stairs, he thrust his sword out to catch the lip of the railing. The force bent his sword downwards elastically, which then flipped up into the air. He landed on the broken bit of stairs with only a small impact of green flash.

Immediately, Lulloyd rushed out. The ninja turned into a rectangular blur, grabbing pieces from all around the room and quickly building something in the large gap the shark created. When he finished, a large jack had been built right up against the two floors that were open to the sky. Quickly, Lulloyd threw together several bricks, slamming them down onto the hammer to force the jack upwards. The entire building lurched as the jack forced the building back upright. 

Quickly, Lulloyd leapt over the head of the Garmashark and back into the stairwell. With a few more bricks, he built a platform to cover the gap in the stairs. As citizens began to rush down the stairs, Lulloyd realized the stairs were still out. As one poor worker stopped, another collided into him from behind ,then another, and another until the man was sent shouting forward. 

From an assembly of potted plants, pencil holders and broken chair bottoms, a makeshift javelin speared the floor under the man, catching him before he could free fall. Lulloyd leapt down and grabbed hold of him, leaping back up and placing him on the top of the stairs. Looking around, he focused as pieces began to rapidly fold and unfold into blue outlines. He disappeared once more, slamming together paintings on the office floor walls, cubicle dividers, and hinges to form a makeshift slide down to the next portion of stairs. 

“Go, go, go! Get out of here, get out to the streets!” Lulloyd pressed a hand to his comm, “Nya, I need evac! Ninjago Tower!” 

“Zane’s still clearing a path, but we’re on our way!” Nya replied, “Should be there in twenty seven seconds!”

“Good, keep that coming!” Lulloyd hopped over onto the hatch of the Garmashark, quickly wrapping his claw hands around the wheel, “Citizens are out top priority right now! Jay, Cole, you two are still on backup, if that Iron Doom tries to move inland you turn it back or turn it to ash, got it?” 

“I believe we have a problem,” Zane’s voice suddenly interrupted, “Whatever soldiers attacked the Garmashark are flooding the streets. I believe we require the Fire and Quake mech for this.”

“Lulloyd!” Garmadon’s voice pierced out of the cockpit, followed by massive coughs, “Lulloyd, quick, I need a tail!” 

Studs shifted aside as the hatch to the Garmashark finally opened, allowing the Warlord to crawl out onto the broken floor. As he looked around, he scoffed, “Still so glad I got out of this stupid place.”

“A what? Zane, once you’ve cleared that path turn back and defend the people, I don’t know what these two want but I don’t like it!” Lulloyd pulled his hand off his comm, quickly hopping down from the shark and turning towards the stairwell. 

“Those imposters took my tail!” Garmadon shouted, turning towards the tail end of the shark Sure enough, what was once a massive tail was now nothing more than a large stump of pulled apart plates and a few hissing from ruptured oxygen tanks. 

“Dad, forget about the tail! Those snake things are starting to get into the city!” Lulloyd pointed out to the Iron Doom, who was staring straight at the building with a patient gaze. 

“And to do that, we need to stop them at the source, and I can’t have a shark mech that doesn’t have a tail! A shark without a tail is like a dragon without wings!” Garmadon paused, “Which reminds me, we need to rework your mech when we get back.” 

“Dad, I can’t, what are you talking about?!” Lulloyd turned around, “Make your own new tail!” 

“I need you to make me a new tail so _I_ can fix the mech!” Garmadon shouted back, “Make me a new tail and then fly me back! I need to teach those two a lesson! This is an order!” 

Lulloyd look back towards Garmadon, then to the Iron Doom before he sighed. Garmadon just grinned as he disappeared back into his cockpit, the hatch creaking as it sealed back up. Lulloyd became a blur again as he scavenged any and all pieces he could from the building, quickly putting together disparate plates to form the general shape of the Garmashark’s tail. As soon as he had it in place, he delivered a hard kick to the connecting plates, setting the tail into the mech. 

Lulloyd disappeared up the stairwell. Within moments, the mech dragon soared down back to the rooftops. Lulloyd burst out into the light, leaping forward and climbing into the cockpit. It arced down around the building and shot through the hole the Garmashark had made. Its large jaws reached in past the large jack and took hold of the torso of the shark, dragging it out of the building. As soon as the shark began to leave the building and fall, the four feet wrapped around the shark and picked it up. 

“Lloyd, uhm, I know this isn’t the best time, but uh, the snake guys are getting kinda close to the warehouse…” Jay’s nervous voice came up onto the comms, “We should probably go and-”

“You stay right where you are blue!” Garmadon shouted, “If you disobey my orders I’ll make sure the only shock you’ll be feeling is from the eels!” 

“Eels?” Jay coughed, “Uhm, okay, Master Garmadon. I was just wondering, cause, they’re getting kinda close…” 

“I already took care of that,” Garmadon scoffed, “You’re my last line of defense. You have aerial fighting on your side. I need you back there when I call for you, got that?” 

“Yes sir, Master Garmadon, sir!” Jay saluted on his end of the radio.

The Garmashark flew over the rooftops it had until then destroyed, its right leg hanging somewhat limp while the mech dragon carried it. Beneath them, the streets began to gradually be flooded with Vermillion soldiers, each growling and spitting as they ran for anything and everything in their way, their swords cutting through the obstructions. As the Iron Doom sat there, still pouring men out, the two edged closer back towards their previous fight. 

“Dad, they’re going to get to the evacuation point if we don’t do something!” Lulloyd turned towards the streets and frowned, “Let Jay handle them!” 

“Wait for it…” Garmadon growled. 

Lulloyd opened his mouth to shout again, yet instead he heard a buzzing sound. A buzzing sound that was far, far too familiar to him. His eyes widened as he looked to his right, only to have to duck down as the large yellow pod of a Manta Ray Fighter nearly knocked him clean out of his cockpit. A loud apology was shouted back at him before several others began to swerve out of the way to avoid colliding with him. 

The mech dragon quickly hefted the Garmashark further up into the air to avoid the massive columns of fighters flooding the air. Several Flying Jelly Subs were stacked up within their ranks, men in full Shark Army gear clinging to the spinning tendrils. The aircraft soared down towards the streets and unleashed a barrage of bombs into the advancing Vermillion ranks, scattering bits of snake and armor into the nearby buildings. 

Immediately following the bombs, the Shark Army ground troops dropped to the streets in their places. The Jellyfish squad lined up with blasters at the ready, firing into the ranks. As they fired down into the red mass, both the Great White and Hammerhead Shark squads brandished their fishes and flung themselves into the stunned snake-men. Once down, the snake-men would begin to reform back into their human forms, only to be struck down and dispersed by more enemy fire into their armor. 

“What?! But, mom, she was!” Lulloyd gasped out. 

“Eh your mother wanted to teach them life skills, so she did!” Garmadon grinned inside his cockpit, “But no self-respecting warlord doesn’t keep a standing army they can’t call on within an hour! So your mother and I compromised; she’d teach them better battle tactics and life skills, I’d use the money that were pouring into building new war machines to help give them a good start on life. So this way, we both win!” 

“For Garmadon!” The Shark Army chanted, “For Ninjago! For freedom!” The Army dove into the masses in their organized ranks, cleaving down the reforming snakes, “FOR RETIREMENT!” 

“For… what now?” Lulloyd stuttered out. 

“Any man who makes it back to the Volcano after this, they get an increase in their Retirement Fund rate. Heh, you’ll never see anyone work harder then when their retirement is on the line!” Garmadon laughed back. 

“Do you think you have bested us?” The loud twisted voice of the Iron Doom rang out once more over the city, “Simply because you have an army? If you truly are a Warlord, then you should know that your army is only as strong as its commander!” 

The Iron Doom’s head suddenly began to creak like the sound of a bridge lifting up. The large eye of the Iron Doom began to glow brighter, the head lifting up to level itself up with the two’s flight path. Before either of them could react, the ‘eye’ suddenly blasted outwards as a large glowing projectile towards Lulloyd and Garmadon. 

With a mechanical scream, the mech dragon was pierced directly through the midsection. Lulloyd let out a scream of his own as the dragon lurched hard to the right, dropping the Garmashark towards the city streets. The Garmashark twisted hard in the air, landing on top of a sushi restaurant. Lulloyd yelled out as he fell towards the streets, disappearing into the red horde. 

The hatch of the Garmshark opened, yet before the platform had risen, already Garmadon had leapt out and onto the root of the building. His eyes were wide as he reached out with two of his hands towards the streets. Yet all he could see were the soldiers slithering and squirming their way up towards where his army held them back, without the sight of his son within them. 

‘Lulloyd!” Garmadon shouted, pressing his hand to his comm, “Lulloyd, report in! Lulloyd, report IN!” There was no response. 

As Garmadon scanned the sea of red for any trace of green. The Iron Doom turned its attention to the Garmashark, wobbling about on its weakened leg. The broken mech dragon had smashed into an apartment complex, its head now resting in one apartment’s living room and the midsection going through several others. For a few moment, he scanned the building for something. Yet he couldn’t see anything. 

“LLOYD!” Cole shouted over the comm, “G, what happened to Lloyd?!” 

“He got shot down!” Nya responded, “Garmadon, do you have eyes on him?!” 

Garmadon didn’t respond. He was still scanning the horde of snakes, attempting to parse where Lulloyd had landed. Nothing came to him. 

“Haha! Haha!” Acronix laughed over the loudspeaker, “I didn’t even think that would work! Look at him, he’s reaching and everything! Oh this almost priceless!” 

Garmadon’s lower arms gripped tightly on the railing. After a low creak, the metal bent inwards. As he straightened his back up, the entire section of railing was separated from the rest. He tossed it aside and turned his attention to the Iron Doom, his eyes now burning with flames within those intense red orbs. His upper hands reached up and gripped his blue Warlord robes, ripping them off and throwing them out into the wind. 

“Alright then…” Garmadon’s voice dripped with malice, “Alright then you dirty… you filthy _snakes_, I guess it’s time to show why a Shark has so many teeth.” 

Garmadon shot into the air, kicking the connecting ratchets on the wobbling leg of the shark into place with a resounding snap. From there he leapt back into the cockpit of the Garmashark, the hatch closing. The shark stomped it feet into the building and reared forward, letting out a mechanical bellow to match that of the Iron Doom’s own. 

The Garmashark dug its feet into the roof, causing to crack. It launched itself into the air, caving the roof in and sending itself hurtling towards the Iron Domo’s chest. A massive copper blade swung into the air to try to intercept the shark; a two large cannon barrage from underneath each fin of the Garmashark stalled the arm’s descent long enough for the head of the shark to crash into the Iron Doom’s massive time dial. The Iron Doom was sent skidding backwards from the impact, its tail flopping into the Ninjago Bay. 

The Garmashark landed with a resounding thud. It leaned forward and ran at full speed directly towards the Iron Doom once more, this time its massive dorsal fin being primed to strike. The Iron Doom planted its swords back onto its back, reaching out with both hands and grabbing the Garmashark’s fin. The two pressed into one another, grappling for the smallest of distances as they pushed back and forth among the edge of the streets. 

A loud creaking showed the fin of the Garmashark beginning to give. The two pilots smirked and diverted more snakes towards the arms, beefing up the power being supplied to them. The creaking continued as the Garmashark began to lean towards the left. Said shark snapped its jaws shut and dugs its claws into the street harder. The left fin of the shark began to press into the balconies of the buildings nearby. 

Massive explosions to the Iron Doom’s back caused the pressure to halt. Several Manta Raw Bombers had joined in with Piranha Walker units on the streets, firing away at the back of the Iron Doom’s head. The distraction gave the Garmashark enough time to reset its cannons, firing into the massive gap that it’d previously torn open. The dual barrages let the shark stamp its feet into the ground and lunge forward, giving the Iron Doom another strike that sent it fully toppling into the bay behind it. 

As soon as the Iron Doom splashed down, several small fishing boats were sent into the air and, the Garmashark was atop of it. Its jaws began tearing apart metal from the upper body of the snake, sending bits of alien scrap metal in all directions. Waves rose into the air in bricked curves as the Garmashark pressed down against the snake, pressing it into the sandy bottom below. Manta Ray Bombers began circling the airspace, firing off gunfire shots with loud sounds of _pew-pew! _

The Iron Doom’s arms finally untangled from being sent into the water, raising up and grabbing the jaws of the Garmashark to hold them open. As the shark began to twist its head back and forth to break free, the Iron Doom’s lower half slithered until it had a purchase on the ocean floor underneath it. With the hole that the Garmashark had previously torn slightly submerged in the water, it used the new purchase to fling the Garmashark away from it back towards the streets. 

The Garmashark stood up from the crash barely phased. Now within the water, its feet retracted up to rest against its underbelly, all five jets kicking in to send it speeding through the water. With its blinding speed, it once more rammed the Iron Doom with its nose. The Iron Doom swung its fists at the Garmashark, yet more artillery fire continued to pepper its back. The snakes inside were quickly burning up, their numbers thinned out by the Vermillion flooding the streets. 

The Iron Doom quickly reached out into the water, snagging several smaller one-person fishing boats and slamming them into the Garmashark as it passed again. The Shark only shook itself in the water before looping around for another pass. Another few boats were tossed up into the air, sending them into the lead Manta Ray Bomber and causing the rest of spiral out. Several men bailed out, all drifting out towards the ocean with small affirmations of, ‘I’m okay!’ 

As soon as the bombers went down, the Garmashark leapt out of the water using its legs, smashing its nose directly into the Iron Doom’s right shoulder. As the snake stumbled in the water, the Garmashark spun about once it was above the Iron Doom to smack its head with its newly rebuilt tail. The Iron Doom reeled from the shark slap while said shark landed in the water for another pass. 

“I can do this AAALLL day, you two hear me?!” Garmadon’s voice shouted out from a megaphone as he popped his head up form the cockpit, “Sharks are kings of the water! All you snakes will do is drown! Last chance to tell me your names for my defeated foes hall! You guys may be insulting coming down here into _my_ city like this, but you’ve been fun nonetheless!” 

“Was this not the man that just saw his comrade fall into a horde of snakes?” Krux spat, “He seems rather chipper for all this!” 

“The Vermillion haven’t reported finding anyone yet,” Acronix responded, “Perhaps his… ally didn’t get captured just yet?” 

“Either way,” Krux began projecting his voice once more, “Relent to us now, and perhaps we may return the one that you watched fall to their death!” 

For a moment, the Garmashark was silent. Then blistering laughter came over the megaphones, “So you DID buy that! Oh, oh my gosh, I have to tell Coco that someone actually _fell _for that charade! I was more upset that we’ll have to repair Lulloyd’s dragon again after what I did to it a week ago!” 

“Wait, Lulloyd?!” Acronix grabbed the mic away from his brother, “Is your ally the Green Ninja? The one that holds the green power?” 

“I’ll tell you when you two manage to actually take me out of this fight!” Garmadon laughed, disappearing into his cockpit again, “You can pry the words from my cold dark lips!” 

The Garmashark flew into action again, soaring through the water towards the Iron Doom again. A swift dodge to the left meant only the right find clipped the torso of the Iron Doom. As more snakes were cut in half, warnings began to blare to the Time Twins. They were approaching the minimum amount of snakes required for the Iron Doom to function. 

“Brother, help me grab that ship!” Acronix pointed towards a massive fishing boat that was now broken over the dilapidated docks. Both brothers focused their minds into their helmets, and in turn causing the Iron Doom to slither away from the Garmashark towards the boat. With the weight of the water against them, forcing the depleted number of snakes to move with all their strength meant continually pressuring the Hive Mind to move with all of its force. 

Sensing that its foe was retreating, the Garmashark stalled in the water at the far end of the bay. From its back, two air canisters shot off into the water and sent air flying into the back of the shark. With its own jets, it shot through the water at top speed towards the two. Waves were kicked up on either side several tens of feet into the air as it barreled straight towards the Iron Doom. 

Ignoring the rapidly approaching foe, the arms of the Iron Doom reached out towards the ship. The speed of the shark meant that every foot gained by them was perhaps ten gained by the shark. Both brothers were reaching out with the full extension of the mech’s arms to grab for the ship as soon as possible. With the tips of its claws, the fingers snagged hold of the rigging of the ship. 

Immediately, the Iron Doom spun around to face the shark, holding the sheets of rigging up within its hands. Snakes poured out of the lower half of the Iron Doom and crawled onto the rigging, tightening and hardening their bodies against it. The Garmashark bellowed as it shot its feet down into the water, launching directly up towards the Iron Doom. 

Just as the Garmashark was about to collide with the Iron Doom, the rigging shot up into the air and wrapped around the Garmashark’s dorsal fin. The sheer speed that the Garmashark was moving at meant that the impact caused the entirety of the fin to rip apart from the body, flying backwards into the bay. The entire shark lurched upwards on itself, sending its tailfin into the air. It flipped directly over top of the now ducking Iron Doom, flipping over itself rapidly before it crashed down into the beaches with a sickening sound of snapping. 

The Garmashark dug into the sand on impact, both of its side fins snapping off and impaling into any remaining pieces of dock left standing. It lurched in the sand, trying to use its now broken legs to try to get back up and fight. As soon as its tail began to lift up from the beach, one of the copper swords of the Iron Doom tore through it and broke it apart, impaling what was left of it into the ground. The shark screamed out as if it was in pain, but its cry was interrupted as the Iron Doom’s fist was sent pummeling into its right eye. 

With the shark down, beaten into the beaches, the Iron Doom was free to pummel its face further into the dirt below the sand. As if built for the very purpose of punching, the fist rammed back and forth against the Garmashark’s face. Teeth and bits of sand blue brick went soaring into the air, the eye turning into wedges that then scattered across the bay. Every punch sent fewer and fewer bricks flying, yet seemed to put the shark further and further beneath it. 

The hatch went flying off with one last massive punch, revealing a Garmadon yanking angrily on the control sticks to get the shark to move once again. As soon as Garmadon was revealed, the Iron Doom took hold of its other remaining sword in both hands and raised it up to plunge it into the cockpit. Garmadon frantically kicked the controls, causing the shark to twist at the last moment to catch the sword in its mouth, rather than in its skull. 

Before the sword could plunge right through the center of the shark and send it splitting in two, the jaws of the shark closed tightly around it, biting down with all its remaining strength to keep it from skewering it. The resistance on the control sticks controlling the mouth caused Garmadon to grunt out and pull the sticks together with all four hands. The sword keeping the lower half of the Garmashark pinned to the beach began to creak as the shark started to snap at the midsection from holding the sword back. 

Both Time Twins forced all available snakes into the arms, adding pressure down against it. The Jaws of the Garmashark started to heave as the force was starting to let the sword slip down towards its throat. Garmadon’s groans turned to desperate shouts as the sticks started to wiggle out of his four-armed grasp. 

_CCZZTTTTT This just in, Garmadon appears to be on the defensive! Robins, what do you make of this? _Garmadon’s head snapped to a broken radio atop a destitute parasol.

_Oh my oh my, it looks like the Ninja are on their way to help! But it looks like this showdown of the grounds has proven land to be the superior of all of them. All citizens should evacuate with the ninja immediately. And don’t worry, all those Shark Army guys are ready to get you out of there before you can say Garmadon! _

Garmadon’s expression darkened. His eyes were hidden under the shadow of his helmet. He reached up slowly with his right foot, reaching out for a button. He kicked it hard, causing a microphone to lower in front of his face. 

“HEY NINJAGO!” From all radios across the entirety of the Shark Army’s vehicles, Garamdon’s shouts rang out, “ARE YOU COUNTING ME, GARMADON, OUT OF THE FIGHT JUST YET?!” 

Garmaodn huffed and grinned, “COME ON NINJAGO, TELL ME! WHO IS THE ONE AND ONLY WARLORD THAT IS ALLOWED TO CONQUER YOUR ONE AND ONLY NINJAGO CITY!” 

“garmadon…?” A half hearted cheer rose from a lone man buried in the beach’s sand.

“WHO IS THE ONE, THE ONLY, THE GREATEST THREAT THAT ALL OF NINJAGO CITY HAS EVER FACED?!” 

“Garmadon.” The answer rose from a few that stuck their heads from their buildings nearby.

“AND WHO IS THE ONE THAT IS GOING TO SHOW EXACTLY WHY SHARKS ARE NOW BANNED ACROSS ALL OF NINJAGO?!” 

“Garmadon!” The cheer rose once more, rising from the streets and drifting out towards the bay. 

“WHAT’S MY NAME?!” 

“GARMADON!” 

“SAY IT AGAIN!” 

“GARMADON! GARMADON! GARMADON! GARMADON! GARMADON! GARMADON!!!!!” 

“I MEANT ONCE BUT THAT WORKS TOO!” 

With a hard smirk, Garmadon let out a loud yell of exertion as he brought the jaws of the Garmashark together. With a loud creak, the sword of the Iron Doom was rapidly bent inwards on itself, then it snapped in two. The jaws slammed together with enough force to shake the surrounding beach and send sand up into the wind. 

“GARMADON! GARMADON! GARMADON!” 

The Garmashark bellowed and reached out, stamping its foot hard into the sand. Several members of the Shark Army poured down into the beach, dropped from Jelly Subs, and began to swarm over the mech, quickly repairing its leg. The Garmashark stood slowly, the men yanking the massive sword out of its backside and carrying it away quickly into the city. As soon as the shark stood, Garmadon grinned hard as his Shark roared again at the Iron Doom. 

The Garmashark shot forward, rearing its head towards the Iron Doom. Both arms of the Iron Doom gripped its head, stopping its momentum. The second they did, the Garmashark thrust its head to the right, knocking off the grip of its left hand. In the few seconds that the hand was disconnected, the Garmashark seized it within its jaws. With snakes still pouring back into the lower half of the Iron Doom, the Garmashark grained a firm purchase on the arm’s wrist.

The Iron Doom rapidly struck the side of the Garmashark’s face, yet this time the shark did not budge. Instead, the shark began to thrash its head back and forth, snapping the arm back and forth with it. The Iron Doom planted is right hand against the shark’s head and pushed hard, yet the Garmashark’s purchase would not be broken. Snakes rapidly tried to pour into the left arm instead, yet without the ability the move its lower body, the Garmashark was free to yank as hard as it could. 

With a loud wrench, the lower half of the right arm of the Iron Doom was ripped apart. Pieces and wholes of snakes were sent scattered into the air as the Garmashark held its prize within its jaws. Before anymore snakes could escape the severed portion, the Garmashark bit down and squeezed the section shut, then tossed it aside onto the beach. 

While the Iron Doom was still reeling with pain from all sectors of the hive mind, the Garmashark shot forward and sunk its jaws into the entire left shoulder of the Iron Doom. The Iron Doom finally lurched backwards, yet this only allowed the Garmashark to thrust its head backwards and sever the remaining half of the Iron Doom’s left arm. The Garmashark likewise crushed and threw the piece aside, planting itself into the beach in front of the now screaming Iron Doom. 

“I said earlier I’d tell you why sharks have so many teeth, didn’t I?!” Garmadon laughed, “It’s because sharks are the best at ripping every single opponent limb from limb!” 

The Garmashark lunged once more, this time aimed directly at the throat of the Iron Doom’s massive head. It kicked up sand underneath its feet as its broken and battered body ran forward, ready to deal the killing blow to its opponent. Just as its twisted its head again to line up with the neck, Garmadon himself drew three katanas and leapt out of the shark’s head, his decent going straight for the cockpit of the Iron Doom. 

The warlord landed on a small piece of the shark’s side, placing him level with the cockpit of his foe’s mech. He looked into it, a mad smile on his lips as he stared right into the eyes of the Twins. Krux snarled to him, looking towards him with an expression that could only be described as unfiltered malice. With a grin, Garmadon leapt forward, his free arm grabbing the top of the viewport to hang in front of the two with his mad smile. 

Garmadon heard a skidding outside. He jerked his head behind him, seeing his Garmashark covered in a bright orange aura. The shark seemed to fly backwards in the exact same arc that is had launched, including the motion of its feet scrambling on the ground. It continued to run backwards until the severed half of the left arm was sucked back into its mouth, where the aura stopped and the shark proceeded to toss the arm away again. 

“OH SERIOUSLY?1 TIME MANIPULATION?!” Garmadon shouted as soon as the Shark was back onto the ground, “Of all of the cheapest tricks in the book, you two decide to use THAT?!”

“A good warrior like yourself should know that honorable fighting is only as valuable as it is foolish!” Krux threw his green side cape aside to reveal a glowing blue blade. Garmadon had just enough time to see it and swing his blades before his body was blasted with the blue aura, causing his entire body to move at the pace of a snail. 

Krux rapidly thrust his leg outwards, kicking Garmadon out over the controls and back out into the open air. The effect dissipated, leaving Garmadon to shout and flail as he found himself now without ground under his feet. The warlord quickly looked to both sides, seeing the remaining right arm of the Iron Doom. He flung his sword out towards the arm, impaling it into a piece between the armor, catching the hilt right as he flew by it. He spun himself around in an arc upwards, landing on the arm with his swords up in the air and left arms on the metal. 

No sooner had he landed, a green blur in front of him turned into the grinning face of Acronix. Acronix threw his Vermillion sword directly at Garmadon, who slung his lower sword in front of him to catch while the second swiped out at Acronix. The tip of the forward time blade caught hold of the sword, stopping its momentum. Garmadon thrust both swords out and stepped back, letting Acronix gain another strike towards him. Garmadon threw his lower sword into the air, which struck Acronix’s sword and sent both swords spiraling into the air. Garmadon shot his hand out towards the spinning sword, yet another blast from the time blade sent the sword’s arc over the side of the Iron Doom’s arm. 

“I don’t think you belong here, Garmadon!” Acronix put his new free hand to his helmet and focused, “Perhaps you should become acquainted with the ground once more.” 

The entire arm of the Iron Doom began to move, sending Garmadon off balance. Acronix, his feet planted in place by snakes wrapped around them, thrust his Time Blade out, forcing Garmadon to dodge yet again. The action sent him further down the tilting arm, and thus made him lose his footing. He plummeted towards the ground, landing in the sand with a shout of pain. .

No sooner had Garmadon landed, however, the streets above the beach were graced with the sound of treads. The Ice Tank emerged, its massive cannon placed directly towards the Iron Doom. From behind it, the Quake Mech rolled up, knocking its fist together. Across the bay, the Water Strider skidded its way up towards the beach, its guns pointed firmly towards the Iron Doom. All three vehicles primed their weapons, revving up to fire at a moment’s notice. 

“Garmadon!” Nya shouted over her comm, “The citizens are with the Shark Army, we’re here to assist you!” 

“Ugh…” Garmadon coughed, sitting up in the sand, “You ninja… never listen… do you…?” 

“Want us to beat this guy down?” Cole asked, “I’m pretty sure we can take this thing out before I have to put on another track!” 

“We are very probability-wise likely to succeed,” Zane added, “I’m sure we can go ahead and give them the cold shoulder.” 

All three of them all groaned out at Zane’s nonsense joke, Garmadon standing up using his remaining swords. He held his sword out to his side, looking up at the massive Iron Doom. His Garmashark stood behind him, wobbling on its legs but ready to charge once again. Garmadon twisted his head back towards the Iron Doom, chuckling to himself as he nodded his head. 

“Alright you ninja!” Garmadon laughed out, “Show these guys what you all can do with me as your commander!” 

“NINJA! GO!” Nya, Zane and Cole all fired their weapons, aimed firrmly at the Iron doom. Ice colheased on its right arm; blasts of water jammed holes into its left side, and weaponized sounds waves knocked it off of its feet. Garmadon ran hard towards his mech, hitting a button on his wrist that caused the shark to bend down for him to leap inside. The ninja fired off their second barrage just as he got into the Garmashark’s cockpit, the shark rearing back up and preparing a charge. 

The two Time Twins made their way back to the cockpit, both assuming controls. Their number of snakes had fallen below critical levels, yet without an arm it seemed they were at the perfect amount. Krux turned to Acronix, holding up his time blade. Acronix held up his own as the two nodded in tandem. 

Just as the Garmashark charged, Acronix shot the Quake Mech, Ice Tank and Garmashark with the slow-mo blade. As soon as the three vehicles were charging, their momentum was completely slowed. At the same time, Acronix jammed the forward blade into the side of the Iron Doom, causing the entire mech to flash forward as it moved at an accelerated rate of time. Within seconds, the Iron Doom was gone. 

After five seconds of the Iron Doom vanishing, the slow-mo blade wore off. All three mechs were sent hurtling in a collision course, one of which only Zane was able to process fast enough to stop himself. The Quake Mech and Garmashark collided, shattering the skull of the Garmashark and causing the massive wheel of the Quake Mech to fly off into the beach. Both mechs tumbled together, the Garmashark’s legs going flying whilst the Quake Mech struggled to use its massive fists to stop their momentum. 

The two mechs came to a stop when they were just shy of destroying a beachfront property. Both mechs cracked and shuddered as they came to a stop. Slowly, both pilots began to open their cockpits, groaning out as they clamored to their feet. 

“What… what was that?” Cole shouted out towards Garmadon, who had again used his sword to steady himself, “What was that light?”

“They slowed down time on both of us, then accelerated time on themselves so they can escape…” Garmadon groaned and clutched his chest, “Ugh that just… that just is insulting… only a coward turns to something like that to win a fight! It’s just a cheap crutch for an opponent that can’t do that themselves already.” 

A large wave of ice formed between the two, by which Zane skidded up towards them. Quickly, he surveyed the scene and spoke to Cole, “I assess both mechs have sustained enough damage that I would call them, totalled. Where did the assailants go?” 

“Gone,” Garmadon waved his arm dismissively, “Doesn’t matter where, they’re already somewhere we can’t get to them. They’re clearly not from around here either, so we won’t see them again until they need to attack.” 

“What were they after?” Nya asked over the comm, “Seems weird they just decided to outright attack the city instead of, you know, attacking the mayor’s office.” 

“Again, probably not from around here. I’d even wager that they’re either cursed by something… or they might be from somewhere outside of our reality,” Garmadon huffed, “Now, tell me, where’s Lulloyd?” 

\--- 

With a long groan, Lulloyd opened his eyes. One of his eyes was obscured in darkness. For a moment, his head panged with the idea that perhaps he’d gone blind, that he’d have to learn to live with an eyepatch. His claw hand reached up, only to feel his hood had been shifted slightly over his eye. 

Removing the hood from his head, Lulloyd slowly sat up, groaning softly to himself. The mech dragon was nowhere to be seen around him. Instead, as he tried to sit up, he saw the face of a bright green hood directly in front of his face. 

“Easy, you took a big fall,” Lloyd smiled under his hood, “Trust me, I’ve taken a lot of those myself. Krux and Acronix like to do that sort of thing. Just take it slow.” 

Lulloyd shook his head and lifted his arm up to rub his hair towards the side, “Ugh… what happened? I thought I was about to get eaten alive by snakes?” 

“You were, I caught you,” Lloyd reached up and pulled his hood off his face, “I need to ask you something though.” 

“Yeah, yeah, just give me a second… ugh this is worse than Cole’s music lessons…” Lulloyd slowly lifted his head up, then blinked blearily until Lloyd’s face came into focus. 

“W...What?” Lulloyd slowly sat all the way up, “I didn’t know there was a fan club… I thought I was still least popular ninja…” 

“Fanclub?” Lloyd asked, “Wait… are, you, Lloyd Garmadon?” 

“Yeah… the one and only, least hated ninja…” Lulloyd groaned, “Who are you?”

“I’m… a friend,” Lloyd replied cautiously, “Come on, we need to get you up and moving. Uh… is anything broken?” 

“Uh… if something on me was broken then I’d be in way worse shape… owh…” Lulloyd slowly reached out, “My… my sword, is it around?” 

“Here,” Lloyd reached out, handing him the curved blade, “You dropped it when you fell, I grabbed it for you. Figured you would want it back.” 

“Y-Yeah… mom would kill me if I lost it…” Lulloyd planted the blade between tiles, pushing upwards and slowly forcing his legs to rotate under him. With effort, he pulled himself to stand completely upright. 

“How’d you catch me…?” Lulloyd asked awkwardly, “The only way you could do that is if you were, you know, some kind of… ninja…” 

Lulloyd’s vision had finally focused once more. As he took in the sight of Lloyd in front of him, something was very wrong. His body, it looked strange. Like his, but weird. He was… smooth. He had slopes to his body, almost like his limbs were made of liquid. His suit was clearly that of a ninja but with the colors of green and black reversed from his own gi. Just looking at him sent a shiver down his spine. 

“You… you look like…” Lulloyd gently moved to point his sword forward, “Who are you?” 

Lloyd opened his mouth to speak again, but this time a sword was pressed against his throat. Slowly, Lloyd lifted his arms up into the air, turning it slightly to see the darkened frown of Garmadon holding the sword. 

“Garmadon..?” Lloyd whispered out without thinking. 

“Lulloyd, get over here, now/” Garmadon ordered. Lulloyd looked to Lloyd for a second, then quickly hopped over by his father and drew his sword. He turned his body to point the sword at Lloyd. 

“Krux and Acronix… so you know the names of the ones that were attacking us…” Garmadon lifted his sword up, forcing Lloyd to his feet, “And you have the same broken arms as they did.”

“What? My arms aren’t broken…?” Lloyd moved his arms slowly to emphasize his point. Just him moving his limbs at the elbow caused Garmadon to shudder slightly. 

“Lulloyd… what did he say to you?” Garmadon asked, staring directly into Lloyd’s eyes. 

“He… said that he caught me right before I hit the ground. He called the snakes the Vermillino too… I’m pretty sure he knows about what that just happened to us,” Lulloyd answered, “But, he said he saved me too.” 

“Hmm…” Garmadon pressed against Lloyd’s neck, “What’s your name?” 

“It’s… uhm…” Lloyd paused for a moment. Garmadon pressed the sword a bit closer, causing him to slowly cough out, “It’s Lloyd. Lloyd Garmadon.” 

“But… I’m Lloyd Garmadon,” Lulloyd blinked and shook his head, “Come on, this isn’t funny. What’s your real name?” 

“Hold on one second, Lulloyd,” Garmadon shook his head, “I know a liar when I see one, and those aren’t the eyes of a liar…” 

Slowly, Garmadon moved his sword down Llloyd’s body until he saw the bump in his pocket. A quick slash caused the pocket to spill out the Realm Crystal onto the streets. It shone a little blue glow across the pavement. Upon seeing it, Garmadon’s eyes widened, then narrowed. 

“You’re coming with us, Lloyd,” Garmadon hissed, ignoring his son’s bewildered expression, “We’re going to see exactly what it is you know, and what it is you came for.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've continued into Chapter 2 then I would like to extend my appreciation for that to you, reader. The Lego Ninjago Movie is a movie that I believe is both underrated and average, and that fully comes down to Lulloyd and Garmadon. My choice to include this as my first Universe was for that very reason. For anyone wondering, I will be using 'Lulloyd' to refer to Movie Lloyd. If two characters share the same name I will likely do something similar to distinguish them. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

“Listen, I’m only going to say this one more time,” Lloyd sucked in a breath, “My name is Lloyd Garmadon. Those two were Krux and Acronix. They’re known as the Time Twins. They stole my elemental power and combined it with their time vortex to travel what I think are dimensions. I combined my powers with the Realm Crystal to follow them. I’m not allied with either of them!”

Lloyd currently sat tied to a chair in the middle of a large dojo on the Destiny’s Bounty. The shock of seeing the ship wasn’t destroyed in this universe was offset by the fact that in front of him was what looked to be his father if he’d decided to wear permanent armor and learn some sort of strange method of movement to bolster his confusion power to enemies. This Garmadon currently was holding Lloyd’s Realm Crystal in his hand, toying with it between his four arms. Once Lloyd finish talking, he turned and slowly placed it under his Warlord robes.

“Even if we are to believe your story,” Garmadon scoffed, “Which is hard to believe, even for me, what’s saying that those two aren’t your allies, and you were sent ahead to deceive us?” Garmadon smirked, “Classic battle tactic. Heck, I used it myself! I think that was the Sushi Takeover scheme… no, wait, it was the Dock Worker Submergers! What I’m getting at here,” Garmadon gave a massive grin, “I’ve been in a few hundred fights.”

Lloyd groaned and shook his head, “I saved your… son, right? I saved your son’s life, why would I do that? Didn’t they try to kill him?”

“Just because you saved Lulloyd doesn’t mean you actually did anything that we can use to trust you,” Garmadon turned around, letting his robes smack Lloyd’s face in doing so, “If I were trying to infiltrate my enemy’s fortress, this would be my exact method for doing so.”

“If you just give me the Realm Crystal back,” Lloyd smiled gently, “I can show you the universe we’re from, a universe that isn’t so… blocky and, where everyone moves like me! I can show you the ninja team I’m apart of, that I lead! I’ll prove that I am who I say I am!”

“If we give you this… Realm Crystal,” Nya, who was leaning up against the wall with the other ninja around her, “Who’s to say you won’t just poof off like those two did and lead them right to us?”

“Giving the captive the crystal is most likely to result in an unfavorable situation,” Zane added, standing straight up from imitating Nya, “I suggest we move this Lloyd to a more secure location.”

Lloyd tried once more to summon some elemental energy to his hands to loosen the strange black rope that was used to tie him up. Yet what little energy he could muster wasn’t anywhere near enough to do so. His earlier attempt to demonstrate his powers had earned him the pleasure of learning what getting smacked with the business end of a shark warlord staff felt upside the head.

“I admit that you imitation of my son is rather… decent,” Garmadon grinned, “The hair is an exact match, almost like you copied it directly and used it for yourself. Your face in general does a pretty good job… though, your ninja suit is a dead giveaway. Maybe if you inverted the colors, you could have gotten farther. Clearly you didn’t impersonate hard enough!”

“I just had my ninja suit redone five months ago,” Lloyd explained, holding back an edge of frustration, “I figured that a new suit meant that I should get a new hairstyle too! My whole team did it!”

“Wait, so you just, change your hair?” Jay spoke up, his voice tinged with confusion, “And people don’t treat you like a different person?”

“Wait, dudes, didn’t we defeat Garmadon five months ago?” Kai smirked, “Like, man, that’s kinda a cool uh… what’s the word?”

“Coincidence,” Nya rolled her eyes, “Seriously, Kai, do you ever open up a dictionary, ever?”

“Uhm, I may have been neglecting my study session with him,” Jay pipped up, “Sorry, Nya…”

“Pipe down back there! This is an interrogation, not a victory celebration!” Garmadon snapped, causing the entire group to freeze in place. Garmadon sighed and put his hand on his head, “I really need to start teaching you all about your interrogation techniques…”

Lloyd looked across the room to all of the ninja. Their faces were oddly similar to his friend’s own. Their hairstyles matched the new ones that his friends had taken on as of late. Their faces seemed to be match, especially Nya’s with the curious little mole that had formed on his Nya’s face a few months prior in the same position.

Despite their similarities, however, Lloyd knew they weren’t his friends. They were all somewhat different, all somewhat off. Kai had a completely different tone of voice, Jay was shy rather than loud and hadn’t hooked up with Nya already, they all just didn’t seem quite right. It was like small elements of his old friends had been altered into their core personality traits.

“Perhaps we should check his heartbeat to check if he is lying,” Zane offered to a still fuming Garmadon, “All humans like us should have a heartbeat, and it should increase in the event of lying?”

“Can it, robot,” Garmadon walked forward, gripping either side of Lloyd’s chair, “You know what, I don’t wanna deal with any of you, get out of here and go do something useful!”

“Robot? I am a normal teenager,” Zane rotated his head back and forth, “I was simply suggesting a classical technique that has roots in basic human biology.” Zane was quickly pushed out of the room by a sighing Kai.

As the ninja gave backwards glances to Lloyd, only one of them didn’t vacate the room immediately. He had his sword out and was leaning against the wall, his sword rested over his lap. Lulloyd hadn’t said anything since they’d captured Lloyd, and instead he was simply staring into his sword and the reflection that was shown back to him. Slowly, he sheathed his blade and stepped forward towards his father, shaking his head and putting his hand on his father’s shoulder.

“Dad, don’t you have some trinket that can detect if he’s lying or not?” Lulloyd asked, pulling his hood off his head, “You and mom are always going on about that sort of thing.”

“Your mother has the Amulet of Faresthee back at the Volcano, but she’s currently working on rebuilding the city from my victory!” Garmadon grinned hard, but a stern look from his son made his cough and hit his chest, “Anyways, Lulloyd, there are far better ways for us to get him to talk. And yes, us talking like this is apart of the deal.”

“You’re nothing like my Garmadon,” Lloyd paused, “Well… when my dad was alone he could be a little silly, but my Garmadon was far more serious and patient with all of us.”

“Oh, really?” Garmadon grinned, “Tell me, where exactly is your Garmadon?”

“My… father is prison,” Lloyd looked down, thinking of how to play this one, “He died protecting Ninjago from the Preeminent, until the Sons of Garmadon revived him. He came to try and kill me, we defeated him. Now he’s in jail.” Lloyd turned his head away, hoping to earn some sympathy.

“The Preeminent? Big giant tentacle monster, kinda green, big home to ghosts?” Garmadon blinked and then smirked, “I conquered that thing years ago. Took me a long time to figure out that ghosts are weak to heat. Just had to equip my army with fire blades. It took longer to have all the blades made than to actually take over the thing! Then again I was still rocking the whole ‘dark knight’ thing with my army’s image, so it looked so awesome.”

Lloyd’s eyebrow twitched as he pulled at his bindings again, “In my world, ghosts are weak to water. Just one drop and it burns them like acid. Get them wet enough and they poof. Cole became a ghost for awhile. We had to be careful about rain.”

“Silence!” Garmadon huffed, “We didn’t ask for your commentary, prisoner!”

“Cole?” Lulloyd frowned, ‘How did Cole become a ghost?”

“Heard my name,” Cole yawned, leaning against the doorframe to the dojo now, setting a boombox down, “I’m not a ghost, but I got Ghostbusters if you guys need some tunes.”

“We don’t need music, black one!” Garmadon scoffed, “Close the doors on your way out!”

“You mean the screens?” Cole gripped the screens.

“Yes, screens, doors, whatever leads to the outside!” Garmadon huffed. Once the screens were closed, Garmadon sighed, “Your little strike force makes things very, very difficult for me, Lulloyd. He didn’t even apologize for wrecking my chance to get those Twins!”

“I can tell you all about my ninja team,” Lloyd smiled, “I can tell you all about my friends. I can even tell you how we defeated the Time Twins in the first place.”

A silver katana suddenly flew by Lloyd’s face, the hilt right next to his left eye. Garmadon picked himself up from his throwing pose, then embedded another one on the other side of Lloyd’s head. Garmadon grabbed both of them and leaned so close Lloyd could see the large flames inside of Garmadon’s eyes.

“I believe I already told you,” Garmadon hissed, “That I only want you answering questions that I ask you. Otherwise, you are not to speak. I will not hesitate to see exactly how many of my swords it will take to make you unable to speak. And just so you know, my record for the most is ten. So I would recommend you speak very, very, carefully, Lloyd.”

Lloyd’s gaze didn’t flinch as he stared right back at the his alt-father, “Understood.”

“What was the machine that those Time Twins were wielding?”

“The Iron Doom. They built it so they could travel back in time and redo a battle they lost that made them lose their powers.”

“What were their powers that they lost, and how did they use temporal manipulation if they lost them?”

“Master Wu and Lord Garmadon stole their powers and put them inside the Time Blades. They need all four to use their full powers. When they returned in our time, they hunted down the Time Blades and used them to power their device. I knocked their Pause Blade out of the machine before they jumped here. That’s why they could only use the Forward and Slow Mo blades on you.”

“Why the snakes?”

“Krux bred snakes from the remains of the Great Devourer and named them the Vermillion. From what I understand, their mech is moved by them using helmets to control the snakes inside the machine. They have hundreds of them. By devouring things, they can grow their numbers as well.”

“Why are they here?”

“Wu caused them to get lost in the Time Vortex, they got out and somehow figured out how to jump worlds, now they’re here to take over your world and make it their own kingdom.”

“I see,” Garmadon nodded his head, “I do hope you understand this information doesn’t do anything to prove you aren’t with them.”

“What?” Lloyd shook his head, “Come on, I just told you all you wanted to know! Why would I tell you that if I was working with them?”

“Because they want you to gain my trust,” Garmadon laughed, “And by only telling me information that I can confirm with my experience in battle, they think I’m an idiot and will let you out to roam free after hearing what I wanted to know.”

“I’m not a double agent!” Lloyd shook his head, “I’m Lloyd Garmadon, I came from another dimension, that’s what Zane told me! I’m here to take back my elemental power from them!”

“If you were on our side, why didn’t you warn us about their attack?” Garmadon leaned back and adjusted his helmet.

“You crushed me with your shark foot!” Lloyd protested, “I didn’t come to until you were sent flying into that building!”

Garmadon glared at Lloyd, his expression unchanged from his little self-assured grin. For a few moments, the two stared at one another. Lloyd was already starting to realize that even if his father was stubborn, at least Sensei Garmadon could see reason. He needed to be out there right now hunting down Krux and Acronix, and here he was being held captive by his alt-father! The anger building up inside him made his fists close as he summoned what little elemental energy he still had left, filling his fists and preparing to send it into the ropes again.

“Wait,” Lulloyd stepped forward, “You… say that you’re me, right? Dad,” Lulloyd turned towards his father, “Dad, you know that I would never betray you, right?”

“Debatable under certain circumstances, but yes,” Garmadon nodded, “I could trust you to go down with the rest of the army, General Number Son.”

“Then, if you really are me,” Lulloyd turned to Lloyd again, “There must be something that connects you to our world, right? And, if everyone exists, then we must have something in common. If you can find something in common between us, then, then maybe we can let you go.”

“Hmm…” Garmadon moved over and drew his katanas out of the wall then put them on racks on the wall, “That’s a clever tactic there, Lulloyd. Yes, Lloyd, prove to me that you and my son are actually just alternate versions of each other, and maybe I’ll believe you.”

Lloyd looked Lulloyd up and down. Just looking at him, Lloyd was struggling to figure out what was going on. His voice was completely different and had a strange stutter to it. It sounded like Lulloyd was younger than he was. Baring the movement and resemblance, Lloyd was already working to determine their similarities. To separate each other in his head, Lloyd was referring to him as Lulloyd as Garmadon had said earlier.

“Okay, Lulloyd,” Lloyd began, only to be cut off.

“It’s Lloyd,” Lulloyd corrected, “Lloyd, L-L-O-Y-D.”

“He’s still sensitive about his name,” Garmadon scoffed, “I named him Lulloyd, but for some reason he insists that for some reason, the two l’s are just one.”

“Lulloyd,” Lloyd began again, “Our mother, Misako, did she abandon you when you were little?”

“What?” Lulloyd shook his head, “No? My mother took me away from my dad so I could live a normal life here. She, she raised me here on her own…” Behind him, Garmadon scoffed, “And… everybody here calls her Coco…”

“Okay…” Lloyd pursed his lips together, “Okay, what about Wu? Wu constantly taught you that you had some big destiny you had to accomplish and pushed you towards it?”

“Yeah, but, Wu did that for, all of us,” Lulloyd turned towards the doors, where the shadows of Cole and Kai chatting could be seen, “I mean, I had to defeat my father, but, that’s about it.”

“What about Morro?” Lloyd pressed, “The Overlord, Chen, Morro, surely you know them?”

“Uhm… Morro is a transfer student at our school, he’s kinda uh, well he’s not the nicest guy to be around, doesn’t like Wu and us for some reason,” Lulloyd thought for a moment, “Never heard of Chen. The Overlord uhm, that doesn’t sound like anyone I’ve faced.” Garmadon grinned behind him.

“Then what…” Lloyd felt his breath catch in his throat, “What… about Harumi? Surely you know about Harumi?”

“Harumi? She went to my school. She ran the super unpopular Garmadon Fan Club,” Lulloyd shuddered, “She kept painting her face black and wore these red eye contacts, always tried to talk to me. She, uh, she tried to kiss me to get me to join the club too. After my dad joined us she moved away to another school.”

“That’s… good for you then…” Lloyd turned his head away, “Glad… to hear that she is still around.”

“Hah!” Garmadon laughed, making both of them turn to look at him, “You’re thinking too literally, Lulloyd!,” Garmadon leaned back into a chair, disturbing a pile of shurikens in the process, “Come on, you think your world is the same as ours? How naive. Go on, pick something that only a Lloyd would know. If you can’t think of that, then you’re just a really convincing actor, that’s it!”

Lloyd looked down towards his lap. He had to think of something to prove he wasn’t with the Time Twins, and thus something that showed him that he was a Lloyd. He had to think of something that only he would feel. Lulloyd had defeated his father a few months ago, what was it that he could use to that end?

“You didn’t want to kill your father,” Lloyd sighed gently, “ You felt that everyone wanted you to defeat your father, so you clung onto any hope of beating him and thinking there was still good in him. Even when everyone said that you had to take him out, you couldn’t do it. It wasn’t until something else made that impossible that you were able to bring yourself to deal the final blow. You still wonder about if it was the right thing, though, and how much pain and anger it brought upon everyone else for not toughening up like Wu said and doing it sooner. How many lives wouldn’t have gotten hurt if you had trained harder, trained better, and didn’t let your feelings make you unable to strike the blow.”

Lulloyd seemed to stiffen, as much as his body could that was. He stared down at Lloyd for a few moments, his breath quickening hearing everything told back to him. His gaze turned to his father, then down to himself before he slowly drew his sword and pointed it directly at Lloyd. The little golden tassel hung in the air while he waved it slowly in front of Lloyd’s face.

“That, that was pretty spot on right there,” Lulloyd narrowed his gaze, “But tell me, what do you know about what happened with my dad?”

“I don’t know what happened with him specifically,” Lloyd looked away from the sword towards Garmadon, “But I bet he was swallowed up by something bad, something you had to defeat, and by defeating it, you were able to bring him back to you.”

“Meowthra…” Lulloyd used his sword point to draw Lloyd’s ninja hood back over his head. In particular, he analyzed the little symbol that was emblazoned across the headband, then drew the hood back off Lloyd’s head, “Where did you get that symbol?”

“That symbol?” Lloyd shook his head, “I don’t know. Wu made these suits for us, he said each symbol meant something about us.”

“That’s my symbol, Wu told me it represents my element, life,” Lulloyd frowned heavily, “Why wouldn’t you know what your own symbol means?”

“My symbol used to be a big snake eating itself,” Lloyd sighed, “I know, Wu comes up with really weird ideas sometimes, doesn’t he?”

“How many times has he sacrificed himself for you?” Lulloyd drew his sword back and sheathed it against his back.

“Oh… maybe two or… let’s see, the Devourer, Morro, Time Twins… that makes three at least. The others said he tried again when he was dealing with the Dragon Hunters but I wasn’t there.” Lloyd responded and leaned back in his chair, “Have I proven that I’m you?”

“One last question,” Lulloyd paused, “Why didn’t you Master Build us off the street when you saved me?”

“Master… Building?” Lloyd cocked his ehad, “I’m, not sure what that is. Do you mean like… the Tornado of Creation? I need the other ninjas to do that.”

“Master Building, you know…” Lulloyd stepped back and shut his eyes. When he opened them, around him pieces began to flash with long numbers. After only a few seconds of analyzing them, his body turned into long rectangular blurs that shot around the room, prying up tiles, floor boards, pieces of training equipment and a few pins from the ceiling. When he finished, he had a table in front of him, a table with a strange black piece jutting up into the air. Lulloyd popped the tassel off his sword, plugged it into the piece, and the sword suddenly swung down into the table, causing it to break in two and slump against the floor. He pulled his sword up and then nodded his head.

“That’s Master Building,” Lulloyd waved to the table, “Can you not do that? I mean… everyone at least knows about it now, after that whole thing in Bricksburg… which for some reason we can never get to, but, you know.”

“I can do Spinjitzu,” Lloyd looked over to Garmadon, “If you let me go then I can show you.”

“You must think you’re pretty clever, now don’t you?” Garmadon grinned a big toothy grin, “You know we have Spinjitzu here too, right? It’s not something you even really ‘show’ either.”

“Uhm… I kinda wasn’t sure what Spinjitzu even is though,” Lulloyd rubbed the back of his hair piece, “I kinda assume that’s just what our elemental powers are really. I mean, Wu hasn’t even talked about it since we started using them…”

“When I use Spinjitzu,” Lloyd felt himself burning with amusement, “I summon a little tornado around myself.”

“Wait, a tornado, really?” Lulloyd smiled weakly, “I kinda wanna see that now.”

“Regardless,” Garmadon stood up, “I want to thank you, Lloyd, for telling us all we need to know from you. I believe we no longer have any use for you.”

“So… does that mean I can go?” Lloyd led hopefully. His spirits fell with Garmadon’s grin.

“Of course not!” Garmadon leaned forward, “What, do you think I’m an idiot? Even if you are a dimensional counterpart of my son, what does that actually prove? That you’re just like my son? For all we know, you’re just lying. But don’t worry, when we see those Time Twins again, we’ll get the answers we need.”

“What?!” Lloyd yanked at his binds, “I told you everything you needed to know and asked! I need to get something the Time Twins took from me back! You can’t be serious!”

“Come on, Lulloyd,” Garmadon turned around, walking over towards the screens. He reached out and threw them apart with two rotations, waving his lower arm for his son, “We need to discuss this in more detail.”

Lulloyd looked to ‘himself’ sitting in the chair, then to his father. For a few moments, he looked ready to say something to Lloyd, but instead he turned around with a little sigh. He walked forward and stepped outside the dojo into the low light of dawn. He looked back towards Lloyd staring at the two in disbelief until his father shut the screens again, closing off their view from each other.

“I think he’s actually telling the truth,” Garmadon put his hand up in front of Lulloyd’s face before he could speak, “And yes, I have dealt with dimensional counterparts and that sort of thing before. Never raid an ancient tomb without a patsy for curses. Your mother had one of those for months. She had someone that was her but ended up becoming a shogun years ago following us for half a year! ShoCoco was surprisingly good at a spear, though.”

“Then… why are we keeping him prisoner still?” Lulloyd blinked in confusion. Garmadon sighed in response.

“Because until I can get some tools from your mother to tell if he’s lying, then I can’t make any judgements just yet. You can never be too careful, Lulloyd. Sometimes the smallest of straws can be the strongest of blades.”

“Isn’t there anything that he can do, just, at all?” Lulloyd asked quietly, “Come on, dad, what if he is an ally here? He knows about those two, and… we haven’t exactly been able to find them.”

“Don’t remind me,” Garmadon’s tone went dark, “How it is they managed to hide that massive thing is beyond me, but whenever an enemy retreats, it’s always to come back stronger.”

“Then… anything!” Lulloyd waved his hands, “I, I mean if you’d captured me and you were going to get me to show my true colors, then, how would you prove it?”

Garmadon paused. One hand came up to gently stroke his chin, the other three moving behind his back in a dignified stance. After he had taken his time to think, he looked to his son again and then turned back towards the screens.

“Welp… been awhile since I’ve used this one!” Garmadon smirked, “Actually your mother was the one that did it last time. Tell your your little ninja guys to go below deck. I’m gonna need the space.”

Lulloyd opened his mouth to say more, but Garmadon had opened the screens again. Lloyd looked up in his chair, cocking his head towards Garmadon. The sight of it made Garmadon feel sick inside. Not that he’d ever let someone see it on his face though. He walked over to the edge of the room and picked up one of many Warlord staffs there.

“Alright, Lloyd,” Garmadon smirked, “You wanna prove that you’re on my side?” He took a step forward, “Fight me.”

“Fight… you?” Lloyd blinked, but Garmadon swung his staff up into the air. With a single swipe, the ropes that had been binding him were gone, pulled up and left on the floor below him.

“Yep, fight me. As in we go out there, one on one, just you, me and the sky to record what happens,” Garmadon gestured to the walls, “Take any weapons you want. I just need you to go out there, and do your best to defeat me.”

“And, defeating you is going to show that I’m on your side?” Even as he skeptically questioned the motive, Lloyd had already taken two katanas from the wall. They weighed almost nothing, and quickly he put them back, “I want the swords I had on me when I got here.”

Garmadon nodded his head, striking the floor with his foot. Several tiles popped up and loose, revealing a compartment underneath. Garmadon hefted the katanas up and over to Lloyd, who took them in hand. Their weight made him grip them confidently.

“Oh, it’s not about actually defeating me… you never really know someone, until you fight them,” Garmadon sighed, almost nostalgically from his tone, “Until you’ve sparred with them, made them bow and submit to you and you alone, you never really know anything about them.”

“I’m going to guess you’ve never lost then?” Lloyd raised an eyebrow.

“Nope,” Garmadon grinned, “I’m Garmadon, baby!”

To emphasize his point, he thrust the Warlord staff into the floor, sending it through the tiles. With that, the four armed warrior spun about and threw the screen doors open, his robes billowing as the wind rushed in. The sun overhead had begun to set, causing the deck to be bathed in its golden light. He strode out onto the deck and kicked aside several boxes, then turned around and glanced back to his opponent. Lloyd cautiously walked forward.

“I’ll go ahead and let you have the first strike,” Garmadon nodded his head, “But, you should know that once you start, I don’t stop for anything. Aside from my foes surrendering, but even then I don’t get to always hear that!”

Lloyd readied himself. He turned his body slightly to the left and drew his swords, holding them across his body and pointed out at Garmadon. Garmadon’s smile grew even wider somehow, and from seemingly nowhere, four katanas were in his hands. For a moment he relished Lloyd’s look of shock, only for the barrel he was in front of to fall over. He only sighed at it.

At the moment, Lloyd wasn’t sure of what Garmadon wanted. If he wanted to win… well, he knew nothing about his opponent. If he assumed this was his dad, he’d never beaten him in open combat before. It would take a substantial lowering of the bar for Lloyd to be able to beat Sensei Garmadon in a fight. But this man wasn’t his father, even if in this world he seemed to be exactly that. He had to fight to win!

“Alright… here I come!” Lloyd raised his swords, “NINJA-GO!”

Lloyd rushed forward, drawing his blades back to swipe. Garmadon tensed as Lloyd rushed to him… and past him. Garmadon’s surprised gaze tracked the ninja as they passed. As soon as Lloyd was behind him, he brought his feet up and his body spun straight into Spinjitzu.

The tornado turned with a nearly zero radius directly back towards Garmadon, crossing the deck towards him with blinding speeds. Garmadon’s look of shock wiped away a second later as he leapt backwards. Lloyd tracked him, his Spinjitzu going straight towards him. The tornado was silver with small sparks of green, a far cry from the normally radiant green it once was. For Garmadon, however, it was an ability he had no idea how to handle.

“Oohh now this is fun!” Garmadon laughed, “I haven’t gotten to see any new tricks since I took up this teaching thing!”

Garmadon lunged backwards and then leapt into his air, soaring horizontally straight over Lloyd’s head. He landed on the long string of lanterns, then ran forward along it, his sword dragging along the length as he went. Clips rapidly came undone, sending each lantern down onto the deck. Two landed harmlessly, then the third met its mark. Lloyd stumbled out of his Spinjitzu form, leaving him dazed as he gained his footing.

Then his opponent was on top of him. Lloyd barely managed to bring his katanas up in front of his face, catching the four swords with his two. Lloyd thrust him backward with a heave, then swung overhead to follow up. Garmadon caught the blades with his two right ones, forcing them aside as his other two swung. Lloyd slid one sword to catch them, leaving his guard down on the other.

Garmadon raised a rectangular leg up, delivering a sharp kick into Lloyd’s side. The action made his leg bend, and had Garmadon not seen the unnatural sight once more, Lloyd wouldn’t have gained his chance. He thrust Garmadon’s blades away and flew backwards away from Garmadon. When he landed, he slowly reached up to draw his hood over his face.

“Ooohhh, are you getting serious now, little Lloyd?” Garmadon grinned, “Though, I’ve been serious this whole time, so you know!”

“No,” Lloyd shook his head, “I didn’t want you to have to look at your son’s face when I beat you!”

“Meh,” Garmadon raised his top arms up in a ‘shrug,’ “5 and a half out of 10, heard better.”

Lloyd shook his head and ran to his left, avoiding Garmadon’s leaping attack. Despite looking the way he did, Garmadon felt just as strong, if not stronger, than his father had been before purification. Those swords, which felt weightless to him, suddenly were incredibly heavy against his own. He had little time to process it as Garmadon ran after him with a side swipe.

Once more Lloyd caught Garmadon’s blades, this time with his swords horizontal again. He held them back for a few seconds, only for one of Garmadon’s blade to slide out from the lock and through the gaps in the swords their clash made. Garmadon held the blade upside down and swung upwards, nearly slicing into Lloyd’s shoulder. The ninja, in desperation, let the lock end, but in doing so Garmadon used the hilts to punch into Lloyd’s chest. The ninja was sent flying through the air, landing on the studded deck with a pained groan. Oddly enough, hitting the ground with such indentions didn’t seem to hurt as much, thankfully. As he leapt back to his feet from the ground, Garmadon just smirked.

“Are you really giving this your all, Lloyd?” Garmadon shrugged, “The red one fights better than you!”

“Kai’s the one that taught me how to use swords in the first place!” Lloyd growled, “Don’t mock him!”

“That explains why your stance is so uneven too!” Garmadon laughed, “Perhaps you need me to teach you a lesson or two, too!”

Garmadon ran forward to Lloyd’s left, then kicked right up into him. Lloyd dodged the attack and felt his back press against the Bounty’s mast. He ducked under the next swipe, Garmadon’s swords striking the mast and stalling him for a moment. Lloyd rolled out from the mast and then ran across the deck, looking for a vantage point. Seeing the deck sloping upwards towards the front, he made his way there.

After a second, Garmadon grabbed the mast and spun his body around it, letting go and sending him straight at Lloyd. Lloyd saw it at the last moment and had enough time to twist to let his left arm take the brunt. He slammed forward into the slopped deck, more pain going through him. He turned to see Garmadon bringing his swords down again, and this time Lloyd met them by catching the blade and then thrusting his arms out. He brought his feet up to kick Garmadon away, standing up and running backwards up the deck. One he reached the top of the part, he noted the two dragon heads behind him.

Garmadon, recognizing he had the high ground, turned and grabbed hold of a crate in all four hands, spinning and sending it right up into Lloyd. The ninja ducked out of its way, only for another crate and what looked to be papers being sent at him. Lloyd caught one, seeing what looked to be a trading card, but completely solid and abnormally large for a ‘card.’ He batted it aside and instead looked his opponent in the eye.

The warlord did not take his challenge lightly. He rushed forward, his swords extended and rushing straight up the deck at him. This time, Lloyd planted his foot on the deck -or on a stud rather- and received Garmadon’s attacks. His swords rapidly spun and clashed against Garmadon’s own, each time their slices cutting into one another and spinning back with a ferocity into their attacks again. Lloyd bobbed and weaved his body around strikes, while Garmadon seemed to spin and snap into position to position, arms and legs alike coming up to attack with a massive strength.

A particularly hard strike rattled Lloyd’s arm, giving Garmadon a window. He threw one sword overboard, making Lloyd track it in confusion. Garmadon jumped into the air and then came down towards him, bringing all three blades up for a massive slash. Lloyd’s body went on pure instinct, twisting his body to the side and reaching up to grab Garmadon’s free hand as he passed. He thrust forward, sending Garmdon forward over the edge.

Rather than shout, Garmadon flung away another blade and instead reached up, grabbing the decorative golden flairs of the left dragon head. He tossed a sword up to his free top hand and then pulled his body up in a perfect pullup, sliding his sword directly along where Lloyd stood. Lloyd was sent off balance as he jumped to avoid it, falling forward over the edge as well. Only by grabbing onto the right dragon head did he manage to avoid going into the strangely natural looking water. Lloyd caught his second sword between his feet before it could be lost.

The two warrior snapped attention to the other. The two swung back and forth, trading strikes with one another as they dangled over the ocean. Lloyd’s arm began to burn within seconds, but Garmadon seemed content to hang there for as long as need be. Lloyd, thinking fast, crunched his abs and tossed his feet up into the air, sending his sword up onto the deck.

Garamdon, seemingly taking the action as a challenge, brought his legs horizontal and spun his body up into the air, spinning once before landing atop the dragon head. He grinned down to Lloyd, pointing a sword down at him, “Don’t ever challenge me to an abs contest, not even that self righteous bat jerk can measure to m-”

Lloyd let go of the railing, free falling for a brief moment before he brought his hands together. An airjitzu cyclone formed under him, carrying him up and back onto the deck. Garmadon watched the display with confusion, giving Lloyd enough time again to scramble and grab the katana he’d thrown back up.

“How many other tricks do you have like that?” Garmadon groaned, “I want to know now.”

Lloyd brought his swords up and slashed at Garmadon, who used his two remaining swords to counter them. Lloyd, seizing his chance, slid one of the the swords between his two and yanked upwards, disarming it. Garmadon spun his remaining sword and countered Lloyd’s strikes with it.

With only one blade, Garmadon went on the defensive. Lloyd’s jabs and swipes were now being met with a man standing his ground, Garmadon refused to give as he Lloyd did his best to lay into Garmadon.

“This is to prove that I’m on your… side!” Lloyd shouted as he brought his swords down from overhead, the force knocking the other blade form Garmadon’s hands.

For a brief moment, Lloyd felt a sense of satisfaction. He smirked, drawing his swords in front of him and pointing them at Garmadon, “Now… surrender, Garmad-”

“Dust of Shao, go!” Garmadon shouted, bringing his hands up and blowing a massive cloud of yellow right into Lloyd’s face.

The action caused Lloyd to sputter, the dust not stinging but making seeing anything nearly impossible. Garmadon used the chance to lean back to the railing of the ship, prying up two large tiles and clipping them into his hands. He rushed forward and spun them straight into Lloyd’s hands, sending the swords wayward. Lloyd, still stunned by the dust, couldn’t react in time to feel the deck under him rising.

Garmadon’s stood over Lloyd triumphantly as a portion of the deck hiding weapons now stood raised up, with Lloyd’s balance having been completely disrupted. Garmadon tossed the tiles aside and turned around, grabbing hold of Lloyd’s katanas that had fallen. He place his foot firmly on Lloyd’s chest, then planted the two swords on either side of Lloyd’s head, sharp edge turned towards him.

“Hah, the Dust gets them every time!” Garmadon laughed, “Every. Time.”

“That… that was a dirty trick…” Lloyd muttered. Garmadon shook his head.

“Nah, it’s called fighting, and you pulled out that tornado thing… well, two tornado things twice actually!” He frowned, “I think that I still can pull out one more trick if I wanted.”

Lloyd didn’t say anything. He stared at Garmadon, his breath coming out in hard gasps. The sheer intensity of their bout was starting to weight on him, and seeing Garmadon literally standing over him drained his desire to fight further. Slowly, his shoulders and body relaxed, leaning his head into the deck. Upon seeing this, Garmadon nodded his head.

“So… you weren’t lying,” He grinned, “It seems we’ve gotten ourselves a little ally.”

“Wait… what?” Lloyd blinked as Garmadon stood up and backed away, “I… what do you mean?”

“If you were working with the Twins, then your will to fight wouldn’t have gone away,” Garmadon shook his head, “In fact, I’d have felt it rise from that. But you, oh no you went the total opposite way! Seems as though you either are telling the truth, or you’re deluded into telling the truth. You don’t seem to be under any memory erasure spells or talismans, so… seems like we’re allies in this.”

Garmadon turned around, walking over to a grate in the deck. He reached down and popped two sides of it off, lifting it up and barking something down into it. Slowly, each of the ninja climbed up from it, looking to Lloyd as they caught sight of him. The last to climb up was Lulloyd, who turned to see Lloyd standing up with an unreadable expression.

“He’s clean,” Garmadon grinned, “All of you, meet General Ally One, or Lloyd. When you address him on the comms, use the first one!”

“You giving everyone here a general name just feels kinda demeaning,” Nya shook his head, “We’ll call him Lloyd.”

“But… I’m Lloyd?” Lulloyd blinked.

“I believe we will utilize your father’s way of referring to you to help distinguish you two,” Zane smiled, “Friend nickname updated as ‘Lulloyd.’”

“I never noticed how nice that name is,” Kai grinned, “But now I got my man Lloyd and my man Lulloyd! So convenient!”

“But… I was here first…” Lulloyd spoke up, only to be drowned out by Garmadon.

“He’s going to be working with us to help find Krux and Acronix,” Garmadon informed the team, “I would suggest you get to know your new ally, you will be helping him to secure the location of one Krux and Acronix. Am I understood?”

“Uhm… I’m Jay,” Jay slowly reached his hand out, “You, uh, can call me Jay.”

“I know your names already,” Lloyd smiled, “You guys are actually apart of my team in the other world.”

“Oh… uh, sorry for that then,” Jay retracted his hand, “So… another universe? What, is it like there?”

“Well… there aren’t weird bricks everywhere, for one,” Lloyd brought a hand to his chin, “And… uhm, nobody moves as stiffly as you guys do.”

“You trying to say something about us?” Cole asked with narrowed eyes. Lloyd opened his mouth to respond, but Cole shook his head.

“I’m messing with ya,” Cole smiled gently, “You like some old school beats?”

“I listen to some from time to time… you mean like, rock ‘n’ roll, right?” Lloyd cocked his head. The look on Cole’s face could best be described as a mixture of horror and amusement.

“Cole, this isn’t the time to be putting your music tastes on someone we just met,” Nya sighed, “Sorry, he’s trying to find someone that ‘kicks it old school’ like he does. It’s good to have you apart of the team then, Lloyd.”

“Good to be here,” Lloyd nodded his head, “You all heard why I was here during my interrogation, right?”

“Yes,” Zane smiled. Lloyd awaited a follow up, none came.

“Uh, then, you guys know that the Twins are dangerous,” Lloyd gestured to the city, “They can control time by slowing it down, jumping forward and reversing it. That Iron Doom was strong, like you guys all saw. We need to find out where it went.”

“Uh… there’s not many places, other than the city here… unless they decided to go into the Jungles,” Jay peeped up, “But, the only reason that someone would go in there is for some sort of life-changing journey!”

“Then we need to go out there and find them,” Lloyd nodded his head, “And make sure that all the snakes in the city were rounded up. They might be using the sewer system to make it outside the city. Does anyone have a map of the city?”

“I can produce several copies, one moment,” Zane paused. The sound of an electronic printer filled the air and Zane turned around from the group. When he turned back, he held seven copies of a large tile map.

“Good,” Lloyd took one, looking over it. He tried to fold it, but found that such an action was hardly possible. Instead, he let his arm holding it drop, “Thanks, Zane.”

“Uh… hey,” Lulloyd stepped forward, “So, I’m the leader of the team, do you wanna go and talk about this privately or…?”

“Lulloyd,” Garmadon pipped up, “Lloyd is giving the battle plan right now.”

“But-” Lulloyd started to speak, but Lloyd continued.

“However long it takes for your mechs to be put back into commission, us the ones that you still have to get searching the city in the meantime,” Lloyd looked ou to the buildings, “Some of you should go into the jungle as well and determine any locations that the Iron Doom could be hiding. The Twins built it in a swamp, so they are used to keeping a low profile. I’ll give you some descriptions of what they look like, so if you see them, you can capture them. Any questions?”

“Just one!” Kai crossed his arms, “What are we gonna do when we find them?”

“Capture them and make sure they can’t escape,” Lloyd smirked, “Think you can do that.”

“That’s a pretty simple plan…” Kai paused, “That’s MY kind of plan! I like this plan, I’m excited to be apart of this plan!”

“Good,” Lloyd smirked, “Garmadon, I’ll tell you whatever else about the Twins you need to know, alright?”

“Sharing information is an essential part of any strategy,” Garmadon nodded, “Alright, you heard the man, ninjas! Get out there and make a Warlord proud!”

“Acknowledged!” The group all shouted, sans Lulloyd. As the five of them made their way out to collect weapons, Lulloyd hesitated before turning around.

“General Number Son!” Garmadon called out. Lulloyd paused in his stride, turning to his father.

“Make sure that your ninjas use proper communication channels!” Garmadon narrowed his eyes, “I won’t answer any of them that don’t call in properly!”

Lulloyd sighed, “Yeah… gotcha, dad.”

“Good, General Number Son. Now, let’s start the hunt!” Garmadon grinned, “I need to get those two back for making me look stupid defending my city!”

\----

“That stupid boy was Lloyd?!” Krux crumpled the tile of newspaper into wedges with a snarl, “How did we run into Lloyd so quickly in this dimension?!”

Acronix wasn’t paying attention. Instead, the twin was bashing away at a red stud and rotating a lever, navigating a little pixelated ship on the arcade machine around. His grin widened as he blasted away a large spaceship in his way, causing his score to rise exponentially. A victory tune sung out from the speakers.

“Look, brother, I just got the high score!” Acronix grinned hard, “We should take some of these machines with us!”

Krux felt his blood boiling. He stood up, walked over, and delivered a harsh punch directly into the machine. The force of impact caused the entire machine to crumble to pieces, falling to the ground with little clicks. Acronix gasped and turned to his brother in disbelief.

“I hadn’t saved my score yet!” Acronix protested, “You can’t go around breaking machines like that!”

“I’ve had it with your fascination with this trite, it’s nothing more than time-wasting!” Krux spat, “We came to do surveillance and find out more about these ninja, not play petty games!”

Acronix gave his brother a long look then he sighed and crossed his arms, “I am doing research. This dimension has comparable technology to our own, perhaps a bit behind. Didn’t you just confirm that the boy riding that mechanical dragon was Lloyd Garmadon?”

“I did,” Krux growled, turning and walking his way in and out of the machines while pacing, “Those ninja defeated Garmadon a few months ago, and now they’ve become allies. If that Garmadon gives us trouble again, we’ll need to go to another universe.”

“Do we have enough power to do so with just our Lloyd’s power we stole?” Acronix asked, “We could just give up and go home.”

“Unfortunately not…” Krux sighed, “Elemental power regenerates when inside of a living thing. The chronosteel of our time blades are made up of fossils, which is why they regenerate. But the regeneration rate of the crystals we stole from that island will take almost two months for us to make another jump.”

“Why not just take this green ninja’s power then?” Acronix had already started playing a racing game, earning the ire of his brother. As he sat down, a man dressed up as a street magician came over and began to rapidly piece the broken machine back together.

“The Iron Doom is too damaged for us to fight right now, and this universe doesn’t have any sort of materials like we had. We can’t… what are you doing?!” Krux yelled at the magician working on the machine.

The magician stopped, “Oh, pardon me, I’m on a special holiday from overseas, and I saw this broken machine and just had to fix it!” He put the top plate on, causing the machine to turn back on, “Here, I even managed to save your game, good sir!”

“Really?!” Acronix leapt up from his machine, grabbing the controls and quickly playing away at it, “You’re amazing!”

“...How did you fix that machine just now?” Krux cocked his head, staring at the magician.

“Oh… well, I’m what you call a Master Builder, good sir!” He passed his wand from hand to hand, “I don’t like to brag, however.”

“Teach it to me,” Krux stated flatly. This caused the magician to laugh slightly, making Krux’s eyebrows twitch.

“Oh, I’m sorry, it takes years of training to learn this skill, and I’m not looking for an apprentice right now!” The magician bowed, took his hat off, then made his way out of the arcade, “But I am more than happy to pass your name to my colleagues! I’m certain one would be more than happy to do so. You certainly have the look of one already… however you pull that off that is!”

Krux’s eyebrow twitched. He looked to the leaving magician, then to Acronix, who hooped in victory once more. He looked to the machine Acronix was smashing, then he thought about his own machine. After a few moments, he began to ponder harder, at which point an idea crossed his mind. The twin drew his helmet on and focused his mind.

The magician walked by the alleyway between the arcade and the next shop. As soon as he had, a slithering noise came from the manhole under his feet. He hummed to himself, only to feel something sink into his foot. The next second, he was suddenly dragged into it without even time for a scream.

“Come, brother,” Krux stood up, “We’re going to learn about whatever this, ‘Master Building’ is…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to give a brief thanks to everyone that has given Kudos or left a comment! I didn't realize the movie setting was so underutilized for crossovers. Garmadon and Lulloyd are my favorite characters in said movie, and so I had a blast writing all of this!


	4. Chapter 4

Lloyd would normally have said he could go his entire life having never ridden a shark. Sadly, or thankfully given whom he was talking to, the closest he seemed to be getting to that was riding in a shark-themed Mech. The Garmamech stepped through the city streets, forcing traffic to divert around and between its massive legs as it went. Lloyd stood on a small platform inside the mouth of the creation, Garmadon beside him working his arms and legs back and forth to move the thing.

"Whew… oh yeah… good workout, oh geez who designed this thing?" Garmadon huffed, "No, no this is good, this is a good workout. Gotta stay in shape, those ninja gonna make me go soft if I don't keep this up… oohhh why does the city have to be so big?!"

Lloyd ignored Garmadon's ramblings and looked out across the city. Two days had already gone by, and he had nothing to show for it. With the ninja roaming the city in their mechs, Lloyd had spent the majority of his time on the Bounty with small incursions into the city on whichever mech was available at the time. So far, he'd seen what the Lightning and Water mech had to offer.

Today, however, Garmadon was leading one of the incursions himself. Despite the fact the city had accepted Garmadon as its new protector, it didn't mean that the sight of the massive hammerhead robot going down the streets was made any easier. Jelly subs had flown the mech in from the Volcano, a sight which Lloyd was still processing.

"Garmadon, this is Nya," A voice rang out from around the cockpit, "We've completed a sweep of the area, no sign of the Twins."

"Good work, silver," Garmadon responded, hiding the wheeze in it, "Continue the perimeter sweep and rejoin Blue when you're done. Black, this is Garmadon, status report."

"Cole reporting in," Another voice rose up, "No sign of anything so far. Your guys went off to go get sushi."

"What?!" Garmadon shouted, "And you let them?!"

"Lady Iron told me told me to let them," Cole replied nonchalantly, "She's on her way to meet up with you. Should have said that first."

"Wait, Coco is coming?" Garmadon paused, "Did she give a meetup location?"

"She said you'd know when she arrived," Cole answered.

A few seconds later, a loud clink snapped Lloyd's attention to the front of the cockpit. Embedded in the metal was an arrow attached to a thin piece of string. Following the string led to a woman with flaming orange hair, standing in full battle armor atop an earby building, her longbow still in hand from the shot. The attacker waved a hand towards the mech, causing Garmadon to grin.

"Give me one second," Garmadon turned the mech to the building, then pulled a red lever to park it. Stepping off the controls, he leapt up from the opening and grabbed the string, crawling his way up with all four arms towards the person on the roof. Lloyd, blinking, leapt from the cockpit and spun into Airjitzu, carrying him up towards the same roof.

When Garmadon got to the roof, he watched Lloyd land with Airjitzu and rolled his eyes before he turned his sights to the woman. She smirked and reached up, drawing her bow and firing a shot off towards Garmadon. He in turn caught the arrow and stepped forward, tossing it aside and grabbing her bow to pull her forward.

"I've done my sweep of the city," Lady Iron Dragon smirked, "Seems like you're still tracking this one down, Garmy?"

"Not as bad as General Tyren, though," Garmadon grinned, "We spent nearly what, three weeks looking for him before we cornered him in that cave?"

"Four weeks, honey," She rolled her eyes, "Remember, we used our last wish on that Djinn in order to find him?"

"Oh yeah… those Djinns are a tricky bunch…" Garmadon sighed, "Not as bad as you are, Coco. Maybe we should plan ourselves a date where I need to go and hunt you down?"

"You're cute, dear, thinking you track me down if I truly wanted to disappear…" Coco sighed, "But why hide, when I know I can take you in a fight?"

"Don't push me too much, dear… I might have to fight you right now!" Garmadon laughed.

Lloyd looked onto the strange display in front of him, specifically to Coco. After a few more moments of staring into each other's eyes happily, Coco noticed Lloyd standing there and gasped.

"Oh, you must be Lloyd!" Coco rushed forward, wrapping her arms up in a hug around him, "You really do look like my son! Any ally of Garmadon's is an ally of mine!"

"U-Uh… thanks…" Lloyd resisted the urge to say 'mom,' "I'm, uhm, well it's nice to meet you. You're… Coco?"

"Oh don't be so weird about it!" Coco let go from the hug and chuckled, "My husband and I have dealt with dimensional counterparts before. I had one of me from another timeline following me around for seven months! I still need to check in on ShoCoco, she'd just conquered the Triad last I heard."

"She did what?!" Garmadon shouted, "No, no way. No way she beat those three without our help!"

"She was always really determined to do so… anyways!" Coco turned around to a pouch, "Lulloyd is waiting for us at that rooftop restaurant we tried, let me treat you to lunch, Lloyd!"

"Lunch?" Lloyd blinked, "I uh. I actually don't know if I can, eat the food here. Uh… you know, other universe and all."

"Really?" Coco turned to Garmadon, "What have you been feeding this boy?"

"It's not my job to make sure the troops get fed!" Garmadon protested, "He's been, meditating I think!"

Coco gave Garmadon a sour look, the latter of which who turned an ashamed glare to the side and muttered something. Coco sighed and looked towards the east, squinting and then nodding her head.

"I'd say it's a good five minutes by run," Coco turned, "You two coming?"

"Wait, run on… what?" Lloyd was about to say more, but Coco reached into a pocket to produce a massive grappling hook she threw to a nearby building, hooking around an AC unit and swinging herself over to it. She climbed up the wall and turned around, waving towards them and then chuckling as she ran off.

Lloyd wanted to look to Garmadon for answers, but Garmadon had already ran. Sighing, Lloyd quickly ran after them. When he got to the lip of a building, he spun up into Airjitzu, carrying him up over towards the next roof. Garmadon simply leapt the distance, landing on all fours and scurrying forward until he stood upright to leap to the next building.

For nearly twenty blocks, the three parkoured their way across the city. Lloyd's airjitzu, Garmadon's leaps and Coco's grappling hook all carried them further into the city. As they went, Lloyd felt the buildings getting taller and taller. Gradually, the architecture began to change, going from more traditional looking homes to more modern complexes built atop them. The further they climbed, the less traditional arches and sloped rooves there were, giving way instead to sleek and modern highrises.

By the time the three came in sight of the building that Coco was referring to, Lloyd felt winded. He landed on a section of walkway in front of a comic store, pressing his arm into the wall to catch his breath. Within moment of people around him seeing him land from the sky and lean in a strange broken manner, many began to skirt around him. A few kids pointed to him as they walked by, only for their attention to turn to Garmadon as he landed nearby.

"Hmmphm," Garmadon grinned, "What's wrong, Lloyd, can't even freestyle twenty blocks?"

"I'm… normally we'd… take a bus…" He huffed, "If I had my dragon I'd have just used that…"

"See, this is the reason I don't let Lulloyd use his dragon unless he asks first," Garmadon rolled his eyes, "If you can't run from one end of the city to the other without needing to breathe then you need more training!"

A whistle from Coco showed that the warrior was standing underneath a large crab decoration. Lloyd and Garmadon made their way over to her, allowing her to open the doors. Immediately, the smell of seafood filled the room as the three walked over to the bar where Lulloyd sat.

"Hey, mom," Lulloyd paused, "Uh… nothing to report, dad."

"Your friends filled me in on that part," Garmadon sighed, "Come on, let's eat!"

"We'll figure out if you can eat this dimension's food soon enough!" Coco smirked, waving to the man behind the counter, "Four orders of crab!"

The man nodded his head, turning around and opening up an oversized over and shoving in massively oversized crabs. Lloyd found himself seated between Coco and Lulloyd, with Garmadon over by Coco. Slowly, he turned to Lulloyd and smiled.

"So, uh… is this place good?" Lloyd smiled. Lulloyd, seemingly lost in thought, took a moment to respond.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, it's good. Mom took me here for my birthday a few years ago, it was pretty good then. Our apartment is actually close by," Lulloyd smiled.

"Yes, because you two still refuse to come live in the volcano with me!" Garmadon protested, "It would take one day of moving to get you in!"

"We talked about this," Coco rolled her eyes, "I know you found that massive gold deposit and you've funded your armies that way, honey, but I quite like our apartment. We've lived there too long to just give it up!"

"So… you lived with your mother?" Lloyd asked to Lulloyd.

"Uhm… I still am," Lulloyd shook his head, "I'm only sixteen."

"Oh, you're younger than me," Lloyd sat up, "Word of advice, being an 'adult' really doesn't change anything. You just kinda say you are and that's really it. Being able to deposit money is nice though. Sharing an account with the others sucked."

"I uh, just have cash," Lulloyd shrugged, "But I'm considering getting a card here soon."

"When you start having bills to pay, I'll set you up with one," Coco shook her head, "But right now you should just enjoy your youth! Don't worry about the adult things! Your father and I will take care of that."

"Right…" Lulloyd sighed, "Yeah, right, heh."

Four large plates with crab were placed in front of the four. The chef nodded his head to them and then made his way further down the bar to serve the next group. Garmadon smirked and grabbed a fork and knife, cutting aside a piece of the entire crab. The sight made Lloyd look down as he realized there wasn't a shell.

"Just, try eating it like normal?" Lulloyd suggested.

"Yeah, I'm uh… yeah." Lloyd took ahold of the fork and spoon. The objects in the world had such an odd texture that he nearly dropped them. It almost felt… toy-like. He still wasn't used to the way it was set up yet.

Nervously, Lloyd moved to cut off a piece. A piece cut off, and in the process, seemed to turn from a piece of claw to something resembling it instead. Slowly, he brought the thing up to his mouth, looking at it nervously as he did. Lulloyd gave him a somewhat nervous look as Lloyd slowly opened his mouth and bit down.

...Shockingly, the piece actually tasted like crab meat. In fact, as soon as he bit into it, it seemed that it acted just like his regular food. Swallowing it didn't take any extra effort at all either, something which astounded him to think about. The longer he took in the food in front of him, the more he found himself confused by the laws of this world.

Regardless, Lloyd dove in. It seemed that the Garmadon's were those that ate first and then talked, as the other three were quick to oblige. A few people in the restaurant pointed towards Garmadon and Lady Iron Dragon, with several moving to take pictures with their phones. Garmadon just rolled his eyes and turned to give them a toothy smile for them.

"My dad is, uh, kind a celebrity now…" Lulloyd explained as he saw Lloyd looking, "I even have some fans of my own now, you know? Or at least, people aren't bullying me as much anymore."

"We decided to stay out of the public stuff after some stuff involving a Djinn back home," Lloyd shook his head, "Kai still does though, he's keeping his fan club alive and well."

"Heh... yeah," Lulloyd looked up slightly, "Kai here is kinda, well. I mean, he's a good friend but, he can be kinda awkward sometimes. And uh, not very smart."

"Yeah, that's Kai alright," Lloyd smiled, finishing off his food, "It's tough being a ninja sometimes."

"You can say that again," Lulloyd smiled.

:So, have we found nothing on the Twins?" Lloyd asked. Lulloyd's smile and gaze fell.

"...No, we've looked all over. Nya found some Vermillion snakes but nothing that's really, what we want…" Lulloyd shook his head, "I mean, I had Jay look in the Jungle but, they have to be really far out there I think."

"I see," Lloyd nodded his head, "We need to focus on finding them. That has to be our priority."

"Of course it is," Lulloyd smiled, "But, uh, hey. There's a comic shop nearby, if you wanna take a break then, there's some really nice series that we can look ati?"

"I'd love to, but I can't," Lloyd sighed, "I've taken two days already. The Twins are going to strike soon, or else they're planning something worse. We have to be ready for them."

Lulloyd didn't say anything else. He looked down to his now empty plate and slowly moved to stand up, "Then, I'm going to go search again, okay, dad?"

"Good thinking, Lulloyd," Garmadon grinned, "Think you can drop your mom off by the scrapyard on your way?"

"I can do that on my own," Coco stood up, "I'm sure I could get there faster than his dragon."

"True, but I don't want you running all day," Garmadon shook his head, "Save your energy for if the Twins do arrive. I don't want any of you fighting at half strength. Can you do that for me, Coco?"

"If you insist," Coco nodded, "Let's go, Lulloyd!"

Lulloyd gave another look to Lloyd, then made his way out of the restaurant. As the two left, Garmadon stood up, slamming a bill down on the table. He turned over to Lloyd and grinned.

"We should get back to hunting," Garmadon smirked, "...And, we left the mech back there, didn't we?"

"We did," Lloyd shook his head, "I guess we should run back then."

"Race you there?" Garmadon grinned, "I'll let you try piloting it if you win."

"Uh… sure," Lloyd nodded, "You're on."

Lulloyd's mechdragon soared over the Destiny's bounty still parked in the bay. The newly repaired beast spun about the ship as he angled it down to land in the water nearby. The jets kicked in, allowing it to gently touch down on the water's edge. Hitting a button on the machine, the dragon's body suddenly began to rapidly fold in on itself until it had condensed down into a small 1x3 brick, which he promptly caught. A simple climb up a small ladder brought him to the deck of the bounty.

"Luloyd, what's up brother?" Kai's gripping hug caught Lulloyd by enough surprise to nearly attack.

"Oh, hey Kai," Lulloyd looked down to his brick, "Just, got done patrolling and all. Didn't find anything. Are the others here?"

"Yep, been relaxing after doing that same thing!" Kai smirked, "Been pretty silent all over, you feel me?"

"I do," Lulloyd paused, "Is… my dad here?"

"Yeah, he's up at the wheel," Kai pointed, "He and Lloyd have been talking a lot. Rest of the guys are below deck chattin' and stuff. You wanna come with?"

"I need to talk to dad first," Lulloyd smiled, "But, thanks Kai. Tell the others I'll be there soon."

"No prob, no prob," Kai smirked, "You need anything, well, you know where the fire is!"

Kai spun around, making his way over to the ladder and leaping down rather than taking any of the rungs. Lulloyd smiled for a few moments, only for that smile to fall as he made his way up to the ladder of the Bounty.

Before he could start climbing, a shadow fell over him. Lulloyd looked up to see Lloyd descending the ladder.

"Sorry!" Lloyd called down apologetically, "Just heading to the Dojo to get some practice in."

"Uh… nice," Lulloyd stepped aside, letting Lloyd pace. Once on the ground, the two stared at each other. Silence slowly began to permeate the air.

"Everything okay?" Lloyd raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?" Lulloyd nodded his head, "Everything is fine, yeah, yeah. Just, thinking about things is all. You know. Just, doing some thinking."

"Okay," Lloyd nodded in acceptance, "Well, tell Garmadon if he needs me, I'll be here."

Lloyd slid the doors to the Dojo open and stepped inside. Once he had disappeared, Lulloyd slowly reached up and climbed the ladder up to his father.

"Ah, Son, it's good to see," Garmadon smirked, "Any luck with finding those two Twins?"

"No," Lulloyd sighed, "They… we can't find them. They're just gone. That's just it! I don't know how they do that."

Garmadon's smile fell as he nodded his head and turned away, "I see. Thank you for the report, son."

Lulloyd felt a bit of himself wince at that tone. He slowly made his way forward and stood behind his father. He took a moment to muster the words he neede dto speak. When he did, he was somewhat quiet.

"Dad… can we talk?" Lulloyd looked up.

Garmadon turned his head, "Is there something you need to talk to me about?" Garmadon responded.

"Yeah… I, guess it's about Lloyd," Lulloyd paused, "I guess I'm just feeling weird about this whole situation, you know?"

"You've been in plenty of weird situations, son," Garmadon responded, "Many of which I engineered! Heh, in fact, you could say I'm the source of a lot of weird in your life."

"I guess so," Lulloyd paused, "I… I guess it's weird, you know? Lloyd being here."

"You're going to need to be more specific, son," Garmadon turned, "Don't mince your words. If you can't speak to me, why, how can you give a war cry to your opponents?"

"Right, right, sorry," Lulloyd moved to stand beside Garmadon, "I guess I'm feeling just, kinda strange about this whole situation. Lloyd just, makes me feel a little weird? I mean, I've just felt bad since, the battle with the Twins."

"We all do," Garmadon nodded.

Lulloyd looked back towards the ocean for a few seconds, then sighed out a dispassionate, 'Yeah.' to his father. Garmadon watched as his son walked over towards the stairs up to the main wheel. Once there, Lulloyd leaned up against the side of the ship and looked out towards the setting sun with a wistful gaze.

"I guess I just, you know, I'm not sure about my place in the team," Lulloyd looked down, "I mean, I'm the leader, right? But, I don't feel like the leader. And… during the battle, I don't feel like I led. I mean… I almost died, trying to lead into battle."

"There's no honor greater than that, son," Garmadon responded firmly, "You should be proud that happened. You're growing as a warlord."

"But, it's, death," Lulloyd continued, "It's, I mean. When we were fighting you, I always knew that things would go a certain way. I knew that I wouldn't die. But, when I fell into the snakes, I got… I felt something, terrifying inside me. Like, I just felt, so scared. And, I can't shake that feeling. I guess, that, my issues are kinda up with that right now."

"Son, you're going to face death a lot as a ninja," Garmadon cut him off, "Death is the one thing that everyone can look to. It's the one thing you'll eventually share with everyone. As a warlord, your job is to force people to obey you, and death is one of your tools. As a ninja, death is going to become something you'll have to accept. Not every enemy can be beaten with words. Heck, most of them won't listen to begin with. Your own death is something you'll have to accept. No matter how strong you are, there will always be someone stronger out there. Just like your sword, if your courage isn't sharp, then you can't do anything to make them stop."

"That's… really not what I needed to hear right now, dad," Lulloyd sighed, "Mom's a lot better at figuring out what I need to hear."

"Oh… well, your mother should be here later," Garmadon coughed and took his helmet off for a moment, passing it between his hands and rubbing it awkwardly before putting it back on, "I'm still new to this whole, parenting thing, you know."

"Yeah, I'll let you know if anything happens, okay?" Lulloyd nodded, "The team is below deck. Tell the others they need to practice with their weapons . Wu wants us to start channeling our powers through them when we fight."

Garmadon looked down towards the grate and the sound of Cole's boombox wafting up from it. He looked down to Lulloyd and then smirked, "I'll take them out for a little training session myself then, how about that?"

Before Lulloyd could say anything, Garmadon brandished a massive warlord staff in two hands and flipped backwards off of the top deck, using the tip of the staff to grab onto the line the lanterns hung from. He slid down towards entrance to the deck and slammed into it, sending him straight underneath. A sound of scuffles was quickly replaced by flashes of light from the opening as Garmadon seemed to engage them in a fight.

As Garmadon cackled and wove his way through volleys of frozen chunks and fiery balls, Lulloyd looked over the side of the ship. He focused on the water the Destiny's Bounty was gliding over. The ship barely left a single ripple in the water, making it seem as though it wasn't even submerged in it. It moved along slowly, barely enough to be noticable, but just enough to keep them moving forward. Lulloyd leaned back and turned the wheel of the ship slightly, turning the ship fully parallel with the city's docks in the distance.

As the ship traveled alongside said distance, and Lulloyd leaned forward to avoid a watery splash from Nya's attack down below, he thought back to the battle earlier that day. His father had talked to them like they were a hindrance. Even when he said that they were his 'backup,' Lulloyd felt himself sink a little bit. Was he not good enough to stand beside his father in battle? Why was he still so… why wasn't he good enough?

He'd woken up to Lloyd having dragged him out of harm's way. When he'd gone in to help carry his father into battle, he'd gotten… he'd gotten shot down. All those years of being unable to repel Garmadon from the city, and now he couldn't even stand beside his father in their first big threat together? He'd been knocked out and had to be saved by himself? That just didn't feel right.

He drew his sword and hung it in his hands over the deck. As he stared into the reflection of himself, he tried to think of who he saw in the reflection. The green ninja? The leader of the secret ninja force that was now not even a secret? The one that saved Ninjago City? The least popular kid in school? He didn't know what he was seeing, and he didn't know what to think of it all.

Suddenly, Lulloyd's sword was dragged out of his hands. It fell down and splashed in the water below. Confused, Lulloyd leaned over the railing, seeing it floating in the water. For a moment, he sighed and prepared to throw a ladder for himself. As soon as he turned away, however, something grabbed his wrist and dragged him against the side of the ship.

With a gasp of shock, Lulloyd yanked his arm backwards. The ninja planted his feet into the studs and pulled back, trying to remove his arms from whatever had hold of it. He could see a deep red hand clutching it, water dripping off of it. His body was dragged forward, almost over the edge. Thinking fast, he reached out with his free arm and pried a tan plate from the railing, bringing it down onto the hand. It let go, sending him reeling backwards.

No sooner had he gotten up, what had hold of him showed itself. Standing now on the railing was a Vermillion warrior, its composite snakes slithering in and out of gaps in its metal armor. It held aloft a fishing oar, hissing at him with a sadistic smile. It lunged forward at him with the oar, aiming for his head.

"DAD!" Lulloyd shouted as he used his tile to block the attack, "We're under attack!"

From the port side, Vermillion warriors began to slither their way up onto the deck. Wet from a presumable swim, each held some sort of makeshift weapon in their hands. Tens of them were suddenly on the deck within seconds, hissing at him. Within seconds, the group had scrambled up onto the deck. Upon seeing the foes, Garmadon spun his staff around to knock one back out into the ocean, barking his orders out immediately.

"Ninja, to arms! Protect the ship!" Garmadon growled, taking his staff in his hands and rushing forward towards another warrior. A swing sent him overboard, hitting the water and breaking apart into snakes that floated across the surface. They slowly began to reform by swimming into each other.

"Got it!" Kai shouted, brandishing two training staffs and rushing forward, "Prepare to get roasted dudes!"

"I predict there may be perhaps one hundred of them," Zane drew his bow and launched an arrow into the 'head' of a soldier, "That comes out to 14.2857 repeating warriors for each of us."

"Uhm, can we just say fourteeeeeennn!" Jay yelped out as he caught a fishing spear with his flail, "It's, uhm, a little easier that way!"

"Who cares how many there are?" Nya spung her own spear into one, "Let's show these guys what we can do!"

As each of the ninja were swarmed with warriors, Lulloyd huffed as he threw his tile to the side, knocking his own warrior off balance. He flipped his body upright onto all fours, yet the warrior pounced on top of him, pinning him onto his chest. Lulloyd groaned and tried to sit up, but the warrior clung on tightly. He could feel the snake heads starting to curl towards his neck.

Thinking as fast as he could, Lulloyd threw his body sideways, removing the weight on his back. He quickly pried up several more tiles, throwing them into the air and catching them as they fell. He threw together a wedge, then shoved it between him and the warrior. With a hard backwards punch, he forced the two apart.

Lulloyd scrambled up to his feet, then leapt backwards towards the back of the ship. He picked up the sextant from the map chart, throwing it hard at the Vermillion. It struck its helmet, knocking it off and causing the warrior's head to fall apart. Lulloyd quickly threw the map, table and hidden daggers under the table into the warrior, causing it to fully break apart and scatter.

"DAD!" Lulloyd shouted, rushing to the wheel and leaning over the balcony, "SWORD!"

Garmadon looked over towards him, rolled his eyes, and then nodded. He ran forward and then slid, his foot hitting a floorboard causing it to hinge upwards. From under it, another curved blade without the tassel was revealed. He threw the sword up in the air and hit it with his warlord staff, sending it flying directly towards Lulloyd.

"I got it!" Lulloyd jumped into the air, catching the hilt just before the sword careened into his face. In his head, he thanked his dad for giving him catching lessons. Quickly, he swung outwards and knocked warriors that began to leap up from the railing onto the deck back over.

Warriors were sent flying across and over the deck as the ninja attacked. Zane laced his arrows with ice, causing them to burst on impact. Kai light his sword alight, making snakes terrified of getting sliced and setting their wooden weapons ablaze. Nya poured water over the deck, causing the warriors to slip and fall over. Cole jumped into the air and spun his massive hammer, bringing it down and sending a shockwave towards them. Jay shrieked and spun his flail, lightning arcing out in all directions from it into the warriors. All the while, Garmadon used his staff to send warriors over by brute force, picking up their fallen weapons and driving them into the oncoming horde.

Yet the warriors kept coming. Jay didn't notice warriors beginning to climb up behind him, only being saved by Nya's last minute water blast. Kai turned his attention backwards, only to get knocked backwards. Quickly, Garmadon turned around and pried up another floorboard, throwing four silver katanas up from it. He thrust his warlord staff into the face of a slithering warrior behind him, then caught each sword as it fell down with a slide. He brought his legs together and kicked a warrior away, using his four swords to force them away from both sidse. The ninja quickly formed a small semi-circle between the two front masts with Zane in the center and Garmadon on the port with the others on starboard.

The entire ship suddenly rocked. Ninja and warriors alike were sent swaying as something rose up from the water from the port side. At first, it was a metal lump. Then the large beading red eye of the Iron Doom shot its light over the deck. The machine continued to rise upwards, towering now over the ship. Garmadon tssked as it rose until its eye was at the same height as the tallest sail, rotating down to look at them. His tssk soon turned to anger, however, upon the light of the sun illuminating it to the crew.

Unlike before, the Iron Doom now was no longer just built of metal. In various gaps, large red and black bricks had been infused into it, patching it effectively. While hidden in the water, large plates had been used to cover up the actual plate that the Garmashark had ripped apart. Its torn off arm, however, was not red, silver and black, however. No, instead the arm was a mixture of sand blue, light gray and white. At the end of its hand were two large cone tops in light neon blue, with each finger now sporting white rows of 'teeth.' Plates were placed along its forearm to simulate gills. It didn't take long to decipher what it was.

"THAT'S MY SHARK!" Garmadon spat, "GIVE ME BACK MY SHARK!"

Garmadon leapt into the air, stepping on the head of a warrior to propel himself forward the arm. His staff swung at it, but the arm swung back and sent him back onto the deck. He landed with a hard thud, breaking several tiles up in the process. The arm then reached backwards, feeling around until it took hold of something. When it drew it forward, it revealed that in place of its copper swords, a long staff had been erected from the axles of the Garmashark.

The tip of the staff was formed of the massive claws of the Garmashark's feet, opening up into a four pronged claw. The Iron Doom took hold of the staff in both arms, rotating it so the claw pointed down. It raised the staff upwards over its head, then brought it down. Garmadon had only enough time to throw Jay and Kai out of the way as the claw drove down into the main master, breaking through the deck into the bottom of the ship. The four prongs dug into the tiny spaces between the ship's main hull, effectively staying it in place. The rebuilt arm gripped the staff tightly, holding the ship still as the other arm reached forward to grab at the front of the ship.

The creaking of the deck as it splintered apart tore through the sound of Kai's yell, "Hey, guys, where's Wu?!"

"The uhm, author couldn't afford Jackie Chan!" Jay shouted as he clung the main mast.

"What?!" Kai shouted, "Fam, I couldn't hear you!"

"Wu said he went to warn the citizens!" Jay shouted back, "And, uhm, that Garmadon should lead us?"

Garmadon looked over towards Wu's usual perching spot between the decorative dragon heads and then sighed, face-clawing and then looking up to the ship with barely concealed absolutely livid burning rage.

"Black one…" Garmadon growled, "Give me some fighting music!"

Cole turned towards Garmadon and huffed, then swung his hammer all the way into the chest of a warrior hard enough to force the metal inwards. As it was sent flying back, he leapt forward and grabbed ahold of the business end of his weapon, using the long hilt to snag his fallen boombox from underfoot. As soon as he had, he quickly fiddled with the dials.

_JUMP UP, KICK BACK, WHIP AROUND AND SPIN! _

Garmadon leaned all the way backwards to avoid a swipe and retaliated with one of his own that sent a Vermillion flying into the now broken main mast, "No, no, we used this one LAST time! Try again!"

_I wake up, in the morning! Wide awake, for the day! And I say, what a morning! It's all okay! _

"...You know what, I'll work with this!" Garmadon's scowl slowly turned into a dark grin as he drew his swords together and rushed straight for the Iron Doom.

The original released its grip on the deck, making a fist and swinging at Garmadon. Garmadon stopped dead in his track and let out a fierce battle cry, receiving the fist with all four swords. For a brief moment, Garmadon held the fist back with all four arms, grunting hard and his entire body shaking. His back foot slipped, sending him flying backwards as the fist arc up into the air, sending him into the top deck and crashing down near Lulloyd.

Without looking at his son, Garmadon shot his eyes around and then sheathed his swords on his back, grabbing hold of the remaining tiles on the railing, the SNOT connectors and prying the metal plate behind the wheel up. Thinking fast, he grabbed the wheel and shoved the pin into the connectors, then built the tiles up around the other side. When he finished, he had formed what looked like some massive spinner for a game show wheel. He flung the metal grate directly with his own strength, causing it to embed into the rebuilt arm. Bracing the wheel of his contraption against the deck, he rotated the planks down so that he now had a bridge directly connecting him to the rebuilt arm.

Redrawing his blades, Garmadon leapt up onto the makeshift plank-bridge, flying towards the arm. As soon as the Iron Doom seemed aware of what he was doing, it tried to let go of the massive spear jammed into the ship's deck. But Garmadon leapt up at the last second, landing firmly on the large eye at the tip of the the rebuilt hand. With a dark grin, his swords drove themselves into the gaps between the bricks, spearing the snakes inside.

The Iron Doom recoiled, throwing its arm upwards. Garmadon was sent sliding, yet his grip allowed him to hang on. The Iron Doom used its over fist to swing at him, yet Garmadon spun rapidly in the air as it passed below him. The fist drove up into the bamboo-colored plates covering the top deck, scattering them in every direction. Garmadon landed back down on the rebuilt arm with a little wobble and gripping his swords to keep him steady.

"It's my shark!" Garmadon shouted as his feet began kicking up pieces into the air and then punting them directly towards the viewport, "TAKE MY SHARK!"

As the pieces bounced harmlessly against the Iron Doom's upper chest, the machine responded by having its composite snakes shoot up from the gaps and launch at Garmadon. Garmadon turned and his sword spun in his wrists, slicing them up into pieces as they tried. The arm he was on once more shifted, forcing him to plant his feet firmly into the studs to avoid getting thrown off. As soon as he was horizontal, he twisted around on one foot and ran directly up towards the shoulder.

When he reached the shoulder after dodging more and more snakes, he growled and kicked against the metal, trying to separate the arm. Yet his kick revealed the bricks were built all the way into the core of the Iron Doom's shoulder, preventing him from going any further with it. With a shout of anger, he ran up further along the Iron Doom, raising his foot and delivering a massive kick to its head.

As the Iron Doom's head recoiled and bent, the machine let out a long groan. Garmadon smirked and readied his weapons, but from behind him, a Vermillion rose up from opening plates. It rushed forward and grappled him from behind, causing Garmadon to fall off balance. As he yelped out in shock, the two were sent flying backwards off the back of the Iron Doom.

"DAD!" Lulloyd shouted, eyeing the warrior he was deadlocked with. He let go of his sword, causing it to fly backwards towards his chest. Lulloyd swung to his side on one foot, grabbing the hilt around and smacking the warrior that now fell towards the deck with his hand in the back of the neck. His hand hooked into its armor casing and swung it back over the deck again.

Lulloyd quickly rushed his way down from the top deck, knocking warriors off the little ladder in the process. As soon as he looked around the ocean for his dad, he could only see bubbles forming up on the surface. Garmadon surfaced for a moment, spitting and punching the warrior on his back, then was dragged back down. Lulloyd tried to rush his way into the water, but two more warriors swarmed him.

His team wasn't doing any better. With the deck splintered, the ninja were fighting on uneven ground and around the large spear stuck into the deck. Nya stabbed a warrior, only for him to grab her spear and take it for himself. Jay shocked two at once, but another grabbed his foot and dragged him to the deck. Kai immediately shot over and saved Jay, but that left his back open. Cole's quick shoulder saved him. Zane had lost his foot and now was retreating out onto the fallen main mast, shooting ice arrows even as the more warriors climbed after him, leaning the master into the water.

The doors to the dojo suddenly flung open, and out came several Vermillion warriors. Lloyd backed out of it, kicking several more warriors back into where he came. He slammed the screens shut and turned around, seeing the rest of the deck under attack. He and Lulloyd made eye contact, at which point Lulloyd leapt down from his perch to him.

"Are… are thse those snake things?!" Lulloyd shouted. Lloyd nodded his head, putting his back to Lulloyd's own.

"Yeah," Lloyd frowned, "The Vermillion are used like that! You gotta keep the snakes from getting into the armor. They don't like being attacked. Don't knock them overboard, knock them down and then drive the snakes into the water."

"Alright, I need to get up to that… Iron Doomy thing and take them out," Lulloyd gained a determined glare, but Lloyd stepped forward and shook his head, "Dad said taking out the commander should be the priority!"

"I know how that thing works, I'll take care of it!" Lloyd pulled his hood down and looked around, then pulled two golden katanas from the walls and sheathed them on his back.

Without waiting, Lloyd shot forward, grabbing the top of the dojo's entrance and swinging himself up. He landed on a piece of deck, then took in a breath and looked up towards the Iron Doom. Lulloyd ran up behind him, both ninja pressing their backs together as they drove the warriors that turned their attention towards them back.

Lloyd formed energy in his fist, driving it hard into a hissing Vermillion. It broke apart. As soon as it had, Lloyd hit the ground in the center of the mass with his fist, blowing all of the snakes back with a small energy sphere. What normally could take out an entire group was now hardly enough for one, but once he had his full power back, he could fix that. The snakes hissed and writhed about, some burned from the impact. He kicked the armor, causing the snakes to scatter randomly.

Lulloyd watched what he'd done, then he shouted, "Zane!" Lulloyd drew his sword up into the head of a warrior, causing the helmet to fly off. Zane turned and fired an ice-laden arrow directly at the warrior's back. Lulloyd knocked him into the air and rapidly sliced him apart with his sword, smacking him down like a fighting game combo. When it fully broke apart, he grabbed the main armor plate and landed on the deck. The arrow froze the main mass of snakes, giving him time to kick the armor away. Zane's eyes flashed, processing the data and then turning towards the others and speaking out onto their comms.

"Nya! Jay!" Lulloyd called out, grabbing two more tiles from the deck and swinging them together, forcing two warriors to bash each other. Nya grinned and shot the two with water. Jay shrieked out as he dodged a sword and shot an arc of lightning into the water stream, electrocuting the two warriors. The snakes burst apart and then quickly spread away.

Cole nodded to Kai, who grinned. Cole threw his boombox into the air and turned the volume up, causing some of the warriors around him to cower in fear. Kai, used to Cole's loud music, light his sword ablaze and ran circles around them, carving his red hot blades into them. The flames grew hot enough to cut clean through the armor, causing them to break apart without the case for them to inhabit.

Lloyd leapt into the air and brought his fist down, punching a warrior into the wood below him. As another attempted to jump onto his back, he spun around and formed a green energy shield. It barely reached over his hand,s however, resulting in the Vermillion nearly stabbing through him. Lulloyd batted it away, and Lloyd dispersed the green energy with a flash.

As soon as his power sparked, however, suddenly a massive red light was shining down upon him. Lloyd shielded his gaze from it, but a feeling of dread filled him as he realized what it meant. Lulloyd took a defensive stance in front of him, legs spread apart forward and back and sword held away from his body.

"LLOYD GARMADON?!" Krux's astonished voice shot over the Iron Doom's head. The bent head turned towards him, shining it gaze onto Lloyd still fighting back to back with Lulloyd, "HOW DARE YOU FOLLOW US!"

Lloyd looked up towards them and called out, "Krux! Acronix! I'll be taking you back to Ninjago and make you pay for all of your crimes! You're coming with me!"

"How did he follow us?!" Krux spat as he turned towards Acronix. The younger twin blinked and slowly shrugged, his expression filled with bewilderment.

"Don't look at me, I can't even explain fully how we jumped dimensions!" Acronix shrugged back. Krux just rolled his eyes and then placed his hands onto his helmet.

Both of them were suddenly rocked as the Iron Doom took hold of its spear in both hands. With no progress being made on deck, the machine pulled the spear upwards from the deck, rocking the entire ship. Leaving a massive hole, the spear leaned up into the air, then it came down hard across the center of the ship. The entire ship heaved, then began to split rapidly down the center along the spear. Pieces of deck went flying up into the air with the impact.

"I'm heading up there!" Lloyd shouted back to Lulloyd, "You wanted to see Spinjitzu, right?" He smiled under his hood and focused.

"NINJAGO!" Lloyd shouted, leaping off of the wooden plank. Shutting his eyes, Lloyd's body danced forward in the air with the first few motions of Spinjitzu. A massive swirling deep green tornado formed around his body, arcing about with energy. At the height of his jump, his spinjitzu dropped, and instead he rapidly formed his body into Airjitzu, firing him up into the air and letting him hover as he leapt up the mast of the ship.

When Lloyd was in front of the Iron Doom's viewport, the ninja shot up one last time with Airjitzu and then stopped, spinning into Spinjitzu. His body drilled straight down and rammed himself directly into the machine. The force of impact caused the Iron Doom to pause, its mass making it not even flinch. Lloyd dropped out of his form, dropping at an angle inside of the viewport and landing between the two chairs.

From the deck below, Lulloyd looked on in awe at the display. He looked forward to find a way up himself, but a trio of Vermillion had materialized once more to fight him. With a sigh of annoyance, he quickly moved to intercept.

"You two should really think about adding some glass there next time!" Back in the Iron Doom, Lloyd drew his twin katanas, rushing forward and stabbing them into the right chair. Acronix leapt up from his seat, holding his Vermillion sword up as he laughed.

"I figured we'd taught you your lesson after we drained you dry, but apparently you're quite the persistent one!" Acronix swung his blade forward, which was caught in the X formed by Lloyd's katanas.

"Ninja never quit!" Lloyd drew his hilts together, then thrust the blades against each other, throwing Acronix's blade back. Acronix swung back forwards by rotating with the momentum, only to be caught by Lloyd's sword again. His other sword went for Acronix's legs, causing him to jump backwards into the air and onto the control panel.

"Don't worry, after we've gotten what we came here for, there won't even be the game for you to quit from!" Acronix grinned, "Get it, because video games? You really took those for granted, you know."

Lloyd didn't respond, instead swinging both swords forward. They smashed the control panels, sending sparks up into the air. Lloyd saw the jagged edge of Acronix's next strike, forcing him to let go of the right blade and swing to the left to avoid it. The impact sent the katana flying off into the bowels of the Iron Doom, much to Acronix's delight.

Lloyd gripped his sword in both hands and gave a heave, freeing it from the panel. Acronix gripped his chair and thrust it forward, causing it to fall over overtop of Lloyd's feet. As Lloyd leapt into the air, Acronix shot forward with a jab. Lloyd gasped and bent backwards to avoid it, only for his back to hit the floor. Acronix was on top of him in a moment, forcing him to roll back and forth to avoid his strikes.

"You get knocked down quite often for a ninja!" Acronix swung downwards, locking blades with Lloyd, "I'm impressed, Wu really has been giving up on your training now, hasn't he?"

"At least… he doesn't talk this much during a fight!" Lloyd used the flat of his hand to hold up the other end of his katana. Seeing his chance, Lloyd kicked Acronix's right foot out, causing him to stumble forward. As soon as Acronix was bent over him, Lloyd drew his legs in and kicked straight up, sending Acronix tumbling over his head and onto the floor behind him.

Lloyd immediately looked towards where his other sword had flown, only to see darkness. Instead, Lloyd brought his katana up and rushed forward, summoning a small elemental blast in his other hand. When he thrust his glowing fist towards Acronix, the Time Twin grabbed his wrist and slid just to the side of it. He pulled Lloyd down with him, then thrust both of them upwards into the air. Forcing Lloyd to drag him upwards, Lloyd was slammed into the wall behind him.

Acronix let go of his wrist, but that was when his blade came back. Lloyd met it with a loud clash and swiped his body forward with a hard kick. Acronix began to back up once more, trading sword blows with him and avoiding each of his kicks and punches. Like his servants, Acronix's body moved like a snake, letting each attack simply slide away from him.

"Is this really all you can do on your own?!" Acronix howled with laughter. He shoved Lloyd back from him with a vicious swipe.

Acronix's laugh was suddenly cut short, however, as he slid to the right with a heave. Four large silver katanas all came crashing into the floor where he originally stood. Garmadon's chest heaved as he pulled himself upwards, brandishing all four blades with a dark growl.

Garmadon fiercely swung his body towards Acronix, making the blades swing towards him. Acronix dodged, but his chair was cut into pieces that slid to the floor. Garmadon leapt into the air and rotated his arms outwards, rolling his swords back and and throwing them against Acronix's guard. The sheer force made Acronix scowl and drop his blade to the floor.

"Krux!" Garmadon shouted, taking note of Acronix's little huff, "Acronix! I believe we have some unfinished business from earlier. You owe me a new flagship, and I'm going to beat it out of you."

Acronix frowned, then lunged towards the viewport. Garmadon threw one of his blades backwards towards Lloyd, then another towards Acronix. The Time Twin barely avoided being impaled, just barely managing to twist to make the flat of the blade hit his gut instead. Garmadon rushed forward, grabbing the hilt and giving a mighty stomp, sending Acronix up into the air with the blade. Garmadon jumped up into the air and leaned backwards, delivering a hard kick that sent Acronix flying backwards into the wall.

"I know about that little time trick now!" Garmadon laughed, "You won't get to your little Time Blades while I'm here!"

Lloyd stepped forward, holding the katana Garmadon had tossed him. Lloyd turned his body to the side and crossed his blades in front of him, readying for battle. Garmadon did the same, yet with all four blades pointed forward and his arms all raised up to the same positions.

"Where's your brother?" Garmadon snorted, "I wanna make sure I get equal pay from both of you."

"He's handling things on his own…" Acronix panted. He extended his arms to the sides. The metal plates on the walls moved backwards, revealing the snakes behind. Two more Vermillion blades were produced, which he took hold of and spun in both hands, "I don't need him to deal with a washed up old warrior."

Garmadon looked to the side at Lloyd, who nodded at him. Both of them slowly paced away from one another in a circle towards each of Acronix's sides.

"Get ready with that spinning ninjitzu thing of yours…" Garmadon huffed.

"Spinjitzu," Lloyd corrected, causing Garmadon to just roll his eyes and sigh.

Acronix didn't wait for either of them. Using his swords, he rushed Lloyd, trying to overpower him with two hard blows. Lloyd countered them, giving Garmadon enough time to strike at Acronix's back. Acronix threw his left blade backwards, catching them just in time. Lloyd swung his katanas at the same time towards Acronix, who then just grinned and slid his left back down. Acronix ducked, causing Garmadon and Lloyd to nearly collide with one another.

"If you're going to fight me two on one…" Acronix laughed, "Then let's maybe even the odds, shall we?" His eyes closed, his helmet glowing with a sickly energy. Then when they opened again, his orbs were flashing with deep blue. With a laugh, he reached up and lifted the helmet from his head, tossing it into the floor.

Acronix leapt to his side to avoid Lloyd's swords, driving his foot into the ground. The metal tiles of his machine fractured, bent… then suddenly turned into bricks. Acronix smirked and dodged Garmadon's follow up, hitting the floor again. Both fighters continued to strike at Acronix, and each time he would hit the floor and break it into more breaks. Finally, Acronix was pushed into the wall, at which point he jumped off it and clashed blades with Garmadon in the air, carrying him back over behind them.

Then Acronix flashed. His body turned into a rectangular blur, in a motion that both Garmadon and Lloyd were stunned to see. The bricks came together rapidly until Acronix had formed a massive shield. He reached out and gripped the small clear bar-adapater on the back, dropping one sword and raising the other as he rushed straight at Lloyd. The shield hit him full on, sending him stumbling backwards.

"Where did you two lowlifes learn Master Building?!" Garmadon spat, countering Acronix's shield with a three armed swipe, "How are you turning the floor into bricks?!"

"Everything in our world can be reduced to bricks… we just didn't know it until our little snakes decided to have a snack!" Acronix laughed, "A little meal and we could see what makes your universe so unique! This is all just one gigantic sandbox made of toys!"

"A snack? It takes years to learn how to Master Build!" Garmadon shouted, "How does eating something do that?"

Acronix didn't answer, instead kicking his shield out towards Garmadon. Garmadon dodged, but that gave Acronix enough time to grab Krux's chair and swing it at him. Garmadon was struck on the head with it, causing him to slump. Acronix threw more bricks into the air and attached them together to form makeshift chains, which he threw around Garmadon like a whip and clicked together hard.

"Now you just sit there and watch," Acronix grinned, "Watch as we show you why it is you failed!"

Lloyd huffed and raised his swords, but Acronix just threw himself over the edge of the Iron Doom and grabbed for the Forward Blade. As soon as Lloyd brought his swords up, Acronix blasted him with it, causing Lloyd to accelerate forward until he hit the control panel. He went down onto the ground with a groan of pain.

Acronix grinned and grabbed Garmadon, hoisting him over and slamming him against the console. Garmadon struggled, but the makeshift chains were too strong. For a moment, he watched the ninja's battle, unsure what Acronix wanted. Then he pointed with the forward blade towards the ship.

Garmadon watched as his son threw another warrior into the air, striking it hard and fast until it broke apart. When he landed, he sensed another warrior about to strike him from behind. Lulloyd turned around towards the warrior, swinging the sword against the helmet. As the helmet only rattled, however, Lulloyd was shocked as he saw something odd about the warrior. That was all he could see before the warrior raised a large shard of crystal up and jammed it up into Lulloyd.

Lulloyd shouted in pain as his body was suddenly alight with the sensation of something being torn from him. His his flashed hard, then the green color of them drained out. Lulloyd's eyes turned a dull gray as he fell forward. The warrior raised the now green glowing crystal up in hand, laughing out in a distinctly non-snake sound.

The other ninja quickly took notice. Zane fired an arrow at him, but the warrior dove forward and held a second crystal in front of him. Kai, closest to him from running at him, was paralyzed as the same sensation overcame him. The warrior grabbed Kai and held him in front to keep Zane from firing. Nya and Cole both ran at him, but the warrior then turned the crystal towards them and paralyzed them as well. The three all fell to the ground, color drained from their eyes as well. The one green crystal and now brown-clear-red flashing crystal were both in hand.

The warrior dodged a lightning bolt from Jay, who saw this and tried to scramble away. He was blocked by more warriors closing in on him, at which point the crystal was jabbed into his back as well. Jay was drained out, falling forward and hitting the deck with a thud. Zane fired more arrows, but the warrior dodged and kicked the mast Zane stood on. As it threatened to fall into the water, Zane was forced to leap back onto the deck. Once he landed, the warrior jabbed him with it as well.

Removing its helmet, the warrior revealed its to be Krux, who turned towards Garmadon and raised the two crystals up in hand. He tucked the multicolor crystal into his clothes underneath the armor, then waved the green crystal in hand. Garmadon looked across to the now downed team, his eyes alight with confusion.

"What… what happened?!" Garmadon shouted, "What did you do to them you snakes?!"

"Your little ninjas here are pretty identical to that of our own, did you know that? That means they must have elemental powers," Acronix smirked, "And those crystals are perfect for sucking it right out of someone. We only need your son's power, but just to be safe, we're taking all of them."

"Elemental powers don't work like that!" Garmadon hissed, "You can't just take them away like that either!"

Acronix didn't respond, instead turning to face Lloyd, "I won't bother to ask how you managed to follow us, but we can ensure that you don't it again!" Acronix grinned.

The floor panels around Lloyd began to open up, snakes appearing up and snapping at him. Lloyd cried out as they snagged his leg, dragging him down and towards the innards of the machine. He tried to swing his swords, but they were useless as they just struck metal.

Garmadon, turning towards him, looked aside and then used his lower arms and stretched them as hard as he could. From under his robes, he produced the glowing Realm Crystal. Without a word, he darkened his gaze and threw the crystal back towards Lloyd, leading it to skid across the floor at him.

Lloyd looked to Acronix, who stared at the crystal and then shouted something at him. Lloyd reached out and grabbed the crystal, shutting his eyes and focusing his energy into it. The action caused Acronix to turn his back from Garmadon. As soon as he had, Garmadon gave a loud cry and broke the chains around him, grabbing Acronix just before he grabbed it.

Throwing Acronix into the console, Garmadon turned to Lloyd and pulled him upwards just in time from being swallowed by the machine. He didn't say anything, just pulled him up and then looked towards the viewport. The two nodded at each other and then ran forward, ready to drive into Acronix. The studden Time Twin had only enough time to see them before he raised his Time Blade in terror.

The two were struck by the blade, sending them up and over the console with their force of running. As they tumbled out into the open air, they passed Krux climbing his way up the arm of the Iron Doom, who laughed at them.

Both fighters hit the deck, both climbing back up as fast as they could. They looked up just in time to see the Iron Doom raising its massive spear once again. All of them onboard watched as the Iron Doom began to raise up into the air, a massive vortex opening in the sky above it. Krux and Acronix both waved from the cockpit, Acronix picking up a magician's hat and then tossing it down towards the deck at them. As soon as it landed, the Iron Doom raised the spear back up into the air and drew it backwards. It heaved it forward, sending it flying down and spearing the center of the ship. Then, with a hard flash, the Iron Doom disappeared into the vortex.

The spear in the center of the ship was right through the previous hole. This time, the spear when all the way down through it, meaning the ship took one water almost immediately. The bounty creaked slightly as the spear leaned towards the left, causing the water to rush forward into its hull. Within seconds, the Destiny's Bounty capsized. The ship creaked hard, then the pins holding its hull together snapped, causing the ship to break into two pieces, railing flying apart as it began to sink into the water.

Lloyd sat on a small piece of rock on shore, staring into a fire that had been lit in front of him. The fire didn't take on the brick-like quality of everything he'd seen so far. He wasn't sure why, but the elements in this world looked nearly the same as his own. It was good enough to start drying him off, at the least.

The other ninja lay around the fire, none of them willing to talk. All of them looked as though they'd just been punched in the gut, and without their powers, Lloyd knew that was a good way to describe it. Lulloyd sat beside him, staring into the flares himself in a similar fashion. Garmadon was with them, but he was standing up with his back to the fire, looking over towards the ocean where the Bounty had sunk.

Lulloyd raised his hands to his face, staring at them. He'd stripped off his ninja suit, leaving him in a casual hoodie and black pants. He was shivering somewhat, but be that from the cold night air or the lack of his power, Lloyd couldn't tell. Lulloyd looked down and stared at his hands, expecting to feel something. But nothing came. The flame flickered with a hard gust of wind.

"Where did they go?" Garmadon huffed out, breaking the silence.

Lloyd held up the Realm Crystal, "Another universe, I bet. I can follow them but… I'm the only one who can, I think."

"They're using Lulloyd's power to fuel their ship, aren't they?" Garmadon grumbled, "That's why they took it. To spite me."

Lloyd nodded his head. Garmadon turned around and looked down at the fire. His eyes reflected the fire in front of him. Then, as though he couldn't stand it, Garmadon shouted and kicked sand overtop of the flames. The flames dulled, but slowly raised back up.

"Can we go after them?" Garmadon growled.

"I can," Lloyd looked up, "But when I tried it with my team, only I was able to go. I think it's because I'm using what little amount of my power I have to power the crystal. So only I have the power to do it."

"Then that means Lulloyd can go, can't he?" Garmadon asked bluntly, "He can go with you if he shares the same power, right?"

"The same power?" Lulloyd looked up, "But, I can't, summon power like Lloyd here, I'm not, you know…"

"It's the green power," Garmadon nodded his head, "I'm sure it's the same in every universe. You two are both the same person, just in different worlds. You should be able to follow him then," Garmadon paused, "Lulloyd, go with him."

"Dad…" Lulloyd stood up, "But, earlier you were…?"

"When you fight alongside someone, you learn quickly who they are. He's like you, Lulloyd. He's on your side," Garmadon shook, "If I'd noticed that sooner then this wouldn't be happening. I made a stupid decision."

"What?" Lloyd stood up, "No, Garmadon, you made the right call. I'm sure, that, my dad would have done the same thing."

Garmadon didn't say anything, instead looking over to the other ninja. None of them were talking or saying anything after everything that happened. To Garmadon, that was pure defeat. To Lulloyd, it was like just with the ultimate weapon. Neither of them liked the feeling.

"Lulloyd, as their leader, I need to take responsibility for this," Garmadon growled hard, "A warlord doesn't lose because of anything but himself. And right now, the only way that you can get your powers back is if you Lloyd and get them back. I can't do it, so I need you to."

"What about mom?" Lulloyd asked quickly, "Would she be okay with this?"

"Your mother is a fierce warrior that understands honor," Garmadon lowered his head, "She will understand. Trust me, Coco is the best at accepting strange things. She fought with me, after all," Garmadon's smile returned somewhat.

Lulloyd turned to Lloyd, then looked over to his team. He slowly muttered, "B-But… I really don't, even know that much about him…"

"You're a ninja, just like me," Lloyd said firmly, "That's enough for us to trust each other."

"...I've never done anything without my team," Lulloyd turned towards the rest of his team, watching their dead faces and slowly shaking his head, "Dad, dad I don't, I don't think I can do this."

"You _can_ Lulloyd!" Garmadon put his hands on Lulloyd's shoulders, "Nobody thinks they can do anything tough. If they did, then there would be no point to battling to achieve what they want. Right now, the universe out there is calling to you. It's calling to you right now to go and see more of it. Do what me and your allies can't do. Something important was taken from you, and you need to go and get it back. Do it for the team, Lulloyd. Something was taken from them too. Go out there not just for yourself, but for them. Do you understand me, son?"

"Y-Yeah…" Lulloyd nodded, "That… that was the speech I needed to hear."

"I know how to bolster the troops," Garmadon smirked, "Go, go tell your team about this and get ready to leave."

Lulloyd nodded, making his way over to his team. Once out of earshot, Garmadon turned to Lloyd and narrowed his eyes at him.

"Get my soldier's powers back," Garmadon ordered, "And get my son's power back. You will come back with both my son, and his powers. If you think of showing your face back here without either of them…" The warlord laughed, "I'll fire up my volcano, just for you."

Over by the group, Lulloyd quelled the massive outburst of responses Garmadon's news had brought them.

"You can't go!" Nya shook her head, "Way too dangerous, plus you don't even know what's out there!"

"This won't be like all the times we fought Garmadon," Cole frowned, "You'll be going into the unknown."

"I do not wish for my friend to leave," Zane shook his head, "My emotional gauges are rising."

"I know, I know!" Lulloyd sighed, "But… but look at what they did to you! Look at all of this! I… I can't just let them leave. I have to go with Lloyd. I have to get them all back. And, I need to stop them before they do anything else."

"But… why can't we go with you?" Jay asked quietly.

"Because, because I can't bring you," Lulloyd sighed, "It, I still have some traces of my power left. I have to use that. That or, or I have something left. But, I can go. I need to go and, I need to fix my mistake."

"Fam," Kai shook his head, "This ain't your fault. You didn't do nothin'. You don't gotta do that for our sake!"

"I have to!" Lulloyd blurted out, "I… I have to! I can't, I need to make this right! I need to! I can't, I have to…" Lulloyd's arm shook, "I'm your leader, and, a leader is responsible for whatever happens to his troops. I need to take responsibility and get it back. And, I need you all to support me in this! I need you all to tell me to go and get it back! Okay?"

The group was silent for a few moments. Lulloyd felt a cold feeling go through his body. After a few moments of this silence, Kai slowly stood up.

"Okay," Kai nodded, "If you think you gotta do this, then we gotta let you do this."

"Bro," Nya frowned, "You know how dangerous this is?"

"We have to," Kai frowned to his sister, "If Lady Iron Dragon came and told you go, would you?"

"I… of course I would," Nya bit her lip.

"By that logic," Zane explained, "Garmadon is telling Lulloyd to do this for his sake. Kai is saying we should allow him to do the same. Because we are friend units."

"Thanks, Zane," Kai turned to Lulloyd, "You go do you, Lulloyd. We'll stay here and keep this all under wraps. K?"

"I…" Lulloyd felt a lump in his throat vanish, "I… thanks, Kai. Thanks guys. Just…" Lulloyd smiled, "...Thanks for always being there for me."

Kai moved forward and pulled Lulloyd into a hug. The rest of the group all followed suit, each making sure they held their friend. Lulloyd felt a stir of emotions inside him well up. He hugged back all he could, and when he broke from them, he almost didn't want to move.

"I promise, I'll come back," Lulloyd smiled, "I… you guys know I keep my promises."

With that, Lulloyd turned around. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. When he made his way back over to Garmadon and Lloyd, he was squashing down a number of feelings inside himself. The urge to cry was at the forefront of them.

"Before you go," Garmadon turned and picked something up. It was an sand-green one-by-three brick with the secret ninja force stamp on it, "Take this."

"My dragon?" Lulloyd asked as he slowly tied it to his back, "Where, did you find that?"

"It washed up from the deck, you dropped it during the battle," Garmadon grinned, "Trust me, next time I won't be letting you get off so easy for that."

Lloyd, not questioning how the dragon fit in a brick that small, stood up and walked over to Lulloyd, holding the Realm Crystal out in hand. Lulloyd looked down towards the ground, then reached out with his own hand and wrapped it around the crystal. As soon as he touched it, the crystal responded by turning a full deep green, pulsating out towards the two of them in tiny waves. Lulloyd looked over to his father again.

"Go get them, Lulloyd," Garmadon grinned, "And if you can, bring them back to me so I can fire them out of my volcano."

"I don't think mom would like that, but, okay," Lulloyd smiled weakly, then turned to Lloyd, "Alright… let's do this."

"Let's do this!" Lloyd drew his hood up, Lulloyd doing the same. Around the two, lights began to flash as their worlds seemed to fade away. As Garmadon and the others watched, the two went in and out of existence, then they faded, leaving behind nothing more than blowing sand in their wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, we are off into the Ninjaverse once more! Lulloyd has become a permanent addition to the cast. I fully intend for him to continue to be one, and I hope that all of you enjoy his presence!


	5. Chapter 5

"WHOOOOAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Unlike his counterpart, who had limited experienced hopping dimensions, Lulloyd was caught completely off guard and didn't know what to expect. The sudden acceleration instilled a sense of fear in him. For a moment, he thought he understood what it must have been like to be one of his father' formal General Number Ones. At least there was no lava involved, or so he hoped.

He was still shouting when the two of them arrived. When he was suddenly halted, he nearly fell off balance. Instantly, before his eyes even adjusted to the light, something felt wrong. The ground beneath his feet felt wrong. There were no studs beneath him. And it wasn't even that he was walking on vertical surfaces either. Whatever he was standing on felt unusually soft and squishy. His feet weren't locking into place even when he moved his body forward to move his right leg forward.

Finally, Lulloyd was able to see, and take in the sights around him. He was definitely not in his Ninjago City anymore. Just at a quick glance, he couldn't tell what anything around him was made of. Nearly everything looked like one continuous piece. It took him a moment to realize the difference, and when he did it sent an uneasy feeling to him. Everything was organic, akin to the Jungle he'd gone through. One couldn't take the area apart easily and certainly not put it back together in creative ways. Even when he squinted his eyes, no part numbers appeared over them.

What this static scenery entailed was a lot of natural greens. Trees, plants, and grass. But, the grass looked weird to him. Everything looked weird to Lulloyd, by the grass especially. It was many tiny individual blades. The ground itself wasn't flat either, it sloped in angles that would normally require hinges to obtain. Even the ground he stood on know wasn't perfectly flat.

Once the shock of all the strange sights around him finally wore off, Lulloyd was able to piece together that they were in a park. All around them citizens walked enjoying their days, leisurely strolling and relaxing in the park. Lulloyd instantly took note of how they were moving. They all moved like those Time Twins did. As well as the other Lloyd.

"Is this your dimension?" Lulloyd asked, slowly turning a circle as he looked around, "Everyone here's got the same, liquid limbs you have."

"I don't think so," Lloyd commented. He was less stunned by this park that Lulloyd, for this type of world was normal for him, "Look at this statue of the First Spinjitzu Master."

"Um, I thought this was the statue of the First Master Builder?" Lulloyd partially asked and partially corrected.

"Look at this statue of Grandfather," Lloyd picked a term that he knew both of them could relate to. "It looks different than it did in either of our universes."

Lloyd gestured to the statue in the center of the park the two of them had appeared at. The man it depicted was certainly the man they both called their grandfather, despite having never been met by either of them. The hat, beard and general age all lined up. But unlike Lloyd's own universe, where he was quite clearly doing Spinjitsu, or Lulloyd's universe where he was Master Building, this grandfather was doing something different. His hands were cupped together, a disc formed between them. His stance appeared to be winding up to throw it.

While Lloyd was in the middle of pondering what this meant, his thoughts were cut off by Lulloyd shouting, "Is that a flying car?!"

Lloyd's head snapped to where Lulloyd was pointing above them, and sure enough, there was a flying car flying overhead the park. In fact, there were several. It appeared as though a whole sky street was running overhead. Lulloyd gave Lloyd a curios glance, to which Lloyd nodded. The two quickly followed the cars overhead.

As they trailed after the cars, the two of them got closer to the city itself. Lloyd's eyes widened as he made out what he felt silly for not noticing before: tall buildings. The heights of the buildings were so tall that seeing their tops was near impossible from this height. Each one was sleek and meticalic, their shapes smooth and immaculate. Their colors were far removed from dull grays and blues; pink, deep green, electric blue and even muted yellows mingled evenly amongst all of the sights. These colors were accented by the flashing screens and lights hung all across them, with signs flashing about and images going by the two couldn't make out yet.

Seeing the sights, however, were somewhat barred by large glass bridges and walkways. At various levels on the buildings were said overhangs and bridges that seemed to form sidewalks for people to casually walk along. The buildings formed large lanes with their gaps, in which all the cars were flying above and blow the bridges in semi-organized lanes. The arrangement reminded him of the 'layers' of Ninjago City, but with far more of them and far more people on them.

"This place is amazing…" Lulloyd marveled as his head looked straight upwards and took in the sights of the city, "It's like, the future. Not even the upper levels of Ninjago City look like this."

"My Ninjago City looked a bit like this once," Lloyd remembered the brief period of time between the Overlord's defeat and the takeover of the Golden Master, "But, this is way more advanced than it ever was. I think it's safe to say we're not in my universe."

"Golden Master?" Lulloyd blinked, "What's that, some sort of golden ninja?"

"No… but I was gold when I was the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master for a little while," Lloyd smiled slightly, "It's kinda a long story."

Lulloyd took the cue and nodded his head, turning his attention back to the streets. The park led to the actual ground level streets, where little cleaning cars were going around with robotic drones sweeping up trash. As the two walked, it appeared as though they were touring the basement level of buildings, as the concrete foundations could clearly be seen rising up covered in posters and graffiti alike. Doors opened and closed from the buildings for vehicles to fly up into the air from, making the streets almost feel like landing strips for planes. The sidewalks were littered with people, many of which that would stop for the cars to take off.

As Lulloyd walked, nobody seemed to pay him any mind. Given that he seemed to be the only one that couldn't move his legs outwards, he expected some odd looks. Many of the people around him, however, were wearing something that hung over their ear and extended a screen over their eyes. From the glowing panels that were flashing on it, it looked like some combination of a phone and computer. Many of them were talking and laughing into it, which implied the phone part. Lulloyd nearly found his head knocked into by the feeling of a citizen making a dramatic flourish to someone on the other line.

"It's, uhm, kinda crowded down here," Lulloyd grimaced, "Think we can find a way to get to those walkways up there?"

Lloyd narrowed his gaze, looking around for an entrance. After a moment, he saw vertical glowing tubes that had little circular platforms that elevated upwards. He gestured for Lulloyd to follow. As soon as they arrived, a little screen came up, an arrow pointing towards a money slot.

"Did you bring any money?" Lloyd asked, fishing around in his back pocket. Somehow, his wallet has stayed throughout all of the battles thus far.

"I only got these," Lulloyd pulled out a large 100 dollar bill,, "It looks a little too big to fit in there."

"Well… let's hope the currency hasn't changed," Lloyd dished out a few coins, letting them fall into the slot. The screen lit up green, and the entrance to the tube slid open.

After a quick travel up into the air, the platform stopped at the bridges roughly thirty stories up in the air. Having his large mechdragon brick and sword on his back made the fit rather tight. Lloyd didn't say anything, but he himself adjusted his swords on his own back. As they rose, large machines that looked like vents were situated at each level they rose to. Once they stopped, Lulloyd could see from a large label they were 'oxygen suppliers.' It certainly explained how people were this high up without suffering from a thin atmosphere.

The two stepped out onto the walkway, finding that the surface was oddly opaque from above but transparent from below. Now that they were up in the air, Lulloyd could see something out in the distance. A large building stood with what looked like a diamond on the top of it. Curiously, he pointed it out to Lloyd, who just smiled.

"Borg Tower," Lloyd sighed, "Last time I saw that thing it was destroyed by my dad. I wonder if the ninja finished moving all our stuff into it."

"That does sound like something dad would do…" Lulloyd sighed, "I just realized I'm gonna have to clean up all that mess he made with his shark the other day, heh."

The bridges themselves were narrower than the streets, and seemed to wrap around the buildings to offer several more entrances. There were far fewer people at this level, but still a enough to make a general flow of traffic. Lulloyd had only ever seen this many people during city-wide events. The sheer number of people living in this city was staggering.

Lulloyd looked over towards the side of one of the bridges. When he made his way over, he took the chance to hoist himself up so he could look over the edge. Beneath him, cars flew by suspended by four circular blue discs where the wheels would be. The sound of them all rushing by reminded him of the sound of the Shark Army approaching the city, but far less sinister.

"So, we are in Ninjago City," Lloyd walked up to his companion, holding up a brochure he'd taken from a stand nearby, "But I was right, it's not my Ninjago City."

Lloyd pointed to a little date on top of the brochure, which so happened to be electronic and responded to his touch by enlarging what he tapped. The date illuminated on screen.

"This is almost twenty-five years in the future for me," Lloyd frowned, "But, this all shouldn't be here. The Golden Master made Ninjago agree never to let technology take over like that again. Borg had to work all the time to ensure any product wasn't hackable. Something must have happened differently here."

"Thirty years?" Lulloyd looked Lloyd up and down, "So, uh, does that mean that you'll be, old, in this place?"

"I'd be at least fifty," Lloyd commented dryly, "And I've already experienced what it's like to be as old as Wu, or, kinda. I'm sure I'm still in fighting condition here."

Lulloyd watched the cars flying by for another moment, then he looked to Lloyd once more. He looked around to the massive crowd of people.

"I don't even know where to start," Lulloyd admitted. "Where should we even go first? This is the first time I've ever been, you know, in another dimension. Wu didn't let us go on field trips cause, well, dad. How do we find those Time Twins?"

"Well as far as I can tell, there's no wanton destruction or panic going on yet," Lloyd took note of the happy and peaceful demeanor of all of the futuristic citizens around him. "So that means they're probably laying low, for now. Which is good."

Lloyd also noticed something about the citizens of this Ninjago City besides the numerous unfamiliar gadgets they were casually using. A decent amount of them he saw weren't human. Some were obviously Androids, proudly displaying their mechanical features. Others were quite obviously Serpentine. Yet they walked among the streets without causing panic. Some were even talking directly with humans. A Fangpyre even was holding hands with a human.

"Well if that's the case, then I think we need to take some preemptive measures while they still are." Lulloyd had to keep himself from making hand gestures while he talked. He felt very conscious about his movements and how out of place they were in this dimension, "We should find the Secret Ninja Force of this universe and warn them ahead of time. That way they're not caught off guard like my friend and I were."

"That's a good idea. Or at least we should find ourselves first." Lloyd paused and then added on "I mean literally. Not in a Sensei Wu way."

"Before you find what you're looking for, you must first find yourself." Lulloyd put his hands together and did his best Wu impression. This earned a laugh from both him and his alternate dimension counterpart.

"But in all honesty I'm not sure how we're even going to do…" Lulloyd was about to express his doubts, but he was cut off by a voice familiar to both of them.

"Well hello there strangers!" Both Lloyd's turned around to see a man dressed in brown robes approach them. His hair was greyer, his skin more wrinkly, but both of them would recognize that smirk on his face anywhere.

"Dareth?" They boy said in unison.

"Why yes, it is I, the Grand Sensei Dareth," Dareth obviously enjoyed this instant recognition from whom he perceived to be two strangers, "Aka, the Legendary Brown Ninja. And you two, my friends, appear to be lost."

"Lost?" Lloyd and Lulloyd looked at each other, confused on how he could know that.

"Yes my friends, lost. For you see, you're about as far away from the Grand Library as possible. I know this is where you want to be because you two are obviously fans of," Dareth took a pause to punch the air a couple times. "The Green Ninja! The book signing is at the Grand Library right now!"

"Oh um, yeah!" Lloyd went with what Dareth was saying, realizing that this would be the best way to accomplish their goals without having to explain too much right now. "We're huge fans of The Green Ninja. We made these costumes to, show how much we appreciate all they've done for Ninjago."

"Yeah!" Lulloyd picked up on what Lloyd was doing quickly, "In fact, everyone in our class is. They're always screaming The Green Ninja is the greatest ninja ever! Go Green Ninja! Go Green Ninja!" If Lulloyd was attempting to hide any fantasies he was living out, he was failing miserably. Lloyd gave him a sideways glare.

"Well you're in luck then my friends. I just so happen to be on my way to the Grand Library myself. Follow me and I'll get you two to that book signing." Dareth ushered for them to follow him to the bus stop.

"You have Dareth in your dimension?" Lulloyd whispered to Lloyd as they followed him.

"Yeah," Lloyd whispered back. "And he's pretty much the same as he is now."

"Same, actually," Lulloyd whispered, "His Mojo Dojo is pretty popular."

Dareth moved surprisingly quick for how much older he appeared. He led the two through the throng of citizens, getting a fistbump from a Venomari and a few citizens waving at him as he walked by. The three arrived at a loading station, where a flying bus was parked and hovering for them to get on.

"They're with me," Dareth told the driver as he swiped his pass. The driver nodded and waved for the two to get on.

Despite how futuristic the world appeared, the bus interior was as standard as they came, save for the neon lights lining the ceiling. Dareth took them to the middle of the bus near one of the doors, at which point he gripped a railing. The two found themselves surrounded before the bus lurched once and the two were off.

Lulloyd couldn't help but look out the window to take in more of the city sights. Signs everywhere showed several adverts, each of which came and went in seconds. Some were advertising a show based around what, to him, appeared to be the Secret Ninja Force.

"They made a Starfarer movie?!" Lulloyd gasped as he saw one sign flashing Starfarer V: The Galaxy's Finest Hero along with an image of an actor posing with his ray gun.

"Oh yes, I find them all great movies," Dareth smiled, "Did you know that they switched to Cliff Gordon's son after movie three? Hardly tell a difference!" He smirked, "I even know him personally."

"Wait, Jay?" Lloyd squinted at another sign flashing by. As he took it in, he could see the tip of orange hair poking out from the obviously dyed hair of the actor.

"Why yes," Dareth responded, "Jay said he was going to continue the legacy that his father went on. It was a risky move adapting the side series for the TV show, but he hit it big with all of that. I even made a cameo in Starfarer III as one of the citizens of Centura Six!"

"Wait, there's a Centura Six?" Lulloyd paused, "But I thought the Centura system was under the control of General Hypaxxus-8. And weren't the Galaxy Squad getting ready to launch an assault to free Centura Three? Amset-Ra had an alliance with Hypaxxus-8 and was using the power of the Ancient Artifacts to keep them from landing on the planet!"

"Wow, you're really behind," Dareth thrust his hand out, "No worries, I will not spoil anything! But I recommend you catch up pretty soon. Here," Dareth held up his watch and a hologram displayed, "Don't tell anyone I told you this, but I can give you a website where you can read them all for free."

"Really?!" Lulloyd gasped, "Oh gosh, thank you!" Hearing his excited cries only made Lloyd realize he hadn't read Starfarer ever since he'd gone to the Dark Island.

Lulloyd continued to take in the sights from outside the bus. He saw several advertisements for new chain locations for something called Chen's Noodle House, several ads for products and strange thing he'd never seen before, and even saw an image of someone that looked like Cole showing off some sort of fancy cologne product. The sheer number of things to take in were almost overwhelming.

"I have been meaning to ask," Dareth turned to Lloyd, "Your costumes are very abstract. I've never seen those styles before. Can I ask where you got the inspiration for them?"

"Oh, well…" Lloyd thought fast again, "We saw some uhm, artist interpretations of the Green Ninja's outfit and we decided to base ours on that."

Dareth looked the two up and down for a long moment. The intensity of his gaze for a moment worried them both, though Lulloyd couldn't place why. Then Dareth nodded his head in approval.

"They are very good costumes," Dareth pointed the swords, "Those are real swords too. That's pretty impressive. Though I would warn you that you likely won't be able to take those into the library."

"Speaking of the library!" Lulloyd called out, "I think I see it!"

Lloyd rushed to the window to see where Lulloyd was gesturing. The Grand Library was a massive golden building that stretched from the ground level all the way to the tops of some of the smaller buildings. Large spotlights cast little cones of light over the walls, making it seemingly sparkle. The bus was running parallel to it, giving both of them time to take it all in. The size of it was perhaps four times the largest shopping mall Lulloyd had ever seen, then stacked on top of itself tentimes. The architecture came up into points, and the two large towers in front were clearly meant to evoke something. As Lloyd muttered, it was clearly a homage to something called the Temple of Light.

The bus flew around a few more buildings and landed at a station that was at the bottom of a massive set of stairs that led up to the library. As the people disembarked, Dareth waved them over. The library created a massive enough space the two could now fully see that it was nighttime above them, something the previously clumped buildings made nearly impossible to tell. Just walking up the steps to the library took almost two minutes, something that wasn't very welcome after two days of battles. Lulloyd gripped the railing tightly, as each step felt like a slippery slope he was falling down.

"So, Dareth," Lloyd asked as the two got to the top of the stairs, "How big is the city?"

"How big is it?" Dareth looked backwards towards the buildings, "You two must be tourists, right?"

"Yep, big tourists, here from… Jamanikai Village," Lloyd picked a location at random, "Think you can tell us about it?"

"Ah, Jamanikai, I've been meaning to go there myself! Tour of Ninjago and all, you know, if I ever get around to it..." Dareth looked out across the landscape, "When I first moved into the city, it was only a fifth of the size it is now. After the Ninja helped make sure the land was safe to build on, the city kept growing outwards. Once Borg Tower was built, that was when all this came around," He gestured to the cars above their heads.

"Where's your Dojo?" Lulloyd asked curiously.

"I haven't called it the Dojo for awhile," Dareth shrugged, "If you mean my Mojo Studio, it's not to far east from here. Would have come straight here but I had some errands to do. Heh, I did get to meet two new freinds though, so I think I got a bit out of it."

"Studio?" Lloyd pressed, "Like, is it not a Dojo anymore?"

"The Ninja helped me get a much bigger space, so now I can teach even bigger classes! Figured a change of space deserved a good change of name. As great as Mojo Dojo was, Mojo Studio felt a little more appropriate. You, uh, know?" Dareth responded.

"Really?" Lulloyd smiled widely, "That's awesome! We should probably do that too…"

"This is probably a dumb question," Lloyd paused, "But, uh, what exactly happened with the Golden Master?"

"Golden Master?" Dareth looked confused, "Never heard of him. Now, if you're talking about the Overlord… well, that was years ago. After he was defeated, that was when all of this really sprouted up. The book signing today is actually about that."

"Then let's go up and get one," Lloyd nodded firmly, "We really wanna learn about the history of this place."

"You seem like an avid learner," Dareth smirked, "I like that about you. Only those that are willing to learn will ever succeed in the climb of the mountain of knowledge."

Along with a massive throng of people, Dareth and the two entered through the large doors. Once inside, Lulloyd turned to see that they had entered a large cylindrical section, with large squares on the walls etched to look like scenes of various points in time. Lulloyd tried to get a bit more of a look at it, but Dareth was still moving.

"Excuse me, citizen," A spindly robot on wheels suddenly appeared in front of Lulloyd, startling him, "We have detected that you are carrying weapons into the Grand Library. As per the policy of this location, weapons of any kind are not allowed. We will return them to you on your way out."

Lulloyd hadn't even seen where they'd been scanned for them. Lloyd nodded to him, though, and drew his twin katanas to hand them over. Nervously, Lulloyd handed over his curved blade. The robot attached them to a slot on its back and moved off. Lulloyd was somewhat thankful his dragon wasn't taken, given he wasn't sure he could rebuild it anyways.

"Heh, I did warn ya," Dareth shook his head, "Sorry, the security here is really strict. The Ninja often do meetings here, so they can't allow anyone to come in with weapons."

"That's fine," Lloyd responded, "Can you take us to the signing?"

"Sure thing," Dareth took the lead in front of them, "It should be mostly over by now, so you two might get the chance to get more than just a book signed."

Dareth guided the two into the main lobby of the library, which was just as crowded as the streets. He cut his way through the circular area towards a series of elevators set up around it like spokes on a wheel. Behind the elevators, long rows of books extended backwards, holographic displays showing the aisle number.

Once the three were on the elevator, Dareth hit the number on the top floor. The elevator lurched and took the three up, which appeared to be at least fifty stories. How such a massive library was compiled in such a short amount of time, Lloyd couldn't figure out. Lulloyd was marveling at the small size of the books; they were small enough to fit under someone's arm here. Dareth watched the sights as they ascended floor after floor.

Finally, the elevator stopped. The floor they were on, surprisingly, had no books on it. Instead, again set up in a circular fashion, doors led to various rooms. One room had a large banner on it that had a copy of the book signing in question. Lulloyd read it off to himself as Legacy of Green: A Garmadon's Story. The door to the room was open, and soft light was pouring out of it. Dareth guided the two towards it.

The room was set up like a lecture hall, with several rows wrapping around different levels. The room was mostly empty by now. On the stage at the bottom of the room was a large table with a single stray copy of the book in question on the table. A lone child was in line, holding a copy of the book with shaky hands.

Lulloyd felt Lloyd stiffen up beside him. He turned to see Lloyd's expression had gone from determined to nervous. The action was enough that Lulloyd looked a bit more at the signer, at which point he had to ask.

"Is, uh, something wrong with that?" Lulloyd asked.

"They're… gi, it's… I got that when I was on the Dark Island. It doesn't have, happy memories attached to it," Lloyd paused, "Something's wrong."

Lulloyd wasn't following, but looked a bit closer. The gi the signer was wearing was indeed a set of black robes accented with green decorations and a set of gold shoulder guards. At first, it didn't look strange, until he truly looked. He took a few steps forward, at which point he was able to make it out more clearly. The gi had a massive hole ripped right into the dead center of it from the bottom of the chest to the middle of the belly. Around the outside of the hole was stitched in an Ouroboros, almost making it seem intentional. Lulloyd could see skin underneath the hole as well.

Something else was off as well. Lulloyd and Lloyd both had blonde hair, but the hair of the person signing books was white. A beautiful, brilliant white, like a swan. The hair in the back was tied up with a green ribbon to form a miniature ponytail. Once they stepped forward down a good number of stairs, looking at the face of the Green Ninja proved a startling realization.

"There she is," Dareth pointed down to the girl sitting at the desk, whose head was buried within the book she was signing for the child, "The Green Ninja herself. Harumi Garmadon."

"She?" Lulloyd was taken aback by the pronoun.

"Harumi?" Lloyd was more shocked by the name.

"Yep! Well come on, don't be shy. She's real nice," Dareth walked down the stairs of the lecture hall and towards Harumi. Nervous and confused, the Lloyds followed.

"Well there's my little author!" Dareth outstretched his arms when he got up to Harumi. Harumi passed on the book to the child, who ran out of the room with hurried thanks to a parent waiting at another entrance. She looked up at him once she heard him and smiled widely.

"Uncle Dareth!" Harumi instantly got up from her seat and hugged him. Her hug must have been tight from the way Dareth let out tiny wheeze.

"Heh, easy there kiddo," Dareth chuckled, "I may be grand but all masters must eventually face the marches of time. I brought you two more fans who would like a signed copy of your book," Dareth gestured to the two Lloyd's, who nervously waved.

"Alright, I got one more right here. Could you go see if the library has another one?" Harumi asked with a long sigh, "Think you can get me some water too? They said the AC system up here broke this morning."

"Sure thing, Rumi," Dareth waved goodbye and walked up the stairs.

Now the two were left alone to stare at her. Lulloyd's mind was racing as to why he was now a girl in this universe. Her outfit was closer to his than the one Lloyd was wearing, but was still radically different. Lulloyd, however, seemed far less confused and stunned than Lloyd, who was already beginning to look frozen in place. He wanted to say something to help, but Harumi was faster than him.

"Those are great costumes, by the way," Harumi commented, "Very abstract. Reminds me of some of the stuff my dad used to wear. They're some of the best I've seen all day. Almost look real," She opened the book and put her pen on the front cover. "So, who am I making this first one out to?"

"Making it out to?" Lloyd asked. When Harumi raised a curios eyebrow and tapped a book in front of her, he quickly perked up, "R-Right, book signing. Sorry, just a little nervous. You know, meeting the legendary Green Ninja!"

"Right," Harumi chuckled, "I still need a name though," She smirked and let out a tiny chuckle.

"Um...right, a name. Uh... Lloyd Garmadon," Lloyd figured that it would be good to get everything out of the way now.

Apparently his choice wasn't a good one, because Harumi stopped dead in her motions. She was completely still and silent for a second, before looking up at the two of them. Her smile from before seemed to twitch a bit.

"Alright," She had her eyes closed tightly and was forcing a smile, "It's cute that you're dressed up like him. But, um, actually saying that you're him is big time crossing the line here. I get the whole in-character thing but that's not cool with me. Sorry, I know cosplay and all but it's just too close to home for me. So, why don't you tell me your real name so I can make this out?"

"That is my name," Lloyd responded, at which point Lulloyd awkwardly shifted in place, "I'm Lloyd Garmadon."

"And um, I'm also, Lloyd Garmadon." Lulloyd nervously raised his hand, afraid of making the situation worse, "Uhm, probably shouldn't have said that…"

Harumi's forced smile quickly faded. She stood up from her seat and put her hands onto the desk. She glared right at Lloyd, her eyes sharp and firm. Lloyd almost felt like stepping backwards to get away from those yes.

"Ok, since you two clearly must be 'super hardcore roleplayers' here," Harumi spoke coldly, "Let me explain why neither of you can be Lloyd Garmadon. My father never wore whatever it is you're wearing," She gestured to Lulloyd, "And his hair never looked like that," She gestured to Lloyd's hair, "But most importantly, he died seven years ago. Now you two have one more chance to drop this sick joke before I get really mad."

"Father?!" Lloyd gasped.

"Died?!" Lulloyd gasped.

Lulloyd was starting to paint a bit of a picture here, but at the same time he suddenly felt like he'd stepped onto a minefield. It reminded him of when one of his friends were upset and he had to navigate his way around not upsetting them more. Except here, it seemed that Harumi was far more than just 'upset.' He gave a bit of a pleading look to Lloyd.

"Harumi, listen to me," Lloyd stepped forward, "I know this is hard to understand. But I'm telling the truth. We are both Lloyd Garmadon. This, is going to sound really strange. We're both from alternate universes. We're here to warn you about a threat by Krux and Acronix, they're coming to take over your dimension and probably steal your elemental power. We need your help to stop them."

Again, Harumi was silent. She took a deep breath and let out an aggravated sigh. "You two really must be really into LARPing. You even looked up some of my dad's old enemies just to make up this sick story. Okay, I'll play along and tell you two that you can't be that either."

Harumi pulled a small disk out from her pocket and held it up. The two could see the back of a blue hologram in front of her face, but the contents on the other side couldn't be gleaned. Harumi used her hand to scroll through something on the screen.

"I admit that you have a look of being 'from another universe' down," Harumi gestured to Lulloyd, "But I've been on movie sets and I know how practical effects work. Krux and Acronix have been in jail for over thirty years now. Elemental power can't be stolen just like that either. The whole universe thing just sounds way too far fetched too."

"We're telling the truth!" Lloyd shook his head, "Harumi, just, pull up some images of your dad when he was younger."

"I think I know what my own dad looks like, but sure thing," Harumi tapped a few buttons on her screen, "Yep, right here. See? You two don't even look like…" Harumi stoped at the picture she was looking for. "...Him…"

She shook her head, "You… you two just really did your homework. Okay then. But just because you look like him, doesn't mean…"

Lloyd had raised his fist and summoned a green flame. It was most of what he could manage from what was drained out of him. Harumi stared at it and blinked. Lloyd then brought his hands and stretched the little flame out into his elemental shield, which was now no larger than his head. The green power, however, was clearly on display.

"See? I have the green power, just like your father," Lloyd stepped forward towards her again, "Only you should have that power, right?" His hand enveloped into a green energy ball, "Harumi, I'm your father, from another universe. I'm… we're… there's something coming, we need your help to fix it."

Harumi looked at them, then back to the picture, then to them. Her eyes focused on the energy ball. Then she fainted.

Harumi's head knocked into the table as she fainted, causing a thunk as she went down to the floor. Immediately, Lloyd shouted and jumped over the desk, turning her over on the floor to look at her. Lulloyd looked around the room to see if anyone had heard that.

"She fainted!" Lloyd put his hand up to her neck, "She's got a pulse… and she's breathing!" He felt a small sigh of relief, but the large mark on her forehead from hitting the table didn't instill much confidence. He slowly shifted her limbs so she was laying completely flat.

"I-I really hope that wasn't on camera… that'll look so bad if it was on camera…" Lulloyd looked around for any visible cameras. Despite seeing none, his nerves didn't go away.

"Maybe we should have, handled that better…" Lloyd muttered to himself," Here, we should go see about finding some help."

"What's going on?" From atop the stairs, both Lloyds turned to see someone standing there. As she moved into the light, the two could see she was clearly an android. She wore purple and white robes that hung from her shoulders. Her arms were completely exposed, showing that along her forearms, metallic braces were in place. Her deep blue hair had a perfect comb against her head, leaving a little bridge on her forehead. She had one of the devices that fitted over one eye on. It retracted away, showing off her deep green eyes as she took in the sight of the stage.

"Harumi!" The female android shouted as she ran down the stairs. As soon as she was at the bottom, her eyes scanned her. "She appears to be unconscious, but unharmed. Conclusion: She fainted due to shock or exhaustion. Most likely shock."

Before either of them could protest, she then looked at the Lloyds and scanned them. There were flashes in her eyes, and within three seconds she appeared to have analyzed the data, "You two are 96% similar to the deceased Lloyd Garmadon. Genetic variations present in second specimen. Conclusion: you are either clones, or alternate dimensional counterparts."

"That second one, actually," Lulloyd held up his hand, "That's, kinda cool that you got all that."

"Heart rate readings indicate you are not lying," She stood up with Harumi in her arms, "Then I shall proceed with greetings and introduction. My name is Olive. Offspring Living in a Virtual Environment. Age analysis indicates you are from timelines not in sync with this dimension. You two are perhaps more familiar with my parents, who are named Zane and Pixal."

"Whose Pixal?" Lulloyd asked. Lloyd ignored the question.

"I know them, they're both apart of my team back home," Lloyd raised his hand to his chest, "It's nice to meet you, Olive."

"The feeling is partially mutual," Olive scanned Harumi once more, taking note of the hologram on the floor, "Scene analysis indicates shock to be most viable diagnosis for fainting. Your presence likely awoke memories of her father's death. Administering treatment."

The metallic plate on Olive's arm separated from the skin portion, allowing for small robotic hands to emerge from the gap. A small syringe moved forward and slid under the sleeve of Harumi's gi. A little blue liquid was injected into her.

"Treatment successful, heart rate is stabilized," Olive laid Harumi down once more, scanning her one final time, "She will be fine after approximately one to two hours of rest. Indicators suggest that critical information is lacking." She turned to the two, "Assuming you are indeed from another dimension, why are you here?"

"We needed information about this universe," Lloyd replied, "And, uh, we ran into Dareth on the way and figured this would be a good place to start."

"You are currently lacking in information on our timeline then," Olive nodded her head, "Energy wavelength scanning complete. Deviations detected, likelihood of dimensional transit: 85%. Would you like to have more information?"

"Yes!" Lulloyd stepped forward, "Please, I'm really confused about all this."

"Yeah, Dareth didn't know about the Golden Master…" Lloyd shook his head, "I don't know how, he knew about the Overlord, so why not that?"

"Data banks receive 0 results for Golden Master. Conclusion: Golden Master is likely a construct only applicable to your dimension," Olive shook her head, "Connection between Overlord and Golden Master recorded. The Overlord's destruction was carried out by Harumi seven years ago on this day. No emergence of the Overlord sighting detected since the invasion."

"Harumi defeated the Overlord?" Lloyd turned to look at her sleeping form, "But, what about me, erm, Lloyd?"

"Data recount is unoptimized in this fashion," Olive concluded, "Solution found: I will take you to my parents. They lived through the events and can explain everything to you in a far more streamlined system. Is this option viable?"

"Yeah," Llulloyd agreed, "We don't exactly have much to go on here. And we can't really do anything until Harumi wakes up."

"I will arrange a ride for us," Olive closed her eyes, then opened them with a flash, "Ride scheduled. Ride will arrive in approximately five minutes. Dareth located in vicinity. Please allow me to give the situation to him."

Olive turned around and made her way to the door where Dareth had exited from. It so happened that he was walking through with a small box of books and a water bottle. As he looked into the room to see Harumi asleep, he turned to Olive in confusion.

"Harumi was exhausted from continual hours of book signing in overheated room," Olive stated before he could start, "I will take her someplace to rest.. I am heading out to my parent's residence. Harumi can rest there until she feels better."

"Well, okay," Dareth said somewhat uneasily, "I didn't realize the room was that hot. She looked fine earlier."

"Heat exhaustion can easily be hidden," Olive explained, "Harumi is not in critical condition. She will require rest. I have something I wish to give her as well. A present. I would like to do so in person."

"Alright," Dareth looked to her again, "Make sure she messages me when she wakes up, okay? If something happens, let me know right away."

"Of course," Olive bowed, "Thank you for your cooperation."

As Dareth turned around to return what he had found, Olive made her way back into the room. She picked up Harumi and then motioned for the two Lloyds to follow her, "My parents will explain all that is required when we arrive. We will take a back exit to avoid confusion. Please follow me."

Taking one of the doors at the bottom of the room, Olive led the two out through a small hallway. Lulloyd almost felt nervous, given that the hallway had sparse lighting. Soon they came to a door that was opened with a loud rush of wind and noise, enough to make Lulloyd flinch.

"Before we leave," Olive turned and punched something into a screen on the wall, "Records indicate the seizure of Katana, 2, and Curved Sword, 1, upon entrance. Since we are now outside the library, these will be returned to you."

Before the two could react, the wall to the left opened like a slot. From dark holes in the walls, their weapons suddenly appeared. Slowly, Lloyd sheathed his swords while Lulloyd awkwardly strapped his own to his back alongside his mechdragon brick.

Olive had indeed arranged for a car, but it was one that had no driver. On what appeared to be a tiny landing pad, their ride awaited them. As the three carried Harumi inside, Lulloyd noticed there were no driver seats, and instead was only a wheel that had a sign on it warning that the wheel should only be touched in emergency circumstances. The back was set up with two sets of seats facing one another. Harumi was laid down onto one of those rows of seats, while Lloyd sat on the floor so Olive and Lulloyd could have the other two seats.

"It shall take five minutes and thirty seconds for us to reach my parent's home," Olive explained, "I may answer any other questions about the city you may have in the meanwhile."

"I think I'll save those for Zane," Lloyd looked out the window as the sights began to speed by.

"Oh, I have one!" Lulloyd leaned forward, "Did, this place have a shark army?"

"Shark Army, 0 results found in database. Sharks are present in the local oceanic ecosystem, primarily found in the southeastern coast of the Endless Sea. Most common variety: Great White. Hammerhead Sharks recently appeared as well."

"Nevermind…" Lulloyd felt even more confused hearing all of that. Was this universe anything like his own? Just looking out the window made him wanna find out even more.

Olive gestured to the window, revealing them to have arrived. In front of them was a massive building that looked almost like it was completely made of ice. Large frothy white waves emanated from it, making it appear as though it was in a sort of haze. It was a large series of icy pillars that all came to points shaped like tiny hexagons. Large walkways connected each pillar together, each at different elevations than that of the ones on the regular street. The car swung around a massive window, showing what appeared to be a classroom.

"After the defeat of the Overlord, my father decided it was time to pass on all that he had learned. Alongside my mother, they opened the Sensei Zane Academy. The current curriculum includes general studies, music, art, psychology, history, teaching, martial arts studies, all associated STEM careers, a specialized robotics program, and many others. Current enrollment has exceeded 15,000 students," Olive spoke her last line with a hint of pride in her tone.

The car landed on a small landing strip, allowing for the group to disembark. Olive took hold of Harumi once again. For a moment, Lloyd .reached out to take hold of her body stopping. Lulloyd, meanwhile, was struggling to get out of the car without losing his mechdragon in the process. As the car started to move, a sudden burst of fear of being hauled off into the city caused him to kick forward, falling flat on his face as the car zoomed away.

"Please follow me," Olive pointed to a large set of double doors directly in front of them, "We will proceed directly to my father's residence."

Nodding his head, Lloyd helped Lulloyd up to his feet, at which point the two follow Olive off into the icy building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are off to the next Universe! The chase with the time twins continues! 
> 
> For those of you wondering, there are Starfarer tiles in the Ninjago City set, so there might be more ties between the movie world and the alpha world than we know...


	6. Chapter 6

"It's… really you," Zane whispered as he stood up from his chair, "Lloyd, it's… it's you."

As soon as Lloyd waved his hand, Zane wrapped Lloyd up in a tight hug, one that was equally bone crushing as it was comforting. Lloyd wrapped his arms around Zane in turn, smiling to him and nodding his head.

"Well, it's not exactly me, but I guess it's close enough," Lloyd pulled back to look Zane over, "It feels like forever since I've seen you."

"I was afraid that I would never see you again," Zane lowered his gaze, "Be it from my own body withstanding the march of time untouched by the ages, or my failure to uphold the promise that we would fight as a team until the end. I had resigned myself to the fact that the last image I have of you, would be when we heard your last words you ever spoke to us."

"Correction, this Lloyd is not from your timeline," Olive cut in, only to stop as Lulloyd gave her a sideways glare, "Apologies, I believe I have disrupted the emotional atmosphere."

"It's quite alright, Olive," Zane smiled to her, "Your mother is currently in her office, would you go get her for us?"

"Right away, father," Olive's eyes flashed as she sent a message to Pixal, at which point she bowed and quickly made her way out of the room.

Said 'room' happened to be towards the top of the tallest of the pillars that made up the Academy. According to Olive, Zane had constructed the Academy so that he could be as close to the students that he taught as he could, which included his housing. The room they were in was a massive living room, Zane having gotten up from a massive recliner. Several couches lined the walls, and above those couches were various pictures framed and organized in rows around the room. A coffee table was soon populated by Zane pouring them tea in a pink apron, one that drew a chuckle from Lloyd for a reason Lulloyd wasn't able to decipher. The recliner that Zane sat by was right next to a fireplace, ironic given that the floors and walls seemed to be made of ice.

When Lloyd had first seen Zane, he'd almost done a double take. Zane did not look a day older than he was before, yet looking at his skin was indeed different. Zane was not the Titanium Ninja; instead, his skin was the same as the day that Lloyd had first seen him. His blonde hair was still buzzed down against his head in the same pattern, his eyes were distinctly human, and there was none of the light blue coloration from the Titanium form. Instead of any ninja gi, he wore a set of light blue robes accented with white and frosted navy blue, with symbols running down in two rows in the front. The robes indeed conveyed the title of Sensei Zane to him.

"I can't believe you have a daughter now, Zane," Lloyd took a long sip of tea, thinking over everything he'd heard and seen up until now, "I didn't realize you wanted to be a parent."

"After we retrieved my prototype from my father's prison," Zane gestured to a picture of him, Pixal and Echo Zane with his rusted exterior standing in front of the lighthouse, "Pixal and I made it our mission to repair him. In doing so, we realized that we wanted to bring life to another being. We built Olive a few years after Harumi was born."

Lloyd felt his glass tremble at that little bit. Lulloyd stepped in, "So, if I can ask, what, uhm, is Olive? She looks human but her arms and her eyes… are kinda, robotic."

"Olive is a fully functioning android, Lulloyd," Zane responded, earning a small grumble from Lulloyd for having been introduced like that, "Olive was heavily injured as a young child during a traffic accident. In order to save her life, Pixal and I managed to transfer her memories and mind into a virtual existence. Her body was beyond saving, so we built her a body in the image of her old one. In order to ensure she developed properly, we were asked to watch over her. We found out she had snuck out from an orphanage shortly after. We officially adopted her one year after we managed to activate her. Since then, she has been our lovely daughter."

The thought of his mind being transferred into an android body was somewhat jarring for Lloyd to think about. In his mind, he supposed if there were any two people in Ninjago that would know how to raise someone in that situation, it would be the one and only Nindroid and his female companion.

"Lloyd?" Speaking of the companion, Pixal called out as she entered the room, laying eyes on him and her pupils shrinking slightly, "I see, you must be a dimensional counterpart."

Olive appeared next to her mother with a smile. Pixal wore robes similar in color to Zane's, but oriented in a style that was more reminiscent of the outfit Lloyd had first encountered her in; the robe hung off of her right shoulder and left the top left side of her body exposed from shoulder to chest. Her hair likewise was no longer drawn upwards into the metallic bun it was previously, but instead had been altered to appear to be a long braid flowing down her back.

"I have been told that you are seeking information," Pixal smiled slightly, "I believe that the two of us can provide what it is you are looking for."

"Yes, I do believe we can," Olive confirmed, "I will leave you all alone so I do not intrude on your discussion, if you need me I will be-"

"Olive, we talked about this," Zane shook his head, "Unless you are asked, you do not need to excuse yourself from the room immediately. Besides, having you here might help convey certain facts and details your mother and I may have partially forgotten."

Olive bowed slightly, making her way over to a chair in the room that appeared to be specifically designed for her. When she sat down, her hair moved aside to reveal there was a port in the back of her neck. A plug extended from the back of the chair, attaching itself to Olive. When Lulloyd looked to it in confusion, Pixal spoke up.

"Unlike Zane and myself, we were unable to recreate a fully self-sustaining heart for Olive. As such, she requires a recharge every thirty days. We are hoping to recreate Zane's heart in order to fix this issue." Pixal explained as she took a seat in a recliner that was near identical to Zane's nearby, "Sadly, we are unable to analyze its composition to its fullest extent."

A silence drifted over the room. With all of the members seated, there seemed to be a hesitation. Zane's expression was still that of joy, but his gaze was focused on Lloyd. Lulloyd was looking over the various pictures along the walls trying to figure out what they were all from, and both Pixal and Olive seemed to be waiting for something to be said to start.

"So," Zane began, "I believe you most likely wish to learn what happened to yourself in this universe."

"Yeah… and, if you can, tell me where Harumi came from too… who her mother is, I mean!" Lloyd quickly corrected himself. Harumi currently was sleeping in Olive's bedroom, slated to wake up in a few hours if Olive's analysis was to be accurate.

"Sadly, they are both related, and I'm afraid neither story has a happy ending," Zane forewarned them, "Firstly, I would like to establish what we have in common. Can you describe how you became a ninja, Lloyd?"

"Oh… uhm, what details do you want to know?" Lloyd quiered.

"The process by which you became a ninja, specifically your relationship to your father," Pixal addressed, "Significant divergence will require us to understand your basis."

Lloyd did his best to explain everything: how he was dropped off at Darkley's School for Bad Boys, how he escaped and then began to use his father's name to try to become evil, unleashed the Serpentine, and then was revealed to be the Green Ninja. Lulloyd seemed particularly interested in the portion where Garmadon helped in the defeat of the Great Devourer, and asked for clarification on whether the Golden Weapons were the Ultimate Ultimate Weapon. After a series of blank stares, he concluded his universe was nowhere near like these anyone else's in the room.

"Your story is identical to ours until the defeat of the Great Devourer," Zane began, "When Garmadon attempted to forge the Megaweapon, he failed, and kept the golden weapons for himself. Garmadon made the Serpentine his personal army and used them to begin to attack the cities in smaller concentrated attacks. Wu believed that Garmadon didn't want to trigger the final battle by directly attacking you."

"Wait, so my father didn't… reform? What about the Dark Island?" Lloyd began, "Chen's Island? Did Morro come back?"

"The Dark Island did not rise until seven years ago. I will assume that Chen was drawing you in to try to steal your elemental powers. Garmadon came with us stating that he wished to get revenge on Chen for what he did during the Serpentine Wars. After Chen turned his army into Anacondrai, Wu sacrificed himself to summon the spirits of the old Anacondrai to drag Chen's Army into the Cursed Realm. It was this event that allowed for Morro to escape."

"Yeah, that sounds like Wu," Lulloyd muttered.

"But wait, without Wu, what happened with Morro?" Lloyd asked quizzically, "In my world, after the Dark Island rose, dad was purified and then he became our Sensei so he could train us. He was the one that read the spellbook and was lost to the Cursed Realm on Chen's Island!"

"Garmadon once more came to our side," Zane nodded solemnly, "He trained Nya to awaken her elemental powers and worked to undermine Morro's plan. He even mobilized the Serpentine to fight alongside us when the Preeminent emerged. However, when Morro was defeated, Garmadon once more decided that he would not fight us. At this point, however, the Serpentine decided that they did not want to follow a leader that changed sides so rapidly."

"I'm guessing that's why there are those snake-guys outside walking around?" Lulloyd asked. Pixal nodded.

"Indeed, after the Preeminent was destroyed, the Serpentine disowned Garmadon as their leader and sued for peace with the Surface," Pixal explained, "After this, the Serpentine established the City of Ouroborus and Caduceus as their new Capitals. In exchange for peace and the pledge that Garmadon would never be recognized under Serpentine Rule again, all crimes against the Serpentine were forgiven."

"How many years ago was all this?" Lloyd asked, "I mean, if this happened right after the Devourer, wouldn't I have been like… twelve when all this happened?"

Zane shook his head, "It was thirty years ago the Serpentine sued for peace. You were indeed twelve at the time. We did not see Garmadon until we were invited to Chen's Island four years later. It was almost one year later that we discovered Morro had escaped the Cursed Realm as well. The Serpentine sued for peace only one week after they helped defeat the invasion."

A little timeline was starting to appear in his head. If what Zane said was true, he'd be roughly around the same age that he was after the Tomorrow's Tea incident when Morro came back. That at least cleared some things up in his head, but there were other things that weren't entirely in his head.

"Okay, now, do you all know who Nadakhan is?" Lloyd asked curiously. Lulloyd perked up.

"Yes," Zane nodded, "He was a Djinn that tried to trap us all within the Sword of souls. Jay got us out and made his final wish that all of Nadakhan's wishes would be undone. This allowed his crew to then wish him permanently back within his own sword. The Sky Pirates currently are exploring the Endless Sea, seeking out new lands. We were much later asked to retrieve Echo from the Lighthouse and, after we repaired him, he decided to join the Pirates to explore the lands."

"In our world it… kinda happened and didn't," Lloyd explained, "Jay made his final wish to undo everything and made it so Nadakhan never even got out. We went looking for his teapot but never found it."

"I see," Zane nodded, "I am not certain which solution was better," Zane turned to Lulloyd, "Do you know of anyone we have mentioned, Lulloyd?"

"My dad has mentioned a Djinn before, uh… but he also like, mentions a lot of things…" Lulloyd coughed, "I uh, I do have a history teacher named Mr. Nadakhan but, uh, he's not a pirate. He has this really cool model ship though! And, uh, well I know that he has a bunch of buddies outside the school. See, one day I was getting back late from ninja stuff and we saw him leaving a bar with a bunch of guys all dressed up and stuff. I think they were apart of some role-playing thing! I tried to listen in but, see I was really high up and my hood was torn so I didn't get all of it…"

Seeing that Zane and Lloyd were looking at him in intrigued curiosity, Lulloyd realized once more that his universe wasn't exactly compatible here, "...Uhm, sorry, I'm just like, trying to parse all these guys in my head. I have a feeling that like, all your guy's enemies and stuff are just teachers and students in my world."

"Indeed," Pixal nodded, "I would like to hear more about your world later, Lulloyd. The parallels to our own indicate that your world is a valid candidate for studying multiverse divergence theory."

"Sure, just hit me up later. Or, well, later as long as the Time Twins don't go and start messing with your place you got here," Lulloyd smiled gently.

"The Time Twins?" Zane turned to Lloyd, "The Time Twins are the reason that you came here?"

"Yeah, they stole most of elemental power and Lulloyd's here too, and we're trying to stop them from taking over another universe," Lloyd frowned gently, "What happened to them here?"

"Currently, Acronix and Krux are in prison," Pixal answered, "They were arrested directly after Acronix emerged from the Time Vortex. Wu left us the information about Acronix, but Garmadon stole it from us before we could get the actual date. It was he that met him that day. We do not know what transpired, only that Acronix and Krux were both jailed that day."

"Did Wu not tell you of them before they came back?" Olive spoke up for the first time since she'd been plugged in, the cable extending so she could sit straight up.

"No," Lloyd shook his head, "Wu tried to take on Acronix himself and failed. They managed to collect each of the Time Blades and then built a massive machine called the Iron Doom to go back in time and defeat Wu and the others in the past. Kai and Nya managed to stop them but it ended up with Wu getting lost to time with the Time Twins. We got Wu back as… uhm, a baby, but we're not sure how the Time Twins managed to get out."

"I see," Zane paused, "This is perhaps something rude of me to say, but it appears that conflict in your world is far more frequent than it has been on our own."

Lloyd and Zane looked at each other, then both began to chuckle. As they shared a laugh, Lulloyd hid his confusion by drinking some of Zane's tea. As soon as he did, he quickly began to down the entire cup. Compared to Master Wu's statement that tea should only have natural flavors -thus oftentimes tasting like just leaves in water- Zane's tea was tasty enough to be addictive.

"Heh… so, where does Harumi fit into all of this?" Lloyd asked as his chuckles died down.

As soon as her name was mentioned, Zane's smile from laughing fell. He looked around the room and gathered his thoughts. His hands gripped the armrests for his seat. Pixal saw this and slowly put his hand overtop his own, looking at him with a reassuring smile. Zane took a deep breath and put his forehead up against Pixal's for a long moment, then turned to Lloyd and let out one last sigh before he spoke.

"Perhaps, it would be easier if we were in another location," Zane stood up, "I would like for you to see more of what he built before you hear what happened to him. It will make the memory less painful for me as well. Will you accompany us as well, Olive?"

"If that is what you wish, Father," Olive stood up, the plug disconnecting, "Charge completion at 33%, battery remaining: 27 days, 21 hours."

"Do, uh, you have to say all that?" Lulloyd asked, then quickly lifted his arms up, "I-I mean, not to be rude, I-I was just asking!"

"No, but informational exchange is generally beneficial for both parties," Olive frowned, "If you do not like it, I will not do so, Lulloyd."

"I… guess I'm stuck with that nickname," Lulloyd sighed, "But, uh, if it's not a problem."

Olive nodded, and both Zane and Pixal smiled at her as she did so. Zane walked over towards the door to the room and slowly opened it, leading into a large hallway. Lloyd gave a look to the room Harumi was resting in, then quickly followed out of the room. Lulloyd and Olive followed, with Pixal taking up the rear.

After the group exited the hallway, they entered into a hallway lined with lockers that reminded Lloyd of the high school that he'd visited once. Zane led them through the halls, showing several classrooms filled with students. As they continued along, Zane was quick to fill the group in.

"This Academy functions as both a school and a research facility for students," Zane explained, "Did Wu ever attempt to open a school for you, Lloyd?"

"Yeah, but I wasn't enrolled in it," Lloyd shook his head, "I was going around Ninjago and doing tours and things after I defeated the Overlord. I didn't have time to. Plus, I wasn't old enough to teach either. I mean… I don't think my friends were either but Wu insisted."

"I built this Academy so that we could teach students whatever they wanted," Zane turned to Pixal, "After I met Pixal, I knew that I no longer wished to fight. My will to fight had vanished. But there are more ways to protect others than fighting on their behalf. After analyzing the state of the education system, I decided that I should rectify this. Cyrus Borg was more than happy to finance the construction and programs in exchange for programs allowing students to study for Borg Industries. The arrangement has led to the technology that produced Olive."

Zane led them through a set of double doors, leading to a massive open gym. The gym was filled with students, all in various groups and with varying levels of equipment. Some were teenagers learning basic fighting stances, others were perhaps university age and sparring with blunt weapons.

"Our training programs are some of the most reputable in the city," Pixal smiled, "After Zane downloaded his fighting abilities into my software, we were able to construct this entire facility with that in mind. We have worked to ensure it maintains a level of prestige."

As the group walked through, students would stop and bow to Zane, who in turn would give small bows back. A child ran up to Olive as she walked by and spoke to her, to which Olive smiled and happily gave them a few words. The room seemed to bristle with energy as they made their way through the throng.

Soon enough, the group passed into another set of double doors, in which the atmosphere quickly shifted to that of a research environment. Massive open labs were on nearly every single side, filled with students working on various projects. Machines of all designs and sizes were created, from robotic arms to what looked like complicated machinations beyond either dimension hoppers. At the end of the hallway of labs, Zane entered an exterior elevator which they all populated. The elevator closed and began to rise, at which point Zane continued.

"Borg's resources have allowed for progress beyond anything that could have ever been achieved on our own," Zane looked towards the building they were rapidly ascending, "And, it was all thanks to what you did, Lloyd. Everything would never have been possible without you."

The elevator began to ascend the ice-styled towers at an angle, the floor rotating to keep them in line with the surface far below. When it finally stopped, the elevator was high enough it was far taller than Borg Tower had ever been. Zane slowly tapped a button to open the door, revealing what looked to be a large meeting room with walls entirely made of glass. When Lloyd and Lulloyd stepped out, it was clear why they were here.

From here, they could see out across nearly the entire city. Even if they were no taller than some of the buildings, they were high enough they could see the sheer distance the development sprawled. They could see the lights that the buildings formed like dots on a canvas, the distance the city had grown, and the sheer volume of cars and people were no more than ants. The sight nearly gave the dragon riders vertigo from the sight.

"This is what Lloyd built," Pixal stepped forward, "...We wished for you to understand this."

"I heard from Harumi…" Lloyd sighed, "That I'm… no longer here. Zane I need you to tell us what happened."

Zane stood looking over the city for a long few moments. Silence filled the room as he seemed fixated on the sights about him. When he turned to them, his eyes were filled with a pure cocktail of emotions Lloyd could never hope to fully sift through. Zane turned his gaze back to the city sights when he began to speak.

"After the Serpentine sued for peace, Garmadon went into hiding," Zane explained, "And began to recruit people to become his new army. The Hands of Garmadon, he called them. The most important of these was Harumi. She became Garmadon's right hand. We didn't even know that this was happening until the Princess disappeared. The entire group of nearly thirty individuals disappeared overnight. Harumi, however, was the first. She joined directly after the Great Devourer killed her parents, and she went to join Garmadon immediately. Harumi became his most trusted hand… her anger at what happened to her parents was turned into her greatest weapon, and we knew her as the Seething One. We did not meet her until almost four years after the Devourer's defeat, during the time in which you were possessed.

"Exhausted after losing both Wu and Garmadon disappearing again, you… Lloyd decided to go into Hiroshi's Labyrinth. According to legend, Hiroshi found his jewel and then stepped inside to find enlightenment. Lloyd said that he would be gone for no longer than one year and left us to defend Ninjago. During this time, Garmadon ordered Harumi to go and kidnap Lloyd and bring him there. We are not sure exactly what happened, but according to Lloyd, he discovered the Jewel was a portal to a pocket dimension that he became trapped inside, and Harumi was trapped with him when she tried to attack him. The two were stuck there for almost two years."

"When Lloyd returned home, he brought Harumi with him. At first, we were shocked the Seething One was in our midst. But… it was then that we discovered that Harumi was pregnant with his child," Zane paused, allowing Lloyd to process what he had just heard.

"...What?" Lloyd shook his head, "You… you're saying that I was stuck in Hiroshi's Labyrinth with Harumi for a year, and I… I… made a baby?"

"Yes, that was our reaction as well," Zane smiled gently for a brief moment, "Lloyd begged us to accept her. She was already several months pregnant by that point, and we agreed to take her in. However, when it came time for Harumi to deliver, something went wrong. She gave birth to Lloyd's daughter, but…"

Zane fell silent. Lloyd didn't need to think long about what Zane was saying. Already, he was imagining it in his eyes. Harumi's face. Her terrified eyes underneath that red paint as she realized that she was going to die. The feeling of horror as he realized what was happening. Watching her as the Oni Titan slammed into it and… and the sight of her falling down into the rubble. He lowered his head softly as all of the guilt over what he'd done came flooding back to him.

Lulloyd immediately could tell that something was wrong. Slowly, he moved over and rotated his arm outwards, taking Lloyd's wrist in his hand. Lloyd looked over to him, seeing the smiling face of Lulloyd looking at him. After taking a moment to collect his breath, Lloyd leaned his head up.

"I… I named Harumi after her mother, didn't I?" Lloyd looked his head away, "That's what, I think I would do, at least."

"You did," Zane confirmed, "You made us all agree to a promise. The promise that Garmadon would never find out about Harumi until she was old enough to start training. We accepted it. You… Lloyd… I apologize," Zane stopped himself, "I admit, it is somewhat difficult to separate my memories of Lloyd from you. Even now, I'm having difficulty reconciling the tow."

"That's fine," Lloyd leaned forward, "Really. I know what it's like to lose someone and… have issues with that." His eyes drifted in the direction of where Harumi was sleeping.

"I believe in this case, I will take over," Pixal patted Zane's arm, then picked up the story, "Lloyd raised Harumi until she was eight. During this time, Lloyd primarily raised her by himself in a remote village. When Harumi turned eight, Lloyd brought her to us to begin her training. She was trained until she turned fifteen."

"If you would like an additional reference," Olive spoke up, "I was activated when Harumi was three."

"She began training as soon as Harumi began to show signs of inheriting the Green Power. When an elemental master conceives a child, over the course of the child's development, the elemental power will begin to pass over into them. Lloyd stated that Harumi began to show signs when she was eight, but she did not fully harness this power until she was twelve. At thirteen, Lloyd began to show a noticeable loss in his own abilities. Lloyd, however, worked to keep Harumi a secret from Garmadon."

"So, how did he find out?" Lulloyd asked.

"Harumi and Lloyd were attacked in making a trip into Ninjago City," Pixal informed them, "And in desperation, Harumi used her Green Power. This would lead to Garmadon learning of this development, and deciding to seek out the Dark Island."

"If Harumi was 15 at this point and, you said the Dark Island rose 7 years ago… and, this was ten years ago, right?" Lloyd asked, "That means Harumi is… twenty-two?"

"Yes," Pixal affirmed, "Due to having the Green Power, Harumi was taken to the Dark Island with the rest of the ninja. I was with them at the time. Several of her fellow elemental masters came as well. When the Temple of Light was activated, the bell did not work until Harumi was the one to strike it. This revelation that the Golden Power was inside of Harumi meant that she was the one that would have to defeat the Dark Lord. Lloyd refused to accept this."

"Garmadon used Dark Matter to create the Garmatron," Zane cut in, "And we followed it. But, when we arrived at the beach, it had already been fired. Lloyd said that he could get Garmadon to snap out of his plans. That… that was when the Overlord possessed him."

There was clear hurt in Zane's voice. Despite this, Pixal did not make another attempt to speak up. Lulloyd looked somewhat confused, but was still rapt with attention. Lloyd stayed silent until Zane mustered up the ability to speak again.

"The… Overlord attacked Lloyd. By this point, most of Lloyd's power had been siphoned into Harumi. Harumi tried to help, but… but Lloyd said no… that was when the Overlord pushed forward with his attack… Lloyd was unable to hold it at bay and… and the attack, it pierced him."

Lloyd suddenly recalled what he had seen. Harumi was wearing the Elemental Robes. It had a hole directly in the middle of it. There was something sewed around the outside of it. The little stitched-in snake wasn't just decorative. Did that mean Harumi was wearing his ninja uniform?

"Lloyd died in front of all of us…" Zane clenched his fist, "There… there wasn't anything we could do. The Overlord escaped through a portal and nearly took over Ninjago. Harumi was filled with anger. She channeled that anger into flying her elemental dragon all the way to Ninjago. When we arrived in Ninjago, Harumi was battling the Overlord. Harumi… said that she didn't have enough power, and so Garmadon's spirit allowed her to harness his energy, to fuel herself enough to deal the final blow. According to her…"

"After my dad died," Harumi's voice came from behind Lloyd, "I used my grandfather's spirit to harness the power of the Golden Weapons and my Golden Power to destroy the Overlord."

The group turned to see Harumi standing in the entryway of the elevator. Her right hand was sitting right on top of the hole in her outfit. She smiled as she looked down to hide her eyes away from them all.

"You know…this outfit was always mine. I got it when I struck the bell. When I learned I had to go and defeat my grandfather, I got scared I said I didn't want to. Dad, he said I didn't have to, and he took these robes and put them on for me. He said, as long as he was wearing these, he would protect me, and would do whatever needed to be done to keep me safe. If I hadn't let him go in my place then… then maybe he'd still be here…" Harumi shed a small tear, "And maybe… maybe grandpa would be here too…"

"Harumi," Olive stood up, unplugging from the chair and walking over to grip Harumi's shoulders, "Are you alright? Do you have any tiredness? Aches? Headache?"

"No, I'm fine, I'm fine, thanks," Harumi smiled at Olive and looked over to Lloyd. The two stared at each other for a long moment, "I… I think I'm okay now."

"How much of all this did you hear?" Lloyd asked nervously.

"Just the last part," Harumi looked down, "The book signing you were at today, that book is all about my dad. If you wanna read more about what happened it's all in there."

Lloyd wanted to say something to comfort her. But after hearing all of this, he felt a lump in this throat. Just looking at Harumi was raising a massive amount of confused questions Staying silent, however, didn't feel like the right move. So he awkwardly began to speak up.

"I'll read it later. Right now I… can't believe that, that all happened," Lloyd looked down, "I'm, not even sure what to say."

From the look on Harumi's face, he knew that was the wrong thing to say. She looked away from him at the same time that he did from her. Lloyd had seen the hole inside of the uniform once more, and already he was imagining himself dying in her arms. The only feeling he had to compare to this was when he had banished his father.

Harumi tried to speak up, but the trembling in her voice betrayed the emotions welling up inside of her. Olive, recognizing this, wordlessly pulled Harumi into a long hug. Without hesitation, Harumi wrapped her arms around Olive, hugging her gently. She looked around the small room and walked to stand beside them, looking over the city.

"So… what do you guys all do now?" Lulloyd asked curiously, "Like, uh, Kai, Jay, all of them?"

The question gave Zane enough of a push in order to break the silence again, "Did you happen to see all of the movie advertisements on the way over?"

"Yeah, Dareth said that Jay hit it big with those movies," Lulloyd blinked, "I gotta remember to get the next issues…"

"Yes, Jay fully began to pursue his movie career after Harumi was born," Zane grimaced, "He wasn't successful until he worked on the Starfarer spinoff. He's currently working on the movie shoot for the next movie. They are going ahead with making the next movie already."

"Did Jay and Nya finally, you know, get together?" Lloyd asked curiously. Zane's grimace turned into a wide grin.

"Yes, he proposed to her in the middle of the filming for the third movie. There was a rather large upset on set because of this," Zane looked like he was holding back laughter, "From what we gathered, the scene involved a costly practical explosion. His proposing messed up the scene and cost them nearly ten thousand dollars in wasted explosives."

"That… sounds like Jay," Lloyd sighed, "He has the best timing until it comes for the important things, doesn't he?"

"Indeed," Zane sighed, "Tell me, in your world, have Kai and Skylar gotten together?"

"Skylar?" Lloyd paused, "Well, she's running all the noodle shops right now. Kai offered to let her join the team before but otherwise she's doing that. Well, I mean right now she's in the hospital but she'll be fine. Did they get together?"

"Kai and Skylar have one daughter," Pixal explained, "Jay and Nya have twins, one son and one daughter. Cole currently is the only one that does not currently have any children."

"Wait, really?" Lloyd paused, "But, I thought Cole… didn't he… wait but there was that one girl… no wait that wasn't it…" He blinked, "You know, I don't think I've seen Cole show any interest in a girl before."

"Cole has shown interest before," Zane mentioned, "But not to any girl we've seen."

Lulloyd was trying to parse the idea of his friends having any romantic interests. He knew that Jay had a crush on Nya -in fact the only person that didn't seem to know that was Nya herself- but the amount of time that they'd spent training meant that finding times for romantic relationships were somewhat limited. His mom had joked that she would totally support him if he brought someone home, but that'd only made him feel embarrassed enough to hide in his room. Nya was far too driven on becoming the next Lady Iron Dragon to consider getting into anything. Kai… he was a bit too full of himself to notice if someone liked him. Nobody on his team understood Zane and his habits. Cole was just, Cole.

Then again, Lulloyd suddenly had a recollection. That one Harumi girl had asked him out once before, but that had been in the hope that she would take him to his father. They'd broken up as soon as he said he couldn't do that. Given that apparently in this world and Lloyd's own Harumi was someone far more important, he didn't mention this to them.

"I think we can determine that our worlds are pretty different," Harumi's words snapped Lulloyd from his thoughts, "And that apparently, something happened to my mother in your world."

"Uhm…" The sudden question made Lloyd unable to answer.

"Your reaction when you heard my name," Harumi went on, "And since you guys are clearly from a different version of the past, something must have happened with my mother. I'm going to guess that she passed away as well."

The bluntness of Harumi's question stunned Lloyd even further. He looked down towards the floor, the memories again flashing before his eyes. His fists tightened as he once more saw her face. The terrified face of a woman knowing that she was about to die. Knowing that he had caused it. The pained look crossing his eyes was enough to get Olive to react.

"Emotional instability detected," Olive took Harumi's hand, "Harumi, perhaps we should call Dareth. I promised him that I would contact him as soon as you were well."

"Yeah… yeah, let's do that," Harumi gave Lloyd another look, then she walked towards the elevator Olive left the room with her.

"Please forgive her," Zane frowned, "Harumi took the death of Lloyd the worst out of all of us. It was almost three weeks before we were able to even see her again. Had Dareth not gotten through to her, I don't believe she'd be even well enough to talk to us. I'm certain the shock of seeing you has triggered her memories again."

"It's… it's fine," Lloyd perked up slowly, "It's not her fault. In my world, Harumi helped resurrect my father. My father then created a massive Titan the size of Borg Tower to rampage through the city. I had a plan to take control of it. During that plan, we lost control of it, and Harumi was on the building that it hit."

"From your reaction, I can guess this event was recent for you," Pixal assessed, "We do not need to speak of it further. We only ask that you understand any anger Harumi has towards you is anger she has at herself for what happened."

"I understand," Lloyd forced another smile onto his face, "So, can I ask a question about you two?"

"About us?" Zane put his hand over Pixal's again, "What about us?"

"In my world, when I defeated the Overlord, Borg built his tower on top of the site and it caused the Overlord to infect the computer, which led to him creating a body for himself he called the Golden Master. That's how you two met. So, if there was no Golden Master, how did you two meet?" Lloyd gestured to Zane.

"When designing the newest wave of androids, Cyrus Borg asked me to aide in his research," Zane turned to Pixal, "I had begun to formulate my plan to construct an Academy, and he offered to help fund the project in exchange for letting him study my body to determine the optimal design. Pixal was a prototype that he had as his personal assistant. We were assigned to work together in order to run diagnostic tests. Pixal and I were quick to find out how compatible we truly were, and eventually, Borg asked if she wished to work at my Academy. Since then, we've been together."

"Zane understood more about me than I did myself," Pixal happily smiled to him, "I am glad to have been able to explore every facet of my programming with him by my side."

"It's really neat that you have a whole Academy," Lulloyd gestured to the walls, "So, what do you teach here specifically?"

"We offer several courses," Pixal smiled proudly, "But there are two major paths students take. One is that of an academic major, in which we offer all fields. The other is a combat major. We wish to make certain that when Ninjago is threatened once more, that enough citizens know how to defend themselves."

"Specifically," Zane added, "We have adopted many of Sensei Wu's teachings into our curriculum. We train students in basic ninja forms, combat, and in Rhotatae."

"Wait, Rotate-ay?" Lulloyd asked in confusion, "Uh… what's that?"

"You don't have that in your world?" Pixal asked in shock. The two ninja looked to each other and then shook their heads.

"No," Lloyd shook his head, "Never heard of it. Is that what the statue in the park guy was doing?"

"Yes," Zane paused, "When Sensei Wu first recruited Kai, what was it that he taught him?"

"Spinjizu," Lloyd stood up and put his hands together, "NINJA-GO!" His body spun about as his green tornado surrounded him, whirling about and whipping around him. His limbs moved in the motions that the training course had trained him to do so many times, and when he finished he was on all fours with his right hand up in the air.

Pixal's eyes were already scanning it while her lips were open in awe. Zane was similarly intrigued by it. Lulloyd, having seen it in action already, was impressed enough to see it up close to smile at it. After a moment, Zane stood up and helped pull Lloyd up off the floor.

"I have to say, I'm impressed," Zane looked to his hands, "It appears that both Spinjizu and Rhotatae share the basic principle of spinning. I believe that our powers are analogous to each other. Allow me to demonstrate myself."

Zane closed his eyes and put his hands up, opening them so that the arcs they formed would create a circle if fully connected. Then, a small dot of white formed in the center of it. The dot rapidly expanded until it was indeed a massive circular disc, taking up the space that his hands allowed. He moved his hands closer together, shrinking the diameter of it. He then moved his hands outwards, showing that it could grow larger as well. The disc began to shine silver the larger it grew.

Then, Zane thrust one hand forward and another hand backwards. The disc shot out from his hands, flying towards the wall. The disc, however, suddenly changed its entire direction once it was about to strike it, flying back towards them. It circled around Zane and Lloyd rapidly, its arc perfects and circular.. The disc, after about ten seconds of spinning, began to start to shrink in its size. It flew up in the air and suddenly stopped as though its momentum was gone. It directly into Zane's hand, where her brought his hand together into a fist and caused the disc to dissipate.

"Rhotatae draws upon the user's energy to create a disc that can be fully controlled," Zane explained, "The larger the disc, the larger the energy. If an elemental user creates a disc, they can choose to imbed that disc with their power. The user can fully control the disc in the air and give it any speed or direction needed. It will, however, dissipate faster the more control over it you exert. A user can control as many discs in the air as they wish, as long as they have the energy to maintain them."

Lulloyd and Lloyd both stared at the trail the disc had left as it faded, then looked to each other. Lloyd had a look of awe, while Lulloyd was looking to the walls around him. Pixal caught this look.

"If two universes have different systems of power," Pixal quiered, "Do you have something specific to your world, Lulloyd?"

"Oh, uh…" Lulloyd shook his head, "Well I mean, I do, but I can't do it here. It's called Master Building. My world is made up of bricks, and I can, uhm, well take those bricks apart and then rebuild them really fast into whatever I need. But, well this place isn't made up of bricks."

"Have you tried it yet?" Pixal asked, "It could be possible. Despite Spinjitzu not existing in this world, Lloyd was able to do so. Try it with the room."

Lulloyd wanted to tell Pixal he couldn't see the numbers that would normally let him do this, but he didn't want to shut her down without trying. The world already felt weird to him, he could at least give it to himself to try. So he looked around and took stock of what he had to work with.

The room was mainly empty aside from tables with a few books and a small fireplace -oddly enough- on the wall. The latter seemed a good place to start.

Launching off from his position, Lulloyd quickly tried to pry the stones out of the fireplace. For a long few moments, he struggled but got nowhere. He shook his hands out and took a book, a handle from the fireplace tools, and the lightbulb from the ceiling above. When he tried to put them together, nothing happened. He sighed and set them all back where they came from.

"It was a decent attempt," Pixal affirmed, "I'm certain there is a way."

"Yeah, but I don't know what it is... " Lulloyd sighed, "But, Rhotatae seems pretty cool."

"It is a skill anyone can learn," Zane nodded his head, "Some take longer than others, but all can learn it. Perhaps with enough training, we could find a way to teach you two?"

Before the two could respond, Harumi and Olive burst back into the room. Harumi was panting, while Olive was rapidly pressing the side of her head with her hand. Olive helped Harumi to sit up, at which point she rapidly explained.

"An attack is currently underway at the Monastery of Rhotatae," Olive reported, "Krux and Acronix are confirmed to be behind the attack. However, both are also reported as having not left their cells. They have made demands that Lloyd surrender to them. Unable to dechiper their vehicles. Master of Metal and Master of Speed are on scene. Coordinating remainder of Elemental Alliance."

"That's them!" Lloyd turned to Harumi, "Harumi, this is what I was telling you about! Krux and Acronix are going to try to take over your world! We have to stop them."

"Already on it," Harumi nodded to Olive, "Olive has contacted the rest of the Elemental Alliance. They'll be on their way soon. We should get going, we can take the transports to the edge of the city and I'll fly my dragon the rest of the way."

"We need to go with you," Lulloyd tapped his back, "This brick, it's a dragon. We'll go with you and make sure that we take care of them for good this time!"

"No," Harumi stated firmly, "I need to handle this. They're just some renegades. We've dealt with them before and we can do it now."

"Harumi," Pixal spoke up, "We have confirmed these two are not from our dimension. It stands to reason that neither of them are as well. You may need their help if they have powers from a dimension that we do not know fully of yet. They may be in possession of the Chrono Blades."

"We call them the Time Blades," Lloyd nodded, "The only reason they can't travel in time is because I stole one from them. They have an army!"

"Army?" Pixal received the uplink of data from Olive, "There appears to only be one machine."

"They can summon snakes from that thing," Lulloyd pointed out, "And those snakes can make a big army. They nearly took over my city with them."

Harumi looked to Lloyd once more, unsure of what to say. She looked to both of the two for a long while. Then she turned around and gave a small groan as she realized she had no choice

"Fine, but when we're there, don't tell anyone who you two are," Harumi muttered, "Lloyd Garmadon died seven years ago. Got it?"

"Understood," Lloyd nodded. Lulloyd slowly nodded.

"We will refer to you as L for the time being," Olive directed to Lloyd, "We will refer to you as Lulloyd, however. The name is distinct enough not to raise too much suspicion."

Lulloyd grumbled as he realized that name wasn't going to go away. Harumi swiftly turned around and pulled up her ninja hood, the little golden triangular plate on top shining bright as she raced her way out of the room. Olive bowed to her father.

"Olive!" Zane quickly stopped her before she could leave, "Stay safe. If anything happens where you believe you could get hurt, come back home immediately."

"I understand, father," Olive nodded, then nodded to Pixal as well. She then was already racing her way out towards her friend.

"Lloyd," Zane added, "Keep Harumi safe. I will gather the rest of the ninja and meet you there once I have. Please, do not let anything happen to her."

"I won't!" Lloyd promised. Lulloyd was already gone, his legs moving back and forth to carry him in Harumi's direction. Lloyd turned and quickly followed. The four raced their way to the elevator, ready to chase after the Iron Doom and bring it down once and for all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, we enter into the story of the first of many AU's to come! 
> 
> I wrestled for a long time with how I would do this chapter. Originally it was a straight exposition dump. I tried to disperse the information throughout the other chapters, but found it broke up the pace of those chapters. After an extensive rewrite, I ended up with this chapter. Harumi was the first alter that I devised, as Lulloyd was already established from his movie. Harumi actually began with simply: "Lloyd, but a girl." Given how cliche and trope-heavy that would have been, I decided instead to move to a slightly less such version of that idea. I wrote her backstory right after the end of Season 9, and she's heavily inspired from that season. As for it other alters are inspired by other seasons... we shall see. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!


	7. Chapter 7

Harumi and Olive had already leapt into another taxi as soon as Lulloyd and Lloyd arrived at the bottom of the elevator ride. The two hopped inside, with Olive moving forward and taking control over the car with a small device that extended from her arm. The car swerved off of the preset path, allowing for them to arch their way onto some of the lower lanes. Olive sent a message stating that the vehicle would be programmed to return to the depot once they had finished with it. A long string of numbers caused the red lights on the screens to stop flashing.

"I thought the Hypnobrai burned down the Monastery," Lloyd pointed out, "What happened to it?"

"My father rebuilt it after he had me," Harumi explained solemnly, "After he started training me, that's where I lived. The Elemental Alliance uses it as a headquarters if we have to deal with big enough threats. The Twins probably found that out and went right in for the attack."

As the two drove, Olive filled them in on other matters, "The Elemental Alliance continued with the next generation of elemental masters. So far, over three-quarters of the elements had been passed onto the next generation. Each of those of that generation had reaffirmed their pledge, and in turn created a new system. If one master called in a threat, the Alliance would determine how many members to send. Once the problem was dealt with, they would disband. So far, Harumi had only had the Alliance called in thrice."

The taxi stopped once the machine came to a screeching halt, refusing to go any further. Olive ordered the group out. After nearly five minutes of flying, they had reached the outskirts of the city. They were standing on a metal platform, one that overlooked buildings that were more akin to the size the other two Lloyds were used to. Harumi didn't stop to acknowledge this and instead nodded to Olive.

The taxi shut its doors and flew away. Harumi exhaled, unleashing a burst of energy and causing the Green Dragon to form in front of her. Harumi yanked its reins, causing it to spread its wings and soar up into the sky. The beast was a spitting image of Ion in female form, with the same long neck, thin head, and wyvern styled wings.

Likewise, Olive brought her hands forward, producing a large burst of light as the sight of Zane's own dragon was in front of him. The beast, likewise, was sleeker and more streamlined than that of the one Lloyd was familiar with, but likewise a beautiful sight in its won right. Harumi pulled its reins herself and it flew up to match Olive's own. Seeing the two beasts up close gave Lloyd a strange sense of familiarity with the two women atop them.

"Did I not mention that I inherited my father's elemental powers?" Olive asked curiously as the dragon let out a bellow into the sky.

Not to be outdone, Lulloyd pulled the mechdragon brick he'd been carrying around all day and threw it onto the ground. The brick hissed and suddenly turned into hinges that began to rapidly expand outwards. Soon, the head of the mechdragon was sitting on the ground, with the hinges still unfolding. Within a few seconds, the entire brick-built dragon was standing tall and firm, its jets unfurling out from its sides. The dragon's head let out a bellow as Lulloyd grabbed Lloyd's hand and leapt up into the air with him.

"A mechanical dragon? I believe we can assume that elemental ability does not manifest in the same way in you, Lulloyd." Olive confirmed.

"Yeah, but, my dragon can do this!" Lulloyd felt a little rush as he gripped the control sticks and thrust them forward. The jets unfolded into another set, flaps retracted as the dragon lowered its head. Its legs thrust off the ground, leaving dents in the metal as it shot into the sky between the other two. Lulloyd let out a holler as the dragon spun in a circle, cutting through the air and sending them far ahead of the two.

Harumi quickly had her dragon flap its wings, bringing her towards his direction. Olive did the same, producing two earpieces from inside of her arm again. She surrounded them both in ice and had her dragon take them into its mouth. It shot them both forward, sending them right towards the spinning dragon.

At the last moment, Lloyd noticed them and quickly moved his hand up, catching them and breaking them out of the ice. He stuck one on Lulloyd's head and then the other in his ear.

"I believe you said you were aware of the existence of the Monastery in your own world, L" Olive's voice came over the mic, "Are you aware you are heading in the wrong direction?"

"I am?" Lulloyd turned to Lloyd. Lloyd just sighed and raised his hand to point in the right direction. Without saying a word, Lulloyd turned his dragon towards that direction, hiding his blush under his hood.

The flight towards the Monastery was toughtly thirty minutes by dragon. Thanks to Lulloyd's boosters, the mechdragon could perhaps make it in twenty. When asked what fuel the dragon ran on, Lulloyd had responded that it ran on simple gas with nitro intakes. Olive states that she would work on the device later to make it run on a far more sustainable source of energy, at which point she'd gallen silent trying to analyze the bricks that made up the dragon.

Harumi stayed silent over the comms. The only time that Lloyd heard her voice was when she sent a message forward to any members that had arrived at the Monastery to await to engage unless necessary. Lloyd tried to talk to her directly, but Harumi hadn't responded, even after Lulloyd had asked her if they had to end messages a certain way.

Despite the massive changes to Ninjago City, the landscape of Ninjago appeared to be widely unchanged. It was a straight shot east to get to the Monastery, and the softly rolling hills appeared to be nearly identical to what Lloyd remembered. For Lulloyd, he was still trying to take in the fact that not one of those hills had any amount of grass that wasn't individually swaying.

"When we get to the battle," Harumi's voice rang out on the comms, "Keep your hoods on and stay out of it until I say so. I don't need to explain why my dad suddenly came back to life, or why one of them is moving like his body locked up permanently."

"I believe that is a wise decision," Olive responded, "We can keep them in backup. In the meanwhile, can you please relay any information about these Time Twins that we need to worry about?"

Both Lloyd and Lulloyd quickly unloaded information onto them. They discussed the Vermillion, the Iron Doom, the Time Twins somehow gaining the ability to Master Build, and most importantly, the fact that they were likely after elemental power. After explaining everything, Olive pondered that last statement.

"Do you believe that their mech needs more power?" She asked curiously, "If they have the power of two Lloyds inside their machine, why would they need a third?"

"Because we've ticked them off," Lloyd explained, "I'm pretty sure if they do try, at this point it's just out of anger. Which… might be another reason for us to stay behind."

"So, all we need to do is defeat these two, get inside the Iron Doom, and break the crystal that's holding your powers," Harumi formulated, "If we have Karlon there, then that should be easy."

"I'm… guessing that's Karlof's son?" Lloyd asked. Olive responded.

"Yes, it is tradition in Metalonnia for the son to be named after the father. For example, Karlof's father was Karlog, and his grandfather Karlor, and great grandfather Karler," She paused, "Harumi, I have also just confirmed Viper and Umbra have arrived as well. Mizuko and Carnelian have arrived as well."

"Good," Harumi stated firmly, "The more of us, the faster we can end this."

Rather than ask who they were referring to, Lulloyd activated the boosters on his mech dragon, sending them soaring forward into the sky. Harumi and Olive both followed suit quickly.

As soon as Lloyd saw the telltale fog, he knew that they had arrived. Harumi and Olive pierced the cloud wall, while Lloyd and Lulloyd landed the mechdragon on the side of the Mountain of a Million Steps. Its feet dug into the rock, anchoring itself. The entire head rotated around and then ratcheted out horizontal so that Lloyd and Lulloyd had a horizontal surface to rest on.

"Remember," Harumi affirmed again, "Stay out of this. Unless I call for you, don't get involved. You already told us what we need to know. Lloyd Garmadon is dead, and it needs to stay that way. Got it?"

Lloyd nervously affirmed with an 'understood' over the comm. Lulloyd meanwhile stood up and walked over to the rock wall, running his hand against it. Feeling little pebbles dislodge, he looked to the cloud layer just above them and slowly chuckled.

"This kinda reminds me of the Temple of the Fragile Foundations… or, well, apparently it was my dad's childhood home. We went there to get the Ultimate Ultimate weapon to defeat Meowthra… uhm, do you have a Meowthra?"

"No, that name doesn't ring any bells…" Lloyd took note of Lulloyd's dejected expression and followed up with, "How about you go ahead and fill me in about your home, so we can see what we do have in common?"

"Sure, here I think I even have some pictures up in here…" Lulloyd tapped the dark green screen to his dragon and pulled up an image of his mother, "So, this is my mom, Lady Iron Dragon. Her name is Misako but my dad always called her Coco…"

Harumi forced her gaze forward as she watched the two versions of her father hide away under the clouds. The last thing she wanted right now was to even have them here, yet in her haste to leave, she hadn't told them that she didn't need them. With them already on the flight over, it was impossible to get them to turn around. The last thing she wanted was them here, for a fair number of reasons.

"Harumi," Olive switched her comm to a private channel and spoke into Harumi's ear, "Are you in an apt condition for this battle?"

"Of course I am!" Harumi responded curtly, "Let's get rid of these two and get the other two home!"

"I believe I am detecting a large amount of anger in your voice," Olive paused, "Emotional instability is a major factor in battle readiness. Do you believe you can fight?"

"Olive, if I say I can fight, I can," Harumi groaned, "I'll be fine, that's why I'm having them stay out of the battle until we need them. See? I've already accounted for this."

"Yes," Olive spoke cautiously, "But I have encountered a significant number of times that someone has told me they were 'fine' when all sensors and context would indicate they are indeed not 'fine.' Please do not be upset with me for asking: do you believe you can fight today?"

"I can fight just fine," Harumi's hands tightened on her reins, "Olive, just focus on the battle strategy right now, okay? Can you get into contact with anyone?"

"Communications currently are down, I believe a short-wave jamming signal has been established," Olive responded, "Once we are in proximity to the Monastery, radio channels should be fully operational."

"Thanks, Olive," Harumi snapped down on her reins, "Let's make good time, we don't want them finishing the battle without us."

"The chances of that are slim," Olive responded, "But I share the sentiment."

The two both brought their dragons towards each other and began to spin around each other, cutting through the air and allowing them to form a slipstream for the mechdragon behind them to fall into. Harumi found her gaze occasionally drawn back to try to see more of it. Something about it didn't look right to her. It didn't look like any mech she'd seen. It looked strange, and the closest she could put to it would be 'plastic.' But she didn't let herself stare.

Harumi shook herself. She had to focus on what was happening right in front of her, not on her dad that had just barged back into her life. She put him out of her mind as best she can and instead made a mental calculation. Given their rate of travel, the Monastery would appear within two minutes, perhaps shorter if she flew faster. Flying faster seemed better to her, and Olive followed in kind. She heard the noise of something unfolding from the mechdragon to keep up with them.

The cloud layer in the distance was suddenly punctured by a massive mountain, and Harumi brought her dragon up through the layer. Once the two breached the clouds, her eyes were immediately trained on a towering figure in front of them. That had to be the Iron Doom. The thing was massive… the only time Harumi had seen something that large was perhaps… no, she didn't want to think about that either. She shook herself and instead narrowed her gaze while Olive and Harumi banked in opposite directions. The beady eye of the mech turned towards them. The sight was enough to make her shudder.

"Harumi, look at the east wall," Olive pointed out with her hand. Harumi blinked and looked towards the area, only to narrow her eyes in confusion.

The Iron Doom was not standing on the mountain. The eastern wall was almost completely gone, leaving a massive opening that the soldiers that Harumi guessed were the Vermillion were now pouring into. It wasn't as though the wall had been broken by force; in fact, the sides of the wall that remained had strange little rectangular slots that jutted out. It looked almost like the wall had been removed expertly in a chunk.

What was even more odd was the fact that the Iron Doom was currently on a large platform that didn't look like anything she had ever seen. The platform had lines all across it, like it was made of… bricks? The platform extended out in a flat bridge to the section of wall that was gone, forming the path the Vermillion were using to attack. She took note that one of the arms of the Iron Doom didn't look like the rest of the mech, having what looked like a shark head for a hand, and a very thin top section. In fact, it looked like the mechdragon.

In the middle of the courtyard were a number of figures. Blasts of water and lightning arced about the air, followed by that of fire. Harumi quickly counted and took stock of whom she had to work with. Her mind was already formulating her attacks, even as she took note that some of them looked worse for wear. How long had they been fighting already?

"Circle around that thing and see what you can analyze from it," Harumi ordered, "I'm going to go down and help the others!"

Harumi closed her eyes, forming a disc in her hand. She expanded her hands until the disc had a diameter roughly the size of her stance. She launched the disc from her hands, sending it soaring into the air. Her dragon disappeared. She formed two green energy balls in her hands, firing them backwards. The force propelled her forward enough that she landed on her disc. Her right hand guided the disc in a large arc down until she was on the top of the Monastery roof.

"NINJA-GO!" Harumi shouted, picking the disc up and sending it straight down towards the gap in the wall. A small explosion formed when the disc hit the ground, sending armor and snakes in all directions. She landed on the ground in the middle of a throng of her allies.

A small line had formed of elemental masters. More blasts of water and fire rung out, followed by that of wind and stray ice blasts from Olive above. A girl with yellow hair emblazoned with red stripes turned around, grinning at Harumi as soon as she saw her land.

"There she is!" Carnelian grinned as she blasted a fireball into a Vermillion, extending her other hand towards Harumi, "Think I can get a boost?"

Harumi rolled her eyes and reached out, grabbing Carnelian's hand. The girl grinned and turned around to face the oncoming horde, her flames turning green as she rammed her fist into the chestplate of a Vermillion soldier. It exploded into snakes.

"Harumi," Mizuko gasped as she formed a ring of water around her body, "You're finally here! These things, they won't sto-"

"Karlon!" Harumi shouted, "You need to crush the armor so the snakes can't get back into them!"

Her command was issued to a male in metal armor. He wore a large metal helmet and full chainmail, with the symbol of Metalonnia carved into a large shoulder guard. In his hands, he was wielding two small but dense metal hammers. He blinked his red eyes and then nodded his head, turning and pointing his hammer towards a Vermillion warrior. Its eyes bulged out as the metal start to bend inwards, crushing the snakes inside. Those that didn't find themselves condensed quickly fled.

"These things are the Vermillion!" Harumi shouted, "They're just a bunch of snakes. Just find a way to not let them back inside the armor!"

None of the masters present had any desire to question her. Mizuko focused her powers and shot water into three warriors at once, then began to force the water to expand back out from inside the metal. Snakes not drowning quickly escaped as the pressure expanded. As water shot out forward into the snakes, the metal armor they wore would start to contrist as Karlon crushed it. What snakes remained inside of their armor were rapidly blown apart by massive gusts of wind. Fire rang out across the battlefield as Carnelian extended her hand with a grin, heating the metal up until it was unbearable. As several warriors became doused in Mizuko's streams, lighting shot out to electrify them.

A male with brown hair panted heavily, his arms outstanded from the lightning arcs and eyes hazy. Mizuko launched forward and shot a water bolt in front of him, stopping a warrior from taking advantage of his lapse. He turned and muttered something to her as he dropped to his knees and launched himself up the wall to rain lightning from the roof. More warriors had their metal bent out of shape as Karlon picked them up and flung them backwards. Blasts of green energy broke them apart as Harumi focused her powers, making a large green ball. She extended her arms with great effort, raising the ball to form a shield in front of her allies.

Those warriors that hadn't already been defeated rapidly began to retreat. A large blast of wind came from a male standing next to the lightning user, holding him upright as blood ran from many of his wounds. The lightning user collapsed into his arms as more blasts of wind began to throw them off the makeshift bridge and into the misty clouds below. Harumi suspected that her father copies would see them as they went down.

"Harumi!" The wind user called out, "Come on, help me get Raiden inside!"

Harumi turned towards Mizuko, who quickly shot water out in front of her and used it to skid herself over towards the two. When she stopped, she tried to take Raiden out from under the wind user's grasp. He growled at Mizuko in response.

"I'll take him, Souma!" Mizuko huffed, tugging Raiden's limp body forward, "You need to go and help the others!"

"What I need to do is help Raiden!" Souma shot back, "He held off the entire army himself until we got here! I'll make sure he's okay then get back to the battle, but right now I need to help!"

Part of Mizuko seemed to want to argue with him, if the twitch in her face was anything to go by. Instead, she sighed and drew the water she'd slid across the ground to surrounded the three of them in a small sphere, giving them shielding as the two dragged the unconscious master towards the Monastery entrance.

"Where's Umbra and Viper?" Harumi shouted to Carnelian. The girl grabbed Harumi's wrist and used it to flip herself over Harumi's head to deliver a hard kick to a warrior getting up behind her.

"Not sure," Carnelian lit her fists on fire and grabbed the hand of a Vermillion, the heat making it drop the blade so she could in turn grab it and cleave it apart, "They should be on their way!"

Harumi grimaced slightly, "So it's just you, me, Olive, Souma, Raiden, Mizuko and Karlon then?"

Carnelian smirked, "Yep! _We_ get to have all the fun!"

Harumi held her hand out, taking the sword that Carnelian stole. She focused as the sword lit up into bright green flames, which she passed back to her friend. Carnelian stared at it and then her grin turned wicked as she poured more flames into it, making its light almost blinding. She swung it to her left and then outwards, carrying the flames across the battlefield. The flames consumed several warriors, only to then arc up and catch the monastery roof on fire.

"Come on, Carn!" Mizuko shouted as she ran forward, launching a few jet streams at the fires to quell them, "You can't just light everything on fire!"

"Hmm… you're right!" Carnelian extended her hand, "Why not let me handle it then?"

Mizuko stared at her for a moment and then turned around, jumping back into the air and using her water streams to get herself onto the roof. Like Raiden, she began to rain punishment down upon the army that was still converging upon them.

Harumi looked to what Mizuko was doing, then grabbed Carnelian's arms and turned her body towards the jet streams. Carnelian nodded her head and fired fire right into the water, causing steam to rapidly billow upwards and fill the area with it. The warriors were surrounded in the obscuring mist, at which point Harumi launched herself forward and into the crowd.

Warriors that weren't able to see her coming were taken out left and right as Harumi sent her fists into them. Each collision set off a little green burst in their faces, either knocking them backwards or dispersing the snakes. Carnelian followed suit, using her stolen sword simply instead of her flames to obscure herself. Mizuko, still on the roof, followed suit with more and more water that blew apart the snakes.

The fear the three spread throughout the Vermillion ranks were enough to cause the majority of warriors to freeze or begin to retreat. After punching, watering or cleaving apart the warriors for what felt like minutes, soon there were none left to attack. The steam they created began to billow away, revealing that the warriors were indeed on the retreat. Slowly, Harumi panted and straightened herself upwards.

Karlon raised his hands, crushing what armor remained on the battlefield. Unable to get inside anymore, the snakes instead grabbed the twisted plates and began to drag them back towards the hole that Iron Doom had made.

"Status!" Harumi shouted.

"Vermillion warriors have retreated but are not reforming into the mech as Lloyd stated," Olive omitted those last three wrods to all but Harumi over the comms, "Unable to assess material Iron Doom is utilizing, analysis indicates matter deconstruction. Structural integrity of Monastery at 86%."

"Platform not made of metal, Karlon already tried. Karlon could crush machine," Karlon punched his gauntlets together, "Need time to pull it off, though."

"Alright, you get on that," Harumi ordered, "They've retreated for now, but I'm sure they'll strike again. We need to get onboard that thing and take them out before they can get in another attack."

"Once we have Cole here, that'll be no problem," Olive's voice rang out on their comms, "He has already been contacted and is en route. Time to arrival is estimated at twenty minutes."

"Souma!" Harumi shouted, "I need you out here with us!"

After a few seconds of her call, the sliding doors to the Monastery opened, with Souma stepping out. He looked back towards Raiden, currently patched up and breathing faintly on top of a small pillow, and stepped out. He brandished what looked like two sharp talons on the end of wires, one in each hand. He ran up to Harumi and paused.

"Raiden will be fine," Harumi sighed to him, "Are you okay, Souma?"

"I'm fine, Harumi, and yes he is fine!" Souma frowned, "But I have a question. How did you know about the Vermillion?"

"They were in some old texts that I was studying," Harumi lied quickly, "And these were close enough that I figured that they were, you know, the same."

"You sure about that?" Carnelian raised an eyebrow, "Anything else you know we can use?"

"Yes…" A voice rang out behind them, "Anything _else_ you have to tell us now, Harumi?"

The group turned around to see a man with black hair standing on the brick-built platform. He gently brushed his cape back up his arm and let it reveal a large sparking green blade in hand. His eyes shone with a hard tint of arrogance, even beneath the strange paint he had applied to them. He grinned and took a few steps forward, pointing the blade at them. Its green power flashed, and then the man was standing in the middle of them.

"You're rather sly for a ninja," He pointed the blade at Harumi as its green power crackled, "Tell me, who told you about our little army?"

The entire group jumped to attention instantly. Carnelian lit her fists on fire and pointed them directly at the intruder. Mizuko leapt off of the roof and whipped her water out like a whip, grabbing hold of his arm and knocking the time blade out of it. Karlon, who had stepped aside to begin working on what he had planned, spared his attention to grab the metal armor on the man's arm to hold him still as well. Souma stepped back as he unsheathed what looked to be a pair of thin wires he began to spin rapidly in circles, which formed small wind funnels over his arms that threatened to strike him off the cliff.

"You're rather cocky if you thought you could attack me like this," Harumi stated coldly. He simply blinked, then he let out a laugh.

"Am I, Harumi? I'm sure the others have told you all about this by now…" He turned his head to look at the group, "Are you the generation of elemental masters that succeeded my brother and I? Well… here I guess you're the second successors. You're missing a few, by the way."

"What do you want?" Carnelian frowned, "You can't seriously think you can take us all on at once."

"Did I try to?" He pointed his words at her, "You just saw me teleport. I could easily have stabbed any of you if I wanted."

Harumi picked up the time blade from the ground. She looked over it for a few moments, then she attached it to her belt. She shifted her robes about and then stepped forward so she was close to the man.

"I don't care what you think you were doing," Harumi growled, "You can't think that you can win this fight. Call off your warriors right now and we will take you in without injuring either of you."

The man looked around at the five warriors above him. Olive, still in the sky on her elemental dragon, hovered lower towards the ground. A single gust of ice froze his feet to the ground, immobilizing him even further. His only response to this was to just laugh.

"Is this all of you?" He paused, "Well, except for that little zapper earlier. He put up a good fight while the rest of your got here."

"Why you!" Souma let a bit of the wind he had in his right hand loose, blasting the attacker clear in the face. Had Karlon still not been holding his metal-clad arm still, he would have gone flying.

"...Well, I think that response says what I need," He laughed, "I needed all of you here for this, anyhow…"

Harumi noticed something. A flash of orange. The flash came from another man, this one with gray hair and a near identical set of armor, standing on the outstanded arm of the Iron Doom. His face was full of concentration. Before Harumi could cry out, an orange beam shout out as the entire group, Olive and this man included, were entrapped within the reverse blade's effects. All of their perceptions were lost as the blade forcibly time backwards. The forward blade Harumi held onto was reversed to end up back within the man's hand. At the same time, the shark-arm of the Iron Doom took hold of its sword, drawing it up to loom over the Monastery.

As soon as Harumi and the others could see, the black haired man was back on the platform with the forward blade. He became perceptible to them just as the copper sword came crashing down in the direct center of the monastery. The front gate was split in half, along with the roof of the building. Carnelian launched into the building and grabbed Raiden, dragging him out with two bursts of flames from her feet. Souma launched his hands up, the wind stored in his weapons catching the falling debris in the wind before they could crush his team. Another slice of the Iron Doom's sword cut through what he was holding and sent it over the walls.

"Your little team is missing an element, is it not?" The younger one smirked, "Well then, Harumi, let me impart some wisdom upon you! Control time… control _everything!_"

Harumi, Carnelian and MIzuko all formed Rhotatae discs, firing them off directly at him. His blade recharged just enough for him to catch them in the green glow. They reappeared far further along in their arcs, flying off into the distance. He grinned.

Harumi and Mizuko were fast enough to react. Carnelian's disc vanished, but the other two arced around and flung right back at the man's back. The twin had just enough time to see them out of the corner of his eye before two Vermillion threw themselves behind him and took the blows to their torsos. They both were over the sides of the platform into the clouds below as his's grin dropped somewhat..

Another massive swing of the Iron Doom's arm caused the entire east wall to be reduced to nothing more than rubble. The sound hurt Harumi's ears as the ground shook underneath them from the impact. The pieces fell off into the clouds and down towards the surface below. The damage to the monastery was rapidly causing their available fighting ground to dwindle, and as such Harumi quickly fired off another disc at the younger one. This one instead missed him entirely and flew up into the Iron Doom to try to attack where she'd seen the elder one. The disc hit the machine, but the machine didn't budge.

As the arm moved to swing again, this time it was stopped midair. A massive creak split the air followed by an ear-piercing screech. Karlon let out a yell of exertion as the entire joint of the Iron Domo began to twist and peel apart. The snakes inside were exposed as the arm began to convulse. The behemoth roared out in confusion as it was unable to move. Already, Mizuko and Carnelian were racing forward towards Acronix.

"Master… of metal!" Karlon shouted with a small snide grin, "Twins make big mistake using metal machine!"

"A valiant effort! But, sadly, I'm not losing another arm!" The projected voice of the elder one filled the air to combat the sound of the arm being torn open. As more metal plates were twisted, the other arm moved and the shark mouth opened. Karlon turned to try to grab the arm as well, yet his efforts didn't work. The shock of his powers not working on it let the opened mouth reveal two red-tipped missiles that glowed for a brief moment, then fired out towards him.

"Karlon!" Harumi shouted, sending a blast of energy from her hands. It intercept the missiles just in time, yet the explosion on impact sent the entire group flying across the ground. Karlon lost his grip as he was thrown into what remained of the eastern wall, causing the sword arm to resume its motion. The sword cleaved directly down into the very middle of the monastery once more, causing massive cracks to spiderweb over the entire grounds. Harumi was knocked from her feet once by the explosion and then sent up up into the air again by the massive strike. She opened her eyes to see the sword was only a few scant feet from her legs.

Harumi's ears rang from the sound of the explosion. She groaned hard and pushed herself upwards towards her feet, only to have her vision wobble. She struck her head with her palm and forced herself upwards until she was on her feet.

"Harumi!" Lloyd's voice rang out on her comm, "The debris, they're-"

"I've got more important things to worry about!" Harumi cut them off with a tap of her hand. Instead, she raised her hands and blasted two large green energy fireballs directly towards the Iron Doom once more. The two balls merged together and swung right into the sword, causing it to wobble in the machine's grasp. It didn't budge.

"Harumi," Olive spoke up over the comms, "I will distract the Iron Doom, are you alright?"

The rest of the team had slowly gotten up from the massive impact. Karlon had lost his concentration, and his helmet had been knocked off to reveal his blonde hair spilling out over his face. Blood trickled down the side of his temple. His left hammer was broken, showing his hand clinging to a now useless handle. Carnelian had gotten back up and somehow retained a massive cocky grin on her face even with her outfit now gashed open in several places. Souma seemed to be the only one that was unhurt due to the wind tunnel he had around himself, Mizuko and Raiden. Harumi grimaced at that even as Mizuko flashed an apologetic smile.

Harumi looked up to the sight of the icy dragon flying around the Iron Doom, weaving in and out of sword swipes at itself. Olive froze random pieces of the Iron Doom's armor, only to have the snakes break it apart. Harumi looked over across her group, then slowly stood up herself. She wiped away some sweat from her face and then responded slowly, "We're fine, Olive."

A massive amalgamated screech drew the group's attention. The younger man stood at the front of an entire group of warriors, grinning at Harumi. His time blade was now back in the Iron Doom's dial, and instead he had a silver katana in hand. He smirked at the injured group before turning his back to them.

"Now…" His blade flashed, "Let's see what you all are made out of! VERMILLION WARRIORS! DEVOURER EVERYONE IN SIGHT!"

The man stepped backwards and was swallowed by the oncoming warriors. The warriors began to advance, and then split into two ranks. One rank began to march forward across their bridge, while the other stood still. Carnelian frowned heavily at the second rank and raised her fists.

"Oh yeah?!" She shouted, "Go ahead and devourer THIS!"

Carnelian focused and formed a massive disc. The disc grew in diameter to almost the full size of her arm, at which point it began to crackle and burn with flames. Carnelian's feet lit up with flames, at which point she launched up into the sky with the force and fired it. The disc flew directly towards the Vermillion rank that had held back, slamming into them with an explosive force that sent them directly over the bridge and into the clouds.

"Woah…" Carnelian stumbled as the exertion of such a disc suddenly hit her, "...Might gonna… heh, nngghh that was kinda intense…"

Despite Harumi's annoyed glance at her for such a reckless action, the other had already rushed forward. As the Vermillion began to pour in, Karlon, still trying to reorient himself, reached out to throw a warrior up into the air and slam him into the group. Mizuko launched a stream of water into the horde, followed by Souma blasting the snakes on the ground with gusts of air. Harumi dodged oncoming strikes and surrounded her arms in energy to begin pummeling any of them that got close to her.

The Vermillion that were broken apart, however, weren't now reforming. Instead, the snakes were dispersing in all directions. Souma's wind and Mizuko's water had broken apart many of the warriors that were oncoming. Harumi knocked the head of a warrior off of their body, which happened to fly into Mizuko's water stream to knock another to the ground. More warriors began to burn as Carnelian's flames danced across their metal, heating it up once again. Souma brandished his weapons and spun them hard, forming the wind currents around them again. He brought them together in front of him, causing a massive thunderous clap as a massive wind burst blasted into the warriors.

The snakes spread out along the ground, forming a red mass that began to pour over the group's feet. Instantly, the group began to retreat as the snakes slithered around them. Harumi and the others backed onto the remains of the entrance to the former building. The snakes poured out under the wood, forming a red sea in front of them. Souma blew a massive column of wind into the snakes, yet those that were flung backwards just continued to absorb into the mass. Harumi looked around the floor in confusion, unsure what was happening.

"This… that is too easy…" Harumi muttered, "Something wrong, we need to-"

"HARUMI!" Lloyd's voice rang out in her comms, "Listen to me, you guys need to retreat, now!"

Before Harumi could bark at him to be quiet, there was a massive rumbling sound. Slowly, Harumi and the others felt the floor under them being shaken, then the wood cracked. Almost instantly, Misuko looked up to Olive in the sky, who nodded back to her. Mizuko sprayed water out from her hands, while Olive quickly froze it. The others quickly scrambled up the icy path using small stairs Mizuko created. Mizuko anchored the platform with pillars into the ground.

Harumi turned around to see what the creaking was. As the group watched, the entirety of the building that remained was lurched upwards from the ground. The remaining back wall of the Monastery was completely upended, breaking apart in several places as it was sent backwards over the cliff. Yet even as it fell, the group saw that it only fell a small distance. When it hit the cloud layer, it stopped.

Mizuko dispelled the water and Olive the ice, letting the group fall back down to the ground. Harumi had no time to mourn the loss of her childhood home, as now she saw it in front of her. The group watched as a massive humanoid figure rose up, a hand made of rubble slamming into the side of the monastery grounds to pull itself up. Its body was a massive conglomeration of pieces of wall, roof, rubble and furniture that had been ripped from the Monastery. The creature had four large serpentine heads that all writhed about and hissed. When it climbed its way up opposite where the Iron Doom lay, it rose to almost five times the height of Harumi. Red snakes pulsed and swirled about, their necks holding the pieces together.

The creature hissed out, revealing the older man sitting atop its shoulder with a dark grin. He pointed outwards with his right hand and tapped his temple with the left. The amalgamation swung its fist down into the group, scattering them as it added to the splintering of the mountain. The cracks deepened even as the creature readied another attack.

Souma put his hands together along with Mizuko and Carnelian, blasting away at the pieces that the snakes were using to hold such a form. The man simply waved his hand to cause the beast to raise its hand up, using the roof tiles embedded into its forearms to black their blast. Harumi tried to back up to aid them, yet she could her back now to more warriors. The warriors that Carnelian had blasted off the platform had crawled back up the mountain, and now with no wall to stop them, were reinforcing the snakes that had formed the massive creature. The two divisions had trapped them.

Harumi thought fast and quickly fired off four small discs with her hands. She opened her arms and sent the discs into the air. The first flew towards the older man, whom dodged with a simple sidestep. As soon as the disc started to turn back to him, he picked up a piece of rock from his creation and flung it directly into the disc, shattering it. The other two came down, severing two heads on the beast. As a few snakes were severed, the creature bellowed. More snakes began to take its place, moving up and reform the heads. What snakes weren't killed rejoined the mass when they hit the ground.

The fourth disc began to rapidly spin as Harumi focused hard. It became a whirling saw, which arced into the chestplate of the beast. It cut directly through the roof tiles used to form its chestplate, lodging inside the mass.. Harumi quickly began to move it around and about, carving up whatever snakes it could find.

Suddenly, Harumi felt a searing pain in her shoulder. Her concentration was lost and the disc disappeared as she saw the tip of a Vermillion blade in her shoulder. The warrior laughed at her, only for its helmet to be carved inwards by Karlon's metal power. Harumi hissed as the thrust her shoulder forward to remove the blade.

Before she could react, the fixt of the creature was already hitting the ground. Harumi was sent flying again, landing as gracefully she could on the ground and panting heavily. The cracks in the floor only grew in size and scope as the Vermillion poured in from one side and Krux's creature on the other. Souma quickly blasted himself off into the air and then landed behind Harumi to defend her back.

"Harumi, severe structural integrity damage has been detected to the mountaintop," Olive landed behind Harumi and covered her wound in ice, "The mountain cannot sustain repeated impact. Chances of total collapse are at 45%."

"You're saying that thing is strong enough to break the mountain!?" Harumi asked nervously. Olive gave an 'affirmative' to her.

"Harumi!" Mizuko, whom had now dragged Raiden into the center of their group, groaned out, "We can't wait! We have to get out of here!"

Harumi weighed her options. Right now, Raiden was down, and Karlon was worse for wear. They were between two entities, one of which being made of enough of the Monastery to prevent them from breaking it apart. The adaptability of the army was staggering. She still had enough power to form her elemental dragon, but even then, the Iron Doom could fire off shots. Would they even make it far?

"Olive!" Harumi called out, "Stay down here with us, I have a plan."

"Understood," Olive nodded her head, using her robotic arm to help pull Harumi upright, "What do you have in mind, Harumi?"

Harumi put Raiden in the middle of them all, then she used her elemental power to draw a massive circle around them that crackled with green energy. The masters quickly formed up around it, making a makeshift ground for them. Olive, Harumi and Mizuko faced the warriors, while Souma, Karlon and Carnelian pointed towards the behemoth. Harumi waved her hand in a circle, then closed her fist.

The group instantly recalled her strategy. Slowly, each of them formed a disc in their hands, focusing until the discs were almost two feet in diameter. Once they were, they each fired the disc off in front of them, then arced them about the center of their small circle. The discs increased in speed until they formed a band around them, a ring that became incredibly deadly. Harumi and the others focused hard as their speed increased faster and faster until finally Harumi hit her foot onto the ground.

Instantly, the discs all shot off in random directions. With their speed and gathered force, it translated directly from rotational into tangential momentum. They each shot out, three of them cleaving right into the Vermillion ranks and not stopping until they had arced out far past the Iron Doom. The other three curved upwards and dove into the chest of the behemoth as Harumi had done, each cutting down warrior after warrior inside. The discs held on for several seconds before they disappeared.

Both of the men rubbed their heads and winced. Quickly, the older one ordered the remaining snakes to devourer the corpses of those that were cut down. The others watched as the warriors fell upon their brethren, leaving nothing but the armor behind. The snakes that ate looked towards the group, their eyes glowing as the warriors raised their blades and charged.

Olive let out a massive wall of ice in front of them. Warriors rammed into it, their swords picking it apart. Mizuko lobbed shots upwards over the ice wall into said warriors. Harumi did the same, thinning those that were trying to get over them. Meanwhile, Souma sent two wind tunnels into the creature looming over them, holding it at bay. Karlon formed another disc and sent it flying up into heads of the creature. Carnelian sent a column of fire directly into the base of the creature, trying to knock it off the mountain.

"LOOK OUT!" Karlon's shout rang out across the battlefield. Harumi and the others watched as the right arm of the almost forgotten beast grew in size as rubble shifted from the body into it. The older man brought his own right arm up, then slammed it down. The now enlargened arm slammed into the ground, cracking it further. It then swept its arm over the floor, aiming to sweep the entire group, Vermillion included, off the mountain.

Carnelian ran forward, grabbing Karlon's arm. The two nodded, then put their arms out in front of them. They let out equal shouts of effort in preparation. The arm swiped towards them, at which point the two punched into it. The rubble on the arm cracked as they yelled in sync, holding it back. Quickly, the group scrambled forward and leapt to get out of the way. After a few seconds, the war of strength won out as Carnelian and Karlon were thrown over the cliff side.

"I got you!" Souma shouted, his feet forming little wind pockets as he leapt off into the air. He shot forward, his hands reaching out to go and grab the two. Both of them were flailing as they tried to grab onto something. Souma outstretched his hands, preparing to grab them both.

A roar from under him quickly preceded Souma being flung backwards by the sight of Lulloyd's mech dragon rising from the clouds. His eyes were wide with confusion as he watched the mechanoid creature twist its body to use its front feet to grab Souma and Karlon, then throw them directly back over onto the ground. As soon as the dragon was visible, Krux stared at them in shock.

"What?!" The older man sputtered, "Those two, already?! It certainly explains things…"

The dragon wasted no time. The talons shot off from the feet, all rocketing forward as missiles to slam into the cobbled creature. While it did little to damage it, it succeeded in throwing the older man off balance. Lulloyd followed this up by spinning his dragon in a circle, causing the tail to whip outwards and crash forward into the perch atop the behemoth. In order to evade, he was forced to leap off the creature.

"Set her down!" Lloyd shouted. Lulloyd responded by arcing his dragon so that its massive body surrounded the group that was sitting among the now razed ruins of the Monastery, wrapped around them in a protective shell. The dragon roared and let out a massive spray of green fire towards the Iron Doom in a predatory manner.

Both the green ninjas leapt off of the dragon, hoods on. As they landed, Lloyd drew his twin katanas and Lulloyd his curved blade. They rushed forward to take a stand in the small opening left between the dragon's head and tail, staring the Iron Doom down. Almost instantly, Acronix snarled behind the controls.

The Vermillion warriors suddenly halted their progress, swords raised and ready to bash the mech dragon into submission. The massive cobble creature hung limply in the air, awaiting an order as the mass swarmed to keep it together. Krux slowly made his way towards the Iron Doom around the mech dragon, standing in front of the group with a hard frown.

"You two…" He growled, "I thought I sent a clear enough message with _your_ little ninja team," He gestured to Lulloyd, "That you were _not_ to follow us. Apparently, wisdom is wasted on the young."

"What are you doing here?!" Harumi hissed towards them, rushing forward to stand behind them, "I told you to wait for my signal!"

"Your signal was letting several chunks of that building nearly crush us hiding on the mountainside like that," Lloyd shot back, "We're here to help you."

"Oh, new guys!" Immediately, Carnelian rushed forward with her hand outstretched, "Heya, I'm Carnelian, what's up with the outfits, guys?"

Harumi swatted her hand away before Lulloyd could reach out to shake her hand. Carnelian rolled her eyes and stepped backwards, looking to the other masters. Souma panted hard, the exertion of using his wind like that taking its toll. Karlon, no longer able to stand, slumped to the ground and groaned as he got onto his hands and knees. Mizuko had gotten down and began attending to Raiden. Olive, unscathed, looked to Harumi nervously.

"Harumi," Olive spoke quietly, "I do not believe we can take anymore of this. Cole has not given a status update yet. I don't believe we will receive any reinforcements before this battle concludes."

"That guy looks really bad…" Lulloyd looked to Raiden, "Listen, if you need me to, I can get us all out of here on my dragon here. I'll just, need a distraction…"

"We can't run," Lloyd shook his head, "The Iron Doom is way faster than you can take off. Even if we did, we can't fit everyone on that. And I'm sure they're too exhausted to make their elemental dragons." Lulloyd blinked at that.

"Can you?" Harumi muttered. Lloyd shook his head and pointed to the Iron Doom.

"My power was taken from me and is powering that thing right now," Lloyd stated bleakly, "I have just enough to defend myself but that's it. I don't have enough to make my dragon either."

The sound of a sword hitting the ground drew the group's attention. The younger man had strolled up alongside his brother, knocking a simple katana against the rocks. Neither of them held the time blades nor helmets on. Harumi quickly confirmed they were now plugged into the Iron Doom.

"Krux!" Lloyd growled, "And Acronix. You should have known that we would follow you!"

"Uh… Flux and Ardonix?" Mizuko blinked.

"Older one is Krux," Lulloyd pointed with his blade, "Younger one is Acronix. Or, that's what I've gotten so far."

"Perhaps a battle like this… was in haste," Acronix spoke calmly, "I think right now, a… negotiation is in order."

"A negotiation?" Olive blinked, "The circumstances do not lend themselves to that. Why are you offering this?"

"Because we've gone through more snakes than we want to," Krux explained, tapping his head, "We have a telepathic connection to the hive. We feel each and every one of the deaths that it suffers. We would prefer to minimize that tonight, if we can."

"You should've thought of that before you attacked us!" Carnelian frowned hard, "We're not just some kids, you know!"

"Harumi…" Souma spoke up, his fists becoming the center of mini tornados, "Give me the word, and I will blast these two right off this rock. I'll hurt them like they've hurt us!"

For a moment, Harumi weighed her options. Without the master of earth, they couldn't knock the Iron Doom off the cliff. Karlon was hurt from the explosion and Raiden had taken extensive damage from before she'd arrived. The group had been fighting for awhile, and the constant attacks had worn them down. If she started a fight now, would it work?

"Wait a minute…" Lulloyd spoke up, looking at the platform the Iron Doom stood on, "Those… those are bricks! Where did you get those?!"

The twins looked to one another for a moment. Then Krux started to snicker. Lulloyd wasn't sure what that meant, but the two didn't seem to care. They just continued to snicker to one another for a few moments before Harumi cut them off.

"Fine, let's negotiate!" She spoke firmly, "What do you want?"

The twins stopped their little chuckling and reoriented themselves. Acronix lifted his blade up into the air and slowly hovered it around the ground. Lloyd and Lulloyd raised their blades to attack him. The point of the sword, however, didn't move forward, and instead moved to point to Harumi.

"You," Acronix smirked, "You will come with us as insurance that we will not be attacked as we leave. It's as simple as that."

The group behind Harumi immediately tensed up. Each of them slowly began to summon what little of their element they could, getting ready to attack. Harumi's expression didn't change as she looked back and forth to the group that was behind her. She looked to Lloyd.

Lloyd turned towards Acornix, "How do we know you won't hurt her?"

"I don't think you have any say in this," Acronix's smirk fell, "You two are a third party in this. I think you should sit this one out!"

With that, Acronix suddenly flung several Vermillion snakes from underneath his cloak. Both Lloyd and Lulloyd were struck by them. The snakes moved fast and constricted around their hands and feet, restraining the two of them. A simple shake sent the two onto the ground. Another two snakes crawled up and positioned themselves onto their necks.

"Move, and they will bite. Vermillion are bred from the Devourer… and trust me," Krux sneered, "We've already seen that they can devour _people_ just fine."

Harumi wanted to move to intercept the snakes, but doing so would put the two at risk. Slowly, she turned to the group, and to Olive specifically. Olive slowly looked back towards the group as well before a hatch in her arm opened up. She walked up to Harumi and gripped her hand tightly, looking up at her. Harumi turned back towards the twins and took a deep breath.

"Fine," Harumi growled, "Do what you want with me. But you are to leave the rest of them alone. Is that a deal?"

The group shouted in protest. As they each cried out in shock, Harumi raised her fist and closed her hand. The group silenced themselves as she slowly exhaled and took a step forward.

"Harumi… you can't trust them!" Lloyd shouted. The snake on his neck bit down lightly.

Harumi looked to the two for a moment. She frowned hard at him, "You can't tell me what to do. I have to protect _my_ team."

Harumi paused and stepped forward towards Olive. She gently leaned in and whispered, "When I hit them, flash freeze them, got it?"

"Affirmative," Olive nodded her head, "I will keep the team safe in your absence, Harumi."

Thankful that Olive had picked up on her subtlety, Harumi took a deep breath and stalked forward. As she passed her two downed fathers, she gently let her hand curl up and begin to charge a tiny dense Rhotate disc. It wouldn't be enough to take them down, but it would be more than enough to stun them. Harumi stepped forward towards Krux and Acronix, whom parted to let a group of Vermillion warriors move forward and grab her lims and restrain her. She turned her head away in disgust as the snakes that formed the 'heads' of the creatures leaned towards her and hissed in her face. The disc in her hand grew larger.

Before she could do anything, the disc that Harumi held was extinguished as a Vermillion reached forward and forced her hand shut. Her eyes widened as she let out a gasp, struggling to tear her arm away. Snakes rapidly began to curl up and around her body. Acronix walked forward and moved to put himself directly into Harumi's face as he let out a little condescending 'tssk tssk tssk' towards her.

"That little trick won't work on us… but we could use it," Acronix turned his back to them, "You ninja, never an honest fighter. I guess you deserve something for trying such a cliche trick like that. Vermillion… devour her."

"HARUMI!" Lloyd shouted, only to feel the serpent bite down again. Blood started to trickle down his neck as Krux shushed him.

Harumi let out a shriek as several snakes lashed out from the warriors, swarming over her body. They quickly wrapped around and constricted around her, covering her body in their tendrils. A warrior moved in front of her, smiling at her until its face melted into the tens of serpents all pointed towards her, their fangs open and moving forward straight for her face. Harumi's eyes widened as all of the snakes reared to bite into her.

A sudden flash of white blinded Harumi. In a split second, Olive had launched forward, showing inhuman speed as she passed thrust Krux and Acronix aside to get to her. Her hand reached out and gripped Harumi by her outfit and pulled her directly out of the mass. Harumi was flung off to the ground as Olive turned, holding icy orbs in her hand as she raised a fist to flash freeze a warrior solid.

She never got that chance. In a split second, Krux had gotten back to his feet and rushed her from behind. With his knee to her back, Krux grabbed her right arm and pulled back as hard as she could. Olive stared in shock as he twisted with enough force to break a human's arm. While her robotic parts weren't enough to snap, it caused her hand to malfunction. Krux let go, then used his knee to kick her forward directly into the swarm.

"OLIVE!" Harumi shouted as Olive's body was rapidly consumed by the snakes. They bit down into every facet of her body, sinking their teeth past flesh and metal and into what was underneath. Sparks emanated from the group as each portion of her body was bitten open and then ripped apart. Olive's eyes flashed for a brief moment before those two were bitten into. A twisted sound of metal being ripped apart accompanied her head being ripped from her body as the warrior collapsed into a mass, all ripping apart Olive's body right in front of them all.

As Harumi watched in horror as they consumed her friend, Krux's expression was livid. He looked to Harumi on the ground and then growled. In his anger, he and struck the ground with his foot. The rocks that were there suddenly turned a light blue, and then they burst apart. Gray bricks of the same color were scattered everywhere, only for his body to rapidly pick them up. Lulloyd immediately saw a technique he knew far too well used to create a massive crude hammer that Krux grabbed and flung over his head, striking the group directly in the center.

Quickly, they scattered. Lloyd took a deep breath and focused all the power he had into his hands. They glew brightly with energy, and the snake that was attached to him was rapidly burned away by the power. His hand immediately grabbed the one on his neck, burning it away until its grip loosened on his neck. He shot his energy ball into the one that was biting into Lulloyd, causing it, too, to wither away.

Krux and Acronix both focused. The snake mass around Olive had disappeared, leaving nothing in its wake. The snakes reconstituted into their warrior forms, drawing their blades. The Twins looked upon the group and simply smirked, taking a few steps backwards as the warriors moved to protect them. It was a simple walk to the base of the Iron Doom, and by the time the group was fighting the snakes again, the two quickly rushed inside.

The warriors descended on the group, climbing over the mech dragon to try to pour into the center. Lulloyd hit a button on the side of his dragon, causing the spines to fire off and force them down. Lloyd rushed up to his feet, drawing his swords. The Iron Doom stared down at them, bathing Lloyd in a red glow. His confidence wavered as such a massive foe stared them down.

A scream of exertion made Lloyd turn around. Karlon had stood back up, his hands outstretched and face twisted with effort. The Iron Doom was frozen, and then began to shake. The elemental master began to stretch his hands outwards, as though he was trying to push apart several hundred ton blocks. A large seam formed straight down from the chest to the bottom of the Iron Doom, one which began to creak and split apart. Karlon shouted harder as the metal seam split further and further apart.

Gusts of wind began to batter the Iron Doom. Souma had joined in Karlon's effort, blasting the Iron Doom with gale force winds. The machine began to sway as the sheer force rocked it. Columns of water shot up from Mizuko's hands, battering straight into the hole that Karlon was ripping apart. Carnelian had her arms outstretched two, one hand firing a column of fire that began to rapidly heat the metal the snakes resided in.

Harumi remained on the ground, stunned. Her breath was coming in short gasps, and a cold feeling was spreading through her. She slowly looked up, however, as she saw Lulloyd rushing in front of her. His eyes were trained on the platform the Iron Doom stood on. He looked back to the group fighting, then to the platform again.

With as much speed as he could muster, Lulloyd ran into the crowd. Harumi watched with vacant eyes as he swung his sword into each oncoming warrior, fighting to keep them at bay. When they became too thick, he jumped up and used their helmets as stepping stones. The Iron Doom couldn't see him through its ordeal as Lulloyd grew closer and closer to the platform.

With his fist pulled back, Lulloyd shouted and struck the platform as hard as he could. The bricks quivered, and then began to fall apart. Technic beams having held up the platform broke and fell off. The entire platform broke apart as the Iron Doom began to fall backwards from the assault. Lulloyd closed his eyes and delivered an even harder strike to the platform, hard enough to throw himself backwards.

The entire shelf broke apart. The Iron Doom bellowed in terror as its body rocked and then was sent falling off into the misty clouds below. The bricks rapidly moved and reformed up until they had all joined together to form a completely untouched portion of the Monastery wall. Once they had, the blue glow surrounded them again. They immediately returned to the matter that they had apparently broken from.

As Lulloyd stared in shock as this development, Lloyd ran and leapt up into the air. He landed on top of the newly built wall and looked down into the clouds. Nothing rose up from it. After a few seconds, the cobble creation behind them suddenly collapsed apart, the snakes dispersing in all directions. The group tensed for a moment, then watched the warriors on the battlefield do the same. The snakes scattered about, all swarming about in various direction. Souma directed his fists down onto the ground, blowing them either towards or off the cliffsides as fast as he could.

"Did…" Lulloyd gasped, "Did… we win?"

Lloyd opened his mouth to speak. Then, the anguished wailing of Harumi from behind them stopped him. She pressed her head into the ground where Olive had been ripped apart, tears pouring from her eyes as her entire body was wracked with sobs. The answer to the question lay within her cries that filled the air around them.


	8. Chapter 8

"You mean…" Zane whispered in disbelief. Slowly, Lloyd nodded his head.

Zane looked down towards the floor, his pupils shrinking. The two sat in the middle of Dareth's apartment, sitting on the couch together. His home was far larger than that of the Dojo Lloyd knew of, and sitting now in front of them made the space feel far too massive for its own good. Dareth sat in a large recliner across from the two of them, his expression falling again. He looked over towards a small hallway that led to a few bedrooms.

"I… can't believe it," Dareth mumbled, "Why would someone want to do that to her?"

"Those two want to take over everything," Lulloyd, who sat on the floor, sighed, "It doesn't matter to them who they have to step on to get to that."

Zane didn't respond. Lloyd reached out and tried to take his hand, but Zane pulled away. The android took in a deep breath that came out as a shuddering sigh. His curled his hands into fists and his entire body shook as the information processed to him. His expression seemed to melt into something unreadable, making Lloyd's heart race even harder.

"I'm… keeping updates on what happened," Lloyd bit his lip, "I'll let you know if they find anything. They might actually be able to find her."

Lloyd was lying. After the battle, they had found scattered parts of the Iron Doom down the cliffside, and even a massive crater where is landed. Yet aside from the disturbing sight of hundreds of dead and squashed snakes, there was no sign of the actual mech itself. It was as though it had completely vanished. The earpiece that Lloyd still had in was directly linked to all of the other masters as they searched for it everywhere they could think of looking.

"Olive was not like me…or her mother... " Zane shook his head, "She was part human. Even if they did find her, we cannot simply reconstruct her body. She… she is gone."

Dareth stood up, "I need to check on Harumi…" He turned towards the hallway and slowly walked into it. He went to knock on a door that had been shut at the end of it, slowly sighing as he opened it up with a key and stepped inside.

"We have to stop them…" Lulloyd muttered, "They were going to kill my dad, and… and they actually did to Olive. They were going to eat Harumi too. We can't let them just, get away with it!"

"We can't do anything right now," Lloyd sighed, "We don't even know where they are."

Suddenly, Zane stood up. He simply stood there for several minutes, as if he had seen something and now it had vanished beyond his sight. He looked around the room, then he made his way over towards the door. Small trickles of tears were starting to run down his face, even as his eyes looked completely normal. He stood in front of the door for even longer, staring into the wooden grains without moving.

"I need to tell Pixel what happened," He declared solemnly, "Do not wait up for me, please. I… thank you for telling me this information. I can… understand how difficult this was for you. It seems Lloyd's heart was still pure, even at such a young age."

Before either of the two could stop him, Zane had closed the door behind him. Lulloyd looked away awkwardly as Lloyd gripped his fists and struck the chair under him. It groaned out in frustration as he did so.

"Hey…" Dareth stepped back into the room, "You two want anything? I got water, juice, a bunch of soda, and if you want something else feel free to raid the kitchen. I'm just grabbing some stuff here for Harumi…"

"Is… is Harumi okay?" Lulloyd asked quietly. Dareth turned towards him and frowned before he spoke.

"To be honest… I don't know. I haven't seen her this upset since… well…" Dareth cleared his throat, "Don't worry, Uncle Dareth will help her through this!" He forced a smile onto his face and pulled a few items from the fridge before rushing over towards Harumi's room.

An awkward silence descended upon the room. Lulloyd wanted to take Dareth up on that offer, but Lloyd's downcast face made him reconsider. After a few awkward moments of staring at the table in front of them, Lulloyd put a smile on his face and tapped the table.

"So, I uh, actually found out how I can master build in universes like yours," Lulloyd motioned to the table. He took off the few implements on top, then he brought his fist down onto the table. After a second, it turned blue and then for a split second turned into a component structure made of the same bricks that Lloyd had seen in his world. A second later and it shattered into the pieces making up that build.

"It turns out that, like, if I focus my mind into it, then I can turn things into bricks," Lulloyd lifted up a tile, "And, from what I saw, if I break apart what I've built before I build something else, then they all attract together and turn back into whatever I broke them apart of. Like, here..."

Lulloyd turned into the rectangular blur and quickly began to reassemble the table. Since he was just building something random, he made two stick figures out of the plates and tiles so that the two figures were holding hands. He stood it up awkwardly and smiled to Lloyd as he used his hand to make one of them wave.

Lloyd's look was somewhat distant, but he smiled regardless, "I'm glad you figured that out. It'll help us when we find them again."

"Oh… right, find them again…" Lulloyd struck the build with his fist, causing it to break apart. The blue glow surrounded the bricks and then Dareth's table was back in its fully non-brick form. Lulloyd replaced the adornment on top and looked away again.

Lloyd was deep in thought. Not counting when he'd gotten his power taken, that was the two's third battle with the time twins. The first one he hadn't even partaken in, but Garmadon had nearly taken them out. The second and third had both been disasters. Their mech ran on snake power, and if what they had found inside of the museum said anything, that army was constantly replenishing itself. If they wanted to take the twins out, they had to do it in one big push.

The twins had been powerful before, but if they were able to gain powers by devouring people, then that was even worse. After the battle, Lloyd had concluded that if the Vermillion devoured someone unique to that universe, than they would gain powers. If one looked at Master Building and Rhotatae as analogues for Spinjitzu, then it would explain how the twins could gain that power. Did the Vermillion also gain that power as well?

"Harumi!" Dareth's voice rang out from the hallway, "Harumi, I think we need to talk a little more about this!"

"I don't have anything to talk about to anyone but him," Harumi shouted in response as she made her way out to the living room. When she stood in front of the two, both of them winced. Harumi's eyes were red and puffy from crying, and her clothes obviously hadn't been changed. The look of rage in her eyes, however, was what made the two want to cower away.

"Get out," Harumi stated firmly, "Get out of here and never come back."

"What?" Lloyd stood up, "Harumi, we can't do that. We still need to look for the Twins."

"I'm handling that," Harumi shook her head, "We don't need you. You've made all this worse. Get out and let us handle this."

"They… kinda stole out powers…" Lulloyd frowned, "I would really like to leave but, we kinda need those back."

"Then we'll get them back. And then we'll never have to see each other again!" Harumi declared angrily, "LEAVE!"

"We're not leaving!" Lloyd raised his voice, "We're here to help! Listen, I'm sorry for what happened to Olive but-"

"Oh, you're SORRY?!" Harumi's hands began to glow with power, "You brought those two to this place because you weren't able to stop them! You dragged HIM along with you cause you couldn't fix your own mistake! Then you ruin my book signing, you look exactly like my dad, and now I've lost both my childhood home AND my best friend! And that's all in just ONE DAY!" Harumi's temper was fuming, "You should be SORRY that you weren't even able to stop those two from messing up our worlds! You should be SORRY that you couldn't STOP THEM FROM MURDERING OLIVE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!"

"HARUMI!" Dareth's shout came from behind her. The man laid his hands on her shoulder and gently gripped them, "I think you need to calm down."

Harumi's face contorted in anger for a few moments. The balls of green energy she was forming slowly sparkled out as she seemed to go limp in Dareth's grasp. Tears started to pour down her face, irritating the already reddened skin as she shook her head. Her hair fell out of its bun and cascaded over her face, hiding it from the two.

"Just leave... " Harumi mumbled, "My dad's dead and now Olive is too… you've done enough…"

Lloyd was stunned. He thought of something, anything he could say to her. Nothing formed from his mouth. Lulloyd slowly stood up and walked over towards the door, picking up his mech dragon brick and placing it on his back. He looked to Lloyd for a few moments.

"Okay," Lloyd stated sadly, "We'll go. I'm… I'm sorry that I didn't prevent this when I had the chance."

All he got from Harumi was a whine. Dareth looked to the two sadly, but didn't have anything to say that could help them. He just gave them an apologetic look as he slowly moved to take Harumi back towards her room. She didn't budge and instead stood there, motionless.

Slowly, Lulloyd and Lloyd walked towards the door. The cold air of the city blew away the warmth of Dareth's apartment all at once. Once outside, the two were met with the sight of hundreds of cars flying by. Likely none of them knew of what was happening or had happened. Lulloyd sighed sadly, looking back towards the door as it closed on them. The two stood outside for a few seconds, letting the sounds and sights fly by them.

Wordlessly, Lloyd made his way down the stairs. Dareth's apartment was in a large building that housed hundreds of the things. As it were, the city was set up with a series of fifteen 'layers,' with each layer being the walkways and catwalks that they'd taken an elevator to earlier. Each layer was every ten stories. Dareth's apartment was near the fourteenth layer, meaning that the night sky was within view. The stairs they took lined the entire building, and were designed to stop at every layer to allow for the residents to go on with their days.

"Think, uh, we should take my dragon somewhere?" Lulloyd tapped the brick on his back, "Might help?"

"I don't exactly think that thing is street legal, plus we don't even know what the rules of the road are here…" Lloyd paused, "Do, you know how to drive?"

"Yeah, I mean, kinda?" Lulloyd looked up, "Uhh… I kinda learned how to having to fight my dad about, every few days, but he also made an effort to teach me when we were going to the Temple of Fragile Foundations, so I'm pretty sure I can at least, fake it."

As the two continued to ascend stairs, with Lulloyd using the railing to more or less hop each one given his leg constraints, Lloyd paused and then shook his head, "Better not. I don't think people would understand what the bricks are anyways."

"Oh… right…" Lulloyd frowned, "Sorry, I, keep forgetting that you guys, didn't live in a world where you pretty much took anything apart when you needed to."

Lloyd didn't know how to respond to that, so he didn't. Lulloyd's expression fell slightly without conversation. Once the two were at the nearest layer, Lloyd simply picked the direction going away from the apartments and started walking, Lulloyd followed slowly, staying quiet. A few times, he tried to open his mouth to think of something to say. Then he saw Lloyd wasn't even looking at him and then he silenced himself.

Lloyd's mind wasn't focusing so much on the destination as much the beginning. Specifically, Harumi. In the span of a day, he'd met his daughter, learned that it had been with the person that he watched… and then he had a hand in getting her best friend killed. It was no wonder to him that she didn't want to see him. He fully understood why it was that she told them to leave, and he didn't even have a good argument for it.

But at the same time… that was his daughter. When he thought about it, it wasn't the fact that it was his daughter. It was the fact that her mother was her. His fist tightened just thinking about her. Manipulating him, then trying to kill him over and over again, wealsing her way into getting Garmadon to call her 'daughter' and then it being his plan that led to… that led to that. He couldn't even process the image in his mind. He couldn't process a lot of things as of late. But the eyes that Harumi had under her hair when she yelled at the two to leave, they reminded him too much of the last time he saw his Harumi's own.

The city loomed in front of them. Lloyd walked over to a small slice of railing and leaned against it. Both above and below him, hovercars were flying by with almost no noise. It reminded him of when Borg had completely transformed Ninjago City after his battle with the Overlord. Even if he'd been out on tours, he'd gotten the chance to ride in a few of them before the city outlawed them after the Golden Master incident.

Was this what Ninjago would have become, had he finished the Overlord off properly? Even if the other ninja joked that Borg shouldn't have built a tower right on the spot, it wasn't Borg that failed to completely destroy him. In this world, he didn't even face the Overlord. So that meant no Golden Master, or at least, that would have happened far later. Was this the place that would have resulted, had he not made such a massive mistake?

Lloyd looked down. He looked down to the hundreds of people worming their way among the layers. He'd never expected there to be so many Serpentine. Almost one in every five people he saw had scales. Did the races now exist in harmony too because he hadn't messed up in this place? The sight of a Hypnobrai walking side by side with humans, with none of them covering their eyes, it was a sight that he hadn't known he needed to see until now. And from what Zane said, he even still opened the tombs in this world. What would Garmadon think of all this?

"What do you think of dad?" Lloyd asked without thinking, "Garmadon, I mean."

"Huh?" Lulloyd, who'd been simply rocking back and forth on his feet to kill time, turned his attention to Lloyd, "Like… what do I think of him?"

"Well… yeah," Lloyd shrugged, "I mean… it sounds like he wasn't there for a big part of your life either. Or at least, he wasn't, like a father to you."

"I… I don't really know how I feel about him…" Lulloyd sighed, "When I was a kid, I, I always hated him. All the other kids would pick at me and make fun of me. They'd steal my stuff and then beat me up because they all knew I was related to the guy that kept breaking down the city all the time. In the early days, Wu was the one that protected us. I couldn't do anything. I mean, my mom tried to help me beat up the bullies but, it never ended well. And I ended up hating my dad. I hated him for not being there, I hated him for being… for being him, you know?"

Lloyd just nodded his head. He'd felt that way a few times. Specifically on the Dark Island, when all Wu and Misako told him was that he had to kill his father to prevent what could happen. He grew to hate his father not because he had to, but because he hated the fact that his father couldn't have been anyone else to prevent them having to fight.

"And… then I got older, and the older I got I felt, lonely. I still hated him. I still didn't want anything to do with him. But… but then, I started seeing all the other kids learning stuff with their dads and, how my mom was bending over backwards for me, and I felt, sad. Sad that, I couldn't share anything with my dad. Like, I just, wanted to be able to come home and tell him about my day. That was it. Just someone to talk to that wasn't my mom or the ninja or Wu. And… and then, then we ended up having to work together to stop my mistake.

"Suddenly, all I felt about him just got twisted up. I realized, I admired him. He never had any bullies, never had any doubts about himself, never had to train for weeks to learn how to swing a sword the right way. He was just, incredible. But he was still my dad. He was still Garamdon, the Warlord. For a while, I was so hurt when I realized that. He'd never be the dad that I wanted growing up. It took awhile, but now… now, I realize that I think he's the dad that I need. Or, the dad that I never knew I needed. I still get upset thinking about the fact it took me until I was grown up to get to know him well… but, I also don't think I would want to trade him in. He's not the best dad but, he's mine. Does, that all make sense?"

"Yeah," Lloyd smiled, "I think it does. I kinda feel the same way."

Lulloyd blushed slightly, realizing just how long he'd ended up rambling. He straightened his torso up to then lean up against the railing to look to Lloyd directly.

"So… what now?" Lulloyd asked awkwardly, "Do… we, uh, go and find a place to sleep?"

"I'm not sure…" Lloyd responded, "I'm… still kinda processing everything that happened earlier I think I still have some money, maybe I can get us a hotel room somewhere. We just gotta figure out where exactly the hotel is."

"I think I could rebuild my dragon to work as a little house," Lulloyd gestured to his brick, "If we can find somewhere to set it up then I'm sure that will work."

Lloyd weighed his options. They didn't know the city well, so the dragon wasn't a bad idea. That required them finding somewhere to put it though, which looped back to the first problem at hand. A map could help them. Sadly, this wasn't the type of tourist town that had maps nearly every three blocks. And he was certain Harumi wouldn't appreciate them going back for directions. In fact… what way had they came from, again?

Before the two could say anything else, a beeping from Lloyd's earpiece he'd all but forgotten about startled them. Slowly, Lloyd reached up and pressed it, awkwardly giving a little, "Hello?"

"Hey," A voice that Lloyd knew too well came off on the other end, "Where are you guys? You need a place to stay?"

"Kai?" Lloyd gasped, "You're… wait, how'd you?"

"Dareth called me earlier," Kai's gruff voice chuckled, "Here, just head up to the top of Dareth's place, I'll come pick you up. Cole and Jay will be here soon too. They all kinda wanna see you."

"Wait, wait, Dareth called you?" Lloyd blinked, "What'd he tell you?"

There was a bit of a sad sigh on the other end, "Well, pretty much all we needed to know. That you're with someone else and you're both from other worlds where things happened way differently. I kinda wanna hear it all in person."

"Uhm… sure, yeah, sure thing!" Lloyd smiled awkwardly, "I appreciate that, uh... Kai."

"And I appreciate that you uh… Lloyd," Kai sniggered, "The others can't wait to see you."

Kai dropped off the line. Lloyd slowly turned to Lulloyd and gave a little smile.

"Wait!" Lloyd quickly hit the earpiece again, "We, uh, don't know where we are! We kinda, wandered off."

After a few seconds, Kai got back on, "Yeah, I can see that. That comm has tracking built into it. Just stay right there, we'll swing by and pick you up."

"Yeah, thanks Kai!" Lloyd sighed in relief and then turned to Lulloyd, "I think we just got us a place to stay."

\--

As Lloyd and Lulloyd stepped out of the automated taxi that had picked them up and into the sliding doors to a rather beautiful penthouse, Lloyd slowly raised his eyebrow.

"You didn't tell us you were bringing friends, Kai…"

Kai slowly gave a small grin and leaned up against Skylar. The two looked far, far older than Lloyd had last seen them. Kai's hair was the biggest thing Lloyd noticed: it was no longer spiky, and instead was slicked backwards against his head to have the spikes come out the back. He was wearing a robe that looked akin to something like that of Masser Wu's robes black robes, yet instead with red as the accent color and a unique set of symbols along it. Beside him stood Skylar, whom, aside from her hair having a tad bit of orange now at the roots, looked somewhat unchanged.

"Well you know me," Kai chuckled, "Master of surprises."

Behind Kai, the massive living area of the house was filled with people Lloyd had never seen. All of them looked to be around Harumi's age. When Lloyd looked closer, he realized that he could see Carnelian, Souma, Karlon, Mizuko and Raiden in the group. It only took him a few moments to quickly catch on.

"Why'd you bring the Elemental Masters here?" Lloyd asked in confusion.

"'Cause they asked to meet you," Kai's smile fell, "And, uh, a few of them didn't believe what Harumi said was true. So, I brought them here. Plus, you know, they usually have a bunch of get togethers like this. Last time it was at Jay's place, this time it was our turn."

As soon as the two stepped past Kai and Skylar, Carnelian jumped to her feet. She walked over briskly and planted herself in front of Lloyd, a wide grin on her face.

"Heya!" She beamed and extended her arm, "I think we met at that battle, but I'm Carnelian, Master of Fire!"

"Oh," Lulloyd stepped forward and extended his hand, "My Kai back home can make fire, I'm L-"

Suddenly, a tall and thin girl wearing dark black clothes and sporting closely cut purple hair swatted Carnelian's hand out of the air. Her complexion was stern and toned. Her clothes were nearly skintight, and seemed to shimmer in the light when she moved. From that alone, it was easy to see while she was a bit short on height, she had a fair bit of muscle. She turned to Lulloyd and grimaced.

"Excuse her, please," The girl spoke in a thick heavy accent that made her bled into her words, "She tries that trick with everyone. She's not fire."

"And don't listen to Ren here!" Carnelian tried to extend her hand again, "I'm the Master of Fire!"

Lloyd raised his eyebrow, "Let me guess, you're Amber?"

Carnelian's face twitched slightly. She removed her hand and stepped backwards. Lloyd could hear her muttering 'worth a shot…'

"As she mentioned," Ren bowed her head, "I am Ren, Master of Form, Deputy of the Elemental Alliance. I have heard that your intervention saved the group from death. I thank you for keeping my friends safe."

"It was nothing!" Lulloyd got out instantly, "Just helping out where we can! That's what it means to be ninja!"

"I'm glad someone holds that perspective," Ren nodded her head, "Come, introductions are in order."

Lloyd and Lulloyd both had their hands taken by Ren -Carnelian snorted in response to that- and dragged forward into the room. Almost instantly, Souma was in front of them. Quickly, he dropped down to his hands and knees in front of them and shook his head.

"Thank you so much for your help!" Souma trembled, "I, I was certain that we were going to be facing our ends. As… as unfortunate as outcome that was, please, accept my thanks!"

"Of course," Lloyd nodded, "It was the right thing to do. He must have fought bravely to have lasted that long."

"If I can do anything for you," Souma's tone suddenly dropped into a serious one, "I will not hesitate to help. Anything, please."

"Well… I do have one question. You were using wind back there, weren't you?" Lloyd asked curiously, "Can I ask something?"

"Yes!" Souma smiled warmly, "Anything."

"What's your relationship with Morro?" Lloyd asked with his eyebrow raised.

Almost instantly, Souma's smile fell. He looked down and let out a small sigh, his expression downtrodden. Carnelian and Ren gave Lloyd a harsh look, one that Lloyd didn't understand.

"Morro is my uncle," Souma explained coldly, "Well, half-uncle. My grandfather had sons and daughters all over Ninjao. When Morro… perished, as soon as I was old enough, his power passed onto me. I never Morro a day in my life, nor my parents."

"I-I'm sorry," Lloyd shook his hands, "I didn't mean to touch on something so personal…"

"He got asked that a lot once the whole situation with Morro was published…" Ren sighed, "He would prefer to distance himself from the public image of Morro, if you would."

Lulloyd suddenly had two people flanking him on either side. One of them was a Hypnobrai, one that sported the large cobra-like head frills with a light yellow going through his torso and the traditional deep red eyes. The other was a Venomari that appeared to be one of the lower ranks, though unlike many he had all four eyes that were an unusually bright blue.

"My name is Somnam, Massster of Mind," The Hypnobrai smiled widely, "It'sss nice to meet you."

"Mine is Viperia," The Venomari's voice gave away a female body, "Viper for short. Massster of Poison. I know, it's a bit cliche that we Serpentine get the powers that match our tribe. We were on our way to join the battle but got a bit sssidetracked."

"Uhm…" Lulloyd blinked, "Uhm… I don't have uhm… snake people back home."

"You don't have Serpentine?" Somnan blinked, cocking his head. He and Viperia looked to one another, and then they grinned.

As Lulloyd suddenly found himself being dragged away by the two of them, Lloyd walked up to Mizuko and Raiden. Raiden was covered in bandages, but aside form an eye being covered, he seemed to be up and about on his feet without issue. He smiled warmly and nodded to Lloyd.

"You've been a wonderful help," Raiden beamed, "I was personally a little worried about what would happen to me if you hadn't, you know…"

"Truly," Mizuko beamed, "So… you're Lloyd?!" Suddenly Mizuko was in front of Lloyd, speaking faster than Lloyd could follow, "Where'd you come from? What's it like where you live? What was that dragon you were riding? What's going on with your hair? Oh, no wait, who made your ninja outfit? Who's your friend? Why do you carry two swords like that, aren't katanas supposed to be two handed weapons?!"

"...Yes," Lloyd used his answer to when he met an adoring fan. Mizuko blinked at him, then she shrugged and bounced away.

"Karlon want to say hello!" Suddenly, Lloyd was caught up in a hug from behind that certainly broke at least something of his, "Green one good ally!"

"Wheeze t-thank you Karlon!" Lloyd gasped out, "C-Can't… breathe…!"

Karlon slowly let go of Lloyd, who crumpled to his knees before he got up. Lloyd looked to Ren still standing behind him, who currently was humming a little tune to herself.

"Are these all you all have right now?" Lloyd asked Ren, "I think… I don't see Sound, Speed, Nature, Light, Earth, Gravity or Smoke."

"You know a lot about Elemental Powers," Ren stated simply "Currently, we do not know where the Master of Earth, Speed and Nature are. Not all powers translate to the next generation so linearly. The Master of Light, Tynda, is currently at home protecting her own family from the elements, while Fang, the Master of Smoke, doesn't join us if it isn't an emergency. Issac is our Master of Gravity and he is… otherwise busy. As for the Master of Sound…"

Suddenly, there was a massive rumble that went through the entire room. Kai and Skylar both cringed as a beautiful and slender woman stood holding a microphone. In her hands she had what looked to be a fusion of piano and guitar, and she hit another note to send another blast through the room. Lloyd flinched and covered his ears as her scratchy voice came in through the mic.

"HEY! NEW GUY!" The girl waved her hand. Her hair was an electric pink, currently grown out and drawn in front of her face to cover her right eye. She wore what Lloyd could only describe as… well, a sparkly leotard. She hit another note, "WANNA HEAR A SONG THAT I'M WORKING ON?!"

"Forte!" Ren shouted, "We're INDOORS!"

"WHAT? OHHHHH!" The girl lowered her voice, yet it was still incredibly loud, "How's this?!"

"Better…" Ren huffed, "Lloyd, that's Forte. Or, that's her stage name. She would have made the battle… but currently she had a concert."

"Hey, I didn't know that those Twins would attack right in the middle of my performance!" Forte leapt from the stage, did a somersault in midair, and then landed in front of Lloyd with her keytar held outstretched like a blade. She leaned up and blew the hair from her face and pursed her lips together, "I can't exactly just up and leave in the middle of my song!"

"Yes, but you have quite enough time to write them, now don't you?" Ren scoffed.

"What's that's supposed to mean?!" Forte pouted. Ren just shook her head.

Lloyd wasn't even sure where his eyes were supposed to go. Her brilliant pink hair made it hard to focus on anything that wasn't it. Her outfit had a massive set of frills at the hip, making it almost look like a ballerina outfit that had been doused in glitter and sequins. Her voice seemed naturally loud, a stark contrast from Jacob's soft spoken nature when Lloyd had met him on Chen's Island.

"So, you're a singer?" Lloyd blinked. Ren smacked her forehead as suddenly Forte's entire body seemed to spring into motion.

"Why yes I AAAAMMMMMM!" Forte drew a long riff out on her keytar to emphasize her words, "I'm Forte, and I'm the head singer of my little band I've called the Masters of Song! Cause, you know, MAster of SOUND!" Her voice was nearly enough to make Lloyd duck for cover.

"Forte!" Ren shook her head, "Please, could you go ten seconds without-"

It was at this point that the sound of two Serpentine laughing filled the room. Lulloyd was now on a small kitchen table with the two on either side of him. Lulloyd was rubbing his hand across the table softly as though he was embarrassed about something.

"S-Sharks aren't that silly…" He muttered. Somnam just threw his head back and laughed.

"Your father drivesss around in a ssshark mech! That's hilarious!" Somnam hit the table with his hand, "Tell usss more!"

"Uhm… well, he defeated Master Wu with a bunch of butterflies, and, he's pretty good with mechs too. He had his entire army all themed after sea life. Like, the uhm, Jelly Sub division," Lulloyd paused, "Uhm… maybe you have a point at laughing there."

"We have to know more!" Viperia leaned forward and tapped Lulloyd's back, "How'd you defeat him?"

Ren cast Somnam a harsh glare. The Serpentine stared at her for a moment before his tongue darted out of his mouth for a brief second. This caused Ren to freeze slightly in anger, then just slowly shake her head and mumble something under her breath.

"Somnam has a bad habit of reading minds when greeting someone," Ren muttered, "...in fact most of us all have some bad habits with that sort of thing. We're not exactly a uniform group."

"But we're AWESOMEEEEEEEE!" Forte strummed her keytar again, "Just like this new song I'm working on! Everything is Awesome! Everything is cool-"

Forte suddenly found her keytar out of her hands. It was held in midair seemingly by nothing. Then, the form of a young man wearing what looked like a suit that had gone through a drier filled with knives appeared. He wore his hair backwards and drawn into what looked like braids. His face was filled with anger, and he brought his knee up to the keytar.

"I'm confiscating this from your, Forte," The man spat, "We're not going to listen to another one of your insipid songs!"

"Wait," Lulloyd blinked, "I think I actually heard that one before."

"But Uuummmmmbbbbrraaaaa!" Forte pouted, "You can't just take my stuff! I had that thing personalized, you know!"

"I know, and that's why I'm not breaking it," Umbra put it on his back and then vanished. Both he and keytar vanished as Forte stamped her foot on the ground in anger.

"You can't hide from me Umbra!" Forte brought her hands to her mouth and started to hum, "You know I can find you with sound waves!"

As Forte seemingly started to run off doing nothing, Ren slowly took Lloyd over to a small hallway. The hallway led deeper into Kai's house, and Ren stood in the entrance to it. She slowly rubbed her eyes and looked Lloyd deep in his own.

"Well, you've seen most of us now," The girl groaned, "Now, I need you to answer a few questions for me."

"What sort of questions?" Lloyd looked back to the group that had seemed to now swarm around Lulloyd to listen to his tales of his father's attempted conquests.

"As Harumi's deputy, the fact I wasn't there means that I need to get exactly what happened," Ren frowned deeply, "Tell me… what happened to Olive?"

Lloyd had expected this question. With the group seemingly happy and cheerful, he half wondered now what exactly they even knew about what happened. So Lloyd explained everything as best he could, relating everything he could about the realm crystal, the Iron Doom, and ultimately what happened with Olive. As soon as he finished, Ren was clutching her fists tightly.

"I...I see, thank you for telling me…" Ren sighed deeply, her eyes closing for a long few seconds before she looked to Lloyd again, "Listen… the others that weren't there don't know about what happened to Olive yet. I specifically asked those at the battle not to tell. They think Harumi was injured and is recovering. They don't need to see her like this. Promise me you won't tell them about this until Harumi gets better, alright?"

"Alright… I don't know if I like lying to them though," Lloyd shook his head, "If you all are a team, then you should trust each other, right?"

"Yes… but you don't know what happened when Harumi's father died," Ren looked away, "I've known Harumi since she was a child. When she broke down… Lloyd, you don't need to know what she was like. It took Dareth almost four weeks to get her to even leave her room, and even then she refused to speak to anyone until Dareth bribed her for it. We came close to losing her completely after the Overlord and… right now, seeing you and then this, I fear that we may be getting closer to that same place again."

"So, you don't want the others to see her like this, right?" Lloyd mused. Ren solemnly nodded.

Lloyd wasn't sure what else to say. For a few moments, he tried to formulate the exact words to use, but he understood Ren's logic too well. So after a few attempts, he turned and walked away. It was at this point that he spotted Kai in the kitchen.

"Kai..?" Lloyd blinked, "You cook?"

"Hmm?" Kai turned around, stirring around a massive pan of rice and several vegetables sprinkled in, "Yeah, do I not cook in your universe?"

"Uh… you've never cooked for us. We always let Zane do that," Lloyd mused, "You're… uhm, taking that whole 'other universe' thing pretty well there."

"Well, I've dealt with a lot of crazy things before, and that involved going to a bunch of Realms too," Kai chuckled, "Trust me, you're probably the least strange thing about it all."

"I meant the whole 'I'm dead' part of that," Lloyd stated bluntly. Kai didn't even flinch as he poured in some sort of sauce into the pan.

"Yeah, you are," Kai sighed, "It's not that I'm not confused to see you back here, Lloyd. But I spent years learning that I couldn't do anything to stop what happened to you. Lloyd made the choice to go up there for Harumi, and he paid the price. It was his decision. And… well, I've already come to terms with the fact that you're not him. So that kinda helps."

Lloyd slowly nodded his head. He moved into the kitchen and started to help clear away any mess on the counters. As he did so, he leaned over to talk to Kai discreetly.

"Do you know if anyone found anything on the Iron Doom?" Lloyd muttered. Kai looked to him and then shook his head.

"No, nothing. Not even a single trace of it," Kai sighed, "We even saw where it fell, but there was nothing else. It's like the thing fell and then it just… just vanished. We have no idea what we're dealing with here."

"Then that means they probably already jumped to the next universe…" Lloyd muttered, "Lulloyd and I need to get going after them. I'm getting Lulloyd and we'll leave ASAP."

"Woah, woah, woah there tiger!" Kai leaned over and put his hand on Lloyd's shoulder reaching for his realm crystal, "Come on, you just fought a massive battle and from Zane told me, you've had a rough day. Take a few minutes to sit down and relax."

"I need to get after them!" Lloyd countered. Kai just shook his head again.

"Just stay until the end of the night and get some sleep first," Kai smirked, "Even if it's just a few hours. You and your friend can't go running around all day without rest. You just got here, at least spend the night."

"But…"

"Lloyd," Kai sighed, "The group right now could use some entertainment. Just go out and have some fun with them, okay? You won't catch that machine if you're too tired to move. Just, relax a little bit. A little positivity won't hurt, and if the Twins are as damaged as you say, then a few hours won't give them any more an advantage then you chasing them down would."

Lloyd wanted to say something that would deny Kai that, but he had no idea what exactly he could say to do so. He slowly sighed and nodded his head. Kai just gave a victory smirk and gestured back out towards the crowd.

"Alright, Lulloyd…" Forte and Somnam were leaning into Lulloyd's face and speaking in perfect time, "Why don't you go ahead and play a game with us then?"

"Uh… game?" Lulloyd chuckled nervously, "S-Sure, let's do it."

Ren had entered the room again, and while she looked ready to jump in, Umbra appeared in front of her and shook his head. He was smirking slightly. Lulloyd was sat down at a table directly across from Somnam, who leaned forward as his eyes began to glow.

"Alright, Lulloyd. No mortal can resist the gaze of a hypnobrai. However!" Forte leaned on Somnam's shoulders, "A few can resist only one eye of one! So, Somnam here is gonna try to hypnotize you, and if he does, then you'll have to tell a secret!"

"And… uh, what happens if I don't…?" Lulloyd leaned forward curiously.

"Then Somnam will share one of his!" Forte giggled, "It's just a simple game, we've all done it!" The rest of the room looked to one another and then either nodded or shrugged. Lulloyd didn't look as convinced. After seeing Forte's hopeful expression, however, he nodded.

"Sure thing," Lloyd chuckled, "Why not?"

"Then… go!" Forte hit her fist on the table, startling Lulloyd. True to her word, Somnam closed one eye and leaned his head to the right to stare into Lulloyd. Lulloyd felt his body start to go numb as the strange hypnotic circles within the eye seemed to start emanating outwards to wrap around him. He shook his head a few times, but his gaze seemed to be permanently affixed to it.

"Jussst let go, and let you mind be free…" Somnman giggled, "Free… to me!"

It wasn't too long until Lulloyd was under. A redness overtook Lulloyd's pupils, and his body fully locked up. Somnam sighed and looked over to Forte, shaking his head. Forte just shrugged and snapped her fingers.

"I used to find my sword too heavy and so I spent weeks making a perfect replica from styrofoam to make Wu think I was way better than I already was… and it actually worked..." Lulloyd spoke drone-like. The color faded from his eyes as he blinked, "Uhm… what?"

"Hmm… not that embarrassing. Kinda cute, honestly!" Forte grinned, "Sorry Lulloyd, you'll have to work on your staring for now! But good attempt!" Forte walked over and smiled warmly at him. She succeeded in making Lulloyd blush and twist his head away.

Lloyd smirked slightly. He remembered playing dumb games with Zane to see how long each of them could last under his titanium grip, or bet on how far Cole could throw a bolder when they laced it down with ice or lava. The very sight of it all brought a small calm to his heart. Not enough to wipe away the memories, but enough to relax him for now.

"Heh, I'll try that!" Lloyd walked over and nudged Lulloyd up from the seat. Forte whooped and quickly grinned, leaning over the table and hitting her fist down on it.

"Alright then… go!" Forte beamed. Once more, Somnam's gaze began to emanate out from his eyes.

Lloyd looked down to an empty can on the table. Slowly, he slid the can over in his hand and tilted it upwards so Somnam could see himself. Somnam's gaze widened for a sparse moment before the first reflection hit his eyes, putting him fully under his own trance. Smirking, Lloyd snapped his fingers.

"When I wasss little I wanted to be a constrictai ssso bad I would twist scrap metal and put it on my head to try and dig through rock. I tried to jump into a rock one day and hit my head ssso hard I was sssinging ssstupid songs all day…" Somnam shook his head and then grinned, "Oh… very clever…"

The entire room laughed, and Forte walked over and bounced up on the spot, "How'd you do that?!"

"Let's just say I've spent a bit of time around Serpentine,," Lloyd coyly answered, "You should pull Viperia's tail when you get the chance."

Almost instantly, Viperia across the room moved her hands to quickly cover her tail. The room laughed again as Raiden rushed out to get the room drinks.

"Anyone hungry?" Kai called out. Quickly, half the room rushed over into the kitchen. Lloyd, not knowing why, ended up at the back of the queue line that formed for the dish Kai had been cooking. After he took a long bite into it, his eyes widened.

"Woah! Kai!" Lloyd got out between bites, "This is, really good! Where'd you learn to cook like this?"

Kai grinned, "Oh, I've always known. Nya would eat a lot when we were younger, so I learned to make a lot of food. And plus…" Kai flipped a cooking spoon into the air a few times and then caught it, "Well, clientele would be more likely to buy from the old shop if you fed them first. A good meal will get you going a long way."

Lloyd smiled and nodded to that statement. Already, he had the idea in his head to ask Kai if he'd be willing to cook for them back home. Normally Zane or Cole did all the cooking, but if Kai could make this much food and make it all taste this good then he had to wonder what he could do with just a small dish!

Home. Lloyd's appetite faltered as he thought about that. He had to stop the Time Twins to get the rest of his elemental power back just to be able to get home. The Time Twins had outwitted him over and over again. Now they'd taken the life of someone here, and they now had two abilities that he was still figuring out himself. He already felt his mood start to drop.

"Lloyd," Raiden appeared in front of him. Lloyd looked up slightly to see a smiling, warm face looking down at him. Now that he was up close, Lloyd could see what almost looked like Jay with different hair and a bit deeper voice.

"Oh, Raiden, heya," Lloyd put his bowl aside, "There really isn't any need to thank me again, it's no not like we did much to help anyways."

"I just saw your face and figured you were wondering why we were having a party right after a battle," Raiden mused, "Granted, the others aren't in the know about everything just yet."

"It… is kinda strange," Lloyd admitted, "Why?"

"Well…" Raiden sat down beside Lloyd and ran his hand through his hair, "It was Mizuko's idea originally. I may have gotten my father's dashing good looks," He winked to Lloyd, "But she got his energy. Not literally, of course, that would be me again. Whenever we have a battle, in order to recharge ourselves -no pun intended," His hands sparked a bit while he chuckled, "We get together. My father's ninja were more than happy to host us. For every negative we have, there can be a positive. It will help when we have to break the news to them all."

"It's my fault…" Lloyd sighed, looking away, "I'm the reason those two were here in the first place. I… I was trying to stop them before they even got here."

"Hmm…" Raiden paused, then reached out and put his hand on Lloyd's shoulder. When Lloyd looked over, Raiden pulled Lloyd back upright and then shook his head.

"I've found playing the blame game won't do much for you," Raiden sighed, "Trust me, I have done that in the past with this team. I'm not the strongest here, but that doesn't mean I can't fight. So what if an enemy slips through because I'm not strong enough? My team is here to support me. You have yourself a good friend there in Lulloyd it seems," Raiden looked ot Lulloyd, now chatting away happily with Mizuko, "A single man can carry a single man's weight, yet a strong ally can carry the weight of ten men."

"That's… helpful," Lloyd felt like he was talking to Wu, "But, it doesn't help that I still feel guilty about what happened."

"And it's for that reason that you will improve," Raiden smiled at him, still holding Lloyd's shoulder, "Guilt over failure will build you up if you direct that energy in the right places. Work hard to improve yourself, and you'll find you can do a lot of amazing things."

Lloyd slowly felt his head moving up and down to what Raiden was saying, "You know," Lloyd spoke without thinking, "You should pretty wise for someone so young."

"I've taken my family and friend's lessons to heart," Raiden chuckled, "Well, I'm going to go and mingle. I haven't seen some of these friends for months. You're an ally, so feel free to mingle to your heart's content."

With that, Raiden stood up. He squeezed Lloyd's shoulder for a few moments, then made his way off into the crowd. Raiden walked up to Souma and leaned up against his shoulder. Souma turned around and rolled his eyes at him, pushing him off. Suddenly, Souma jerked upwards like he'd been shocked, and Raiden's hand on his lower back appeared to be the case.

"I think Raiden has taken an interest in you," Umbra appeared behind Lloyd and chuckled, "If you know what I mean."

Lloyd blinked and turned around to Ren, "Uhm… yeah, he seemed to be easy to talk to, if that's what you mean."

Umbra rolled his eyes and just smirked before he disappeared again. After seeing that Paleman had done the same thing, now Lloyd wondered if the element of light made people want to simply stay cloaked all the time.

Lloyd looked out to the crowd. Forte was swinging with Viperia to a song playing off of someone's phone, while Lulloyd had broken apart a vase and started to demonstrate master building to an incredibly stunned Mizuko. From his recoil, Lloyd could only imagine Mizuko was barraging him with questions. Souma and Raiden had sat down together and were leaning on one another while chatting away with Ren. Somnam was still eating more of Kai's food. Carnelian had found her mother and the two were walking away into the hallway. Karlon was leaning up against the wall with his helmet over his eyes, looking half asleep. All this left Lloyd sitting alone.

Part of him still wanted to grab Lulloyd and rush out against the Time Twins again. If they truly were limping away, completely defeated, then they could get his power back and leave. Even if they didn't have any leads right now, sitting around would give the twins more time to get up on their feet and get back to their plans, whatever they were. Yet another part of him saw the party in front of him, and he felt a compulsion to see more about the universe that resulted from his… death.

That morbid thought somewhat decreased his desire to participate. Yet as Raiden gave him a little grin and Kai pushed him up from his chair, Lloyd found himself unable to resist. Slowly, he nudged himself forward into the group, readying himself.

"Alright, let's break out the games!" Souma cheered. Lloyd sat down in front of a table as a smile crept over his face.

\--

It'd been nearly four hours until Lloyd and Lulloyd would get that promise of sleep Kai had given them. Forte and Somnam were quick on their feet with finding new and interesting games for them to play. What they had all thought was a game of four player world building had turned into an intense team competition with minigames and puzzles to determine who could build their world first. Lulloyd had proven himself incredibly fast with catching and throwing things around, muttering something about his dad ensuring to teach him the former.

From there, Umbra suggested they start with charades. That had only lasted three rounds before a rule was created that each time a team used a word, the next team couldn't guess a word starting with the letter the last word had said. The person doing the charades would have to change everything on the fly to work with it. After 'Cat' had somehow turned into 'Raging Road Racers' Souma had declared the game boring and declared they'd all create a mini tournament with other board games in the home.

Throughout all the fun, Lloyd had found himself smiling. Yet each time he got into the game, looking over to see Ren's face or to see Mizuko stutter when talking about the battle, it all reminded him of what Raiden told him. This was all just a cover up to make certain that they were all in high spirits when they had to tell them about Olive. As much as the group was having fun, Lloyd's mind was elsewhere.

Skylar had prepared a guest room for Lloyd and Lulloyd. Most of the others either lived in the city or were staying with others, so it left just the two of them left at the home when all was said and done.

"Now don't you two even think about leaving in the morning!" Skylar had warned them, "I'll head down to the noodle shop bright and early to make you some food for the road."

It was for this reason Lloyd had only taken a six hour rest before getting out of bed. As he stood up, he looked around the room. It was rather spacious, with two small beds in place surrounded by ornate wooden shelves filled with books and various knicknacks. Lloyd recognized some of the items on them from his own adventures, namely things like an Anacondrai cultist helmet. Now he was wondering how the confrontation with Chen had happened in this world after what happened with Garmadon, or at least the finer details.

But he didn't take time to think. Instead, he slid out of bed and pulled his ninja suit back on. After he set the sword holder in place, he walked over and began to nudge Lulloyd.

"Wake up," Lloyd hissed, "Lulloyd, wake up!"

"...can't fire me out of a volcano, dad… mom… kick your butt…"

"Lulloyd!"

"Mmghnnhn…" Lulloyd slowly leaned up in bed, rotating until he was sitting up on his legs. He turned his head to look to Lloyd, and more importantly, to the window. Seeing there was no sunlight coming from inside of it, he slowly yawned.

"What time is it..?" Lulloyd asked.

"Early. You've slept for six hours. Come on," Lloyd stood up, "We're going."

"What?" Lulloyd slowly got up and rubbed his face, "Why now?"

"I need to test to see if the Time Twins are somewhere else. And if they are…" Lloyd shook his head, "Us being here got someone killed and now Harumi is upset at us. I appreciate what Kai did for us, but we need to go and track the Twins down as soon as possible. We've just given their snakes six hours to build themselves back up. We need to see if they've left."

"Left? As in, this universe?" Lulloyd raise his eyebrow, "How could we even tell?"

Slowly, Lloyd removed the Realm Crystal from his suit. The green glowing gemstone shone in the low light, giving off a pale light onto the floor, "The Twins took your power just like your team's, right? When I first jumped into your world, I was just following the feeling of my energy. So, if we both focus, we should be able to find them again."

While Lulloyd didn't understand, the way Lloyd was holding the crystal made it clear. Slowly, he reached out and put his hand on the crystal. Lloyd muttered a thanks to him before closing his eyes. Lulloyd did the same.

Slowly, the world around them felt hazy. Lulloyd recalled the feeling from his first jump into this place. He let his mind focus and drift along with Lloyd's. Slowly, the world around them felt even more incorporeal. Despite this, a tug formed. Lulloyd felt something directly behind him. A strange tug that pulled at him, like the invisible hand of a child.

The world around them faded back suddenly as Lloyd placed the crystal back into his pocket. Lulloyd shook his head and slowly sighed as he tried to process what all that was.

"That proves it," Lloyd sighed, "They jumped universes again. I bet once they hit the ground, they opened another portal with whatever snakes they had left and fled. That's why the team didn't find anything."

"So, we should go after them?" Lulloyd bit his lip, "Shouldn't we tell the others we're doing that first?"

"It's better if we disappear," Lloyd sighed, "They were nice to us last night, but when we have to start answering more questions, then it'll look like us being here got Olive killed. I don't want them to think that. I left a note here for Kai. He'll tell them that we got a lead on the Twins and left. We'll pop back in this universe and deliver them proof that we did it."

"Can you even go back to this universe?" Lulloyd asked slowly. Lloyd didn't answer right away.

"Come on, let's go," Lloyd started to move, but then Lulloyd grabbed his arm.

"Lloyd, I don't like the idea of just up and vanishing…" Lulloyd shook his head, "What's wrong?"

Lloyd slowly trembled. He looked to Lulloyd, then groaned, "It's… it's this universe. This place is… it's perfect. All because I didn't get the golden power. This entire universe is so much better than mine. Serpentine aren't living underground, the world is so much bigger and, Harumi exists. I… her mother in my world, she, she died in front of me. Because I was stupid. It was my actions that…" He trembled, his fist tightening, "I'm… I don't belong here, Lulloyd. And neither do you. I don't want to stay here."

"Why?" Lulloyd looked down, "I… like it here. I'm not saying we don't have to get going but, why like this?"

"Because it's better this way," Lloyd sighed, "We just appeared here. Now we'll disappear. That way, I don't have to mess up Harumi's life anymore than I already have."

Lulloyd was silent. He needed to go after his elemental power. Lloyd wanted to go now. It wasn't that he didn't want to leave, but just vanishing like this? It felt wrong to him. But the hurt in Lloyd's voice as he spoke… it was enough to make him reconsider. Enough to make him wonder what truly happened to Harumi's mother in Lloyd's world. So he just slowly nodded. He grabbed his dragon brick as the two moved together.

Lloyd didn't say anything. Instead, he pulled Lulloyd towards the door. Being ninja, it wasn't hard for them to open said door silently and flip their way along the ceiling to the doors. Before the two exited the house, they gave one last look back at the room last night they'd shared so happily. Then Lloyd opened the door and flipped out.

Rather than say where they were going, Lloyd instead ran over to the stairwell that would lead them to the next layer. Once they'd slid their way down onto the layer, they darted parallel to the house in order not to be spotted. After the house had slid into the distance away from them, Lloyd slowed down.

The two had ended up on the middle of one of the concrete walkways. Large purple and blue neon signs lined the walls beside them. Trashcans were overflowing, and small automatic sweepers were moving trash into the cans. The morning light of dawn wasn't up yet, making the city still feel like it was almost midnight. They stood at the entrance to an alleyway between two skyrises.

"We'll make our way back to that statue, and then we'll leave," Lloyd declared, "I think it has something to do with where we're ending up."

"Probably because it's an anchor point."

Both of the ninja froze solid. Lulloyd pulled his mechdragon brick off his back, readying it for a weapon. After a few moments of the two tensely standing off, a figure dropped in front of them.

Harumi looked up at them as she pulled her ninja hood off to show her face, "I did some reading on multiverse theory and dimensional travels. I downloaded about a thousand books onto my watch here too," She held up a massive watch with a screen far more like a phone.

"Harumi?!" Lloyd sputtered, "How'd, you?"

"When I was younger and I would go to bed," Harumi sighed, "You, my father," She hissed, "He would sneak out of the house trying not to wake up and go and hang out with the ninja. I started to follow him, and so he would get better at it. Honestly, after years of trying to out sneak him… you were pretty predictable."

"But… why here?" Lulloyd asked, "And, anchor point?"

"When you were telling Zane about your travels, you mentioned you appeared at a statue in both these worlds," Harumi explained, "I don't know much about the topic, but I'm guessing that those statues are serving as an anchor point for you to enter a new universe."

"You, spent all last night reading up on this?" Lloyd asked, then shook his head, "No, wait, why are you here?"

"Because I'm going with you," Harumi stated.

Lloyd and Lulloyd were stunned for a moment. After a few minutes, they both looked to one another to see if the other could piece it together. Harumi stopped them from talking by holding something up in her hand.

"Olive gave this to me right before I agreed to go with the Twins," She held up a small little black disc, "But it doesn't work with anything. Nothing. I can't figure out what to do with it. There might be another universe that can figure it out. That, and I want to take those two down for what they did to Olive."

"But… last night you were… you know?" Lulloyd fumbled out. Harumi gave him a cold glare.

"Last night I was upset, yeah. But right now, I've decided I'm not going to lock up like I did with my dad. I'm going to go out there and do something about it," Harumi looked to Lloyd, "I'm going with you."

"I, thought you hated us?" Lloyd quiered.

"I do," Harumi threw back coldly, "Right now, I want nothing to do with either of you. But right now, you're my ride, and you know more about the Time Twins than I do. So, show me the Realm Crystal."

Lloyd felt like a knife had been driven into his chest at Harumi's words. Despite the cold feeling creeping over him, he slowly pulled the crystal back out from his pocket and passed it to Harumi. The girl held it in her hands for a few moments before she slowly nodded her head.

"You said they stole your elemental power?" Harumi muttered, "What's in this thing then?"

"Whatever I had left," Lloyd sighed, "Wu knocked me away before they got all of it. What's in there is all that I had left, aside from what I can make with my hands."

Harumi rotated the Crystal up, down and around. She peered into it, then she held it up to her watch. It scanned over the Crystal, then it suddenly scanned both Lulloyd and Lloyd. As she read what was on screen, she nodded her head like she'd read something interesting.

"Well, how are you following them?" Harumi asked curiously, "How'd you even get here?"

"I don't fully know…" Lloyd pursed his lips together, "I just, focused into the Realm Crystal, and then I felt my elemental power somewhere. I just let myself get drawn to it. And I appeared wherever they were."

Harumi nodded, "That sounds like something I read. Each universe that's created will have different energy. Energy naturally wants to change forms, and it doesn't like it when you pull energy away. That's why universal travel is so difficult. Whenever you try to jump, the energy that makes up you is still clinging onto the energy in your own universe. Like trying to pull a rock from under a pile of them."

The two looked confused, so Harumi went on, "However, if the Time Twins have your power and are in another universe, then that creates an anchor. Your energy is being drawn back towards itself. It has a clear path, so it makes a clean jump. Likewise, you'll leave residual energy in a universe you visit, so you can get back to that universe easily."

"So… our powers are acting as a magnet to draw us into another world?" Lulloyd asked. Harumi nodded her head.

"Then how does the Realm Crystal fit into all this?" Lloyd asked.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I guess it's just acting like a battery. But, your element comes from the First Rhotatae Master, who created worlds just with his bare hands. So, my guess is that your element is connected to the universe itself."

"Like how Wu said that Life is connected to everything around me…" Lulloyd mused.

"So I think the Realm Crystal is just acting as a controlling force," Harumi tossed the Crystal back, "It's just guiding you. It was already made to hop realms, to pumping energy into it to make it go across universes wouldn't be too hard."

"But what about the Time Twins?" Lulloyd asked. The three fell silent for a second.

"...The Vermillion!" Lloyd shouted, "All those snakes are connected to a hive mind! Think about it. The Realm Crystal gives us a clear path to follow because it was made that way. Those two have all those snakes all using their brains to calculate a path. If our powers can open holes in the universe, then the snakes calculate the path…" Lloyd nodded, "That's why they won't abandon the Iron Doom! They need it for transport!"

Harumi slowly nodded, "Alright. Now, show me how you all jumped into this place."

Lloyd's brief moment of triumph was cut short as Harumi reminded him of why she was here. Lloyd looked up and then slowly shook his head.

"No," Lloyd frowned, "I'm not letting you come with us."

"What?" Harumi blinked, "What? You're not letting me come with you? Did I hear that right?"

"Yes," Lloyd affirmed, "You're not coming."

Harumi's hands started to fizzle with her element, "Who said you get to decide whether or not I get to come?"

"It's too dangerous, it's bad enough I have to take Lulloyd with me!" Lloyd frowned, "You saw what they did to Olive!"

Harumi's eyes turned dark. Lulloyd felt the pressure in the air rise. He slowly took a few steps backwards, putting his back against a walkway that otherwise would lead to a several thousand foot drop to the ground. Maybe a layer below, if he was lucky.

"My friend today was murdered," Harumi snapped, "You don't get to tell me whether or not I can come! They murdered Olive and nearly killed my team! I'm not letting you leave without me!"

"And what happens if you get hurt?!" Lloyd raised his voice, "What happens if the Twins hurt you in some random universe! They've been willing to kill!"

"Then I'll take that risk!" Harumi shouted, "I've taken that risk over and over again! I take that risk every time I go to fight! You did too from what I heard! So don't you sit here and tell me that I can't do this!"

"G-Guys…" Lulloyd tried to assuage the situation, "Listen, we can just talk about this, okay?" He suddenly regretted not letting his mom teach him conflict resolution.

The two stared each other down for several seconds. Harumi's gaze was filled with grief, sorrow, maliace, hatred and anger all rolled into one inferno between her pupils. Lloyd's were determined and steely, knowing what could happen to her and not wanting to think about what could happen to her.

"Your world is perfect," Lloyd attempted to argue, "You can't leave it."

"My world has never been perfect," Harumi growled, "I held my father in my arms and watched him bleed out in front of me. I channeled my grandfather's spirit and burned through all of it to use the Golden Weapons to blast the Overlord with all I had. And then I had to sit through both their funerals, all the while knowing that if I had just stepped up, if I had just taken this suit and done what needed to be done, they'd both still be here. My world has never been perfect."

Lloyd didn't have an answer to that. Feeling victorious, Harumi walked over and showed Lulloyd her watch. She held it up to his ear, then to Lloyd's ear. When she held it up to her own, all their comms gave an audible beep before showing up on the watch's screen.

"There, now our channels are us and only us. As long as you're in signal of this watch, which is about half of Ninjago, you'll be fine. It makes its own signal too." Harumi explained. She didn't look at Lloyd the entire explanation.

"Good…" Lloyd felt defeated. He slowly looked to Harumi and muttered, "What was that about an anchor point?"

"I'll explain once we get to the next universe," Harumi waved away the question, "Now, how do you do it?"

Lloyd held the Crystal up in the air and charged it with his power again. He held it out to them. Lulloyd and Harumi both took hold of it. As they stood there, Lulloyd looked to Harumi, then to Lloyd.

"Uhm… wait a minute," Lulloyd asked, "Can, she even jump?"

Harumi narrowed her eyes, "It should be possible. You two held the green power or at least some of it. So clearly you can jump if you have it, and I do. So, I think I can."

Without waiting for their answer, Harumi sent a blast of green power into the crystal. The crystal shook and then with a little flash inside of its depths, it turned completely solid green. Harumi looked at it with confusion as Lloyd just shrugged.

"Well if that's what we need to do, then let's go…" Lloyd looked to Harumi, "I still don't think it's safe for you to come."

"And I don't think it's safe for you to worry about me," Harumi snapped back, "Come on, let's do this."

With a small sigh, Lloyd focused. The world around them melted away. Lulloyd instructed Harumi to shut her eyes. Slowly, the ground under them faded, and instead, the depths of the void surrounded them. The tug on their bodies emanated once again, and soon the three were off into the depths of wherever the crystal was to take them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a long one! I orginally wanted to split this into two smaller chapters, but I ultimately decided to keep it this way. It's a very important chapter here, after all! I hope you all enjoy it!


	9. Chapter 9

With a small flash, Lloyd, Hariumi and Lulloyd all appeared in front of a withered statue. Harumi looked somewhat sick as she moved over and leaned up against the statue, coughing heavily and taking deep breaths. Dimensional transport had been disorienting in a way she'd never felt before, making her stomach churn. Given this was his second trip, Lulloyd had fared much better. Lloyd was already looking back at the statue to confirm something he wondered given what Harumi had said before they'd jumped.

The statue was indeed of their grandfather -or for Harumi her great-grandfather- sitting cross legged. The stone statue didn't show his face, similar to both of the previous ones. Around the man's body was a stone dragon that wrapped around him, The dragon's head was curled around his neck, with the statue's right hand seemingly petting the top of it. From the expression of the face and beard, all three confirmed whom it was.

"So… any idea where we are?" Lulloyd looked around, "This place doesn't look like my universe…"

"It looks a lot like mine," Lloyd commented, "But we never know what could be out there."

Harumi looked over to him, frowned, and slowly moved to tap a few buttons on her watch. She lifted it up as a holographic screen popped up she tapped. A light from the side of it scanned the statue, then both Lloyd and Lulloyd. It turned back in on itself before finally sending results onto the screen.

"Well, it's not your universe," Harumi commented dryly as she scanned the air and then him, "You both give off completely different energy signatures. But it's far closer to yours than it is his." She gestured to Lloyd then Lulloyd.

"Your… watch can do that?" Lulloyd asked curiously.

"The Borg Watch has over a thousand features that I haven't even fully touched," Harumi explained, "Last night while I was… getting ready, I saw it had an energy reader. I just tested it to see that the radiation coming off you guys has a different wavelength than me."

"I'd say that's silly," Lloyd sighed, "But then again, Borg put a Temporal Scanner in all his watches in my time, so that sounds like something he'd do."

Lloyd frowned at her even as Lulloyd rushed over to something in front of them. A massive swatch of land in front of them had been cut down, and given the size of the track, it was clear what the creature was. Wordlessly, the three nodded to one another.

Lulloyd threw his mech dragon brick out in front of him as Harumi summoned her dragon. Harumi took off into the sky as Lulloyd and Lloyd hopped into the cockpit of the formed mechdragon. They circled about until they were able to see the area to its fullest extent. Harumi stopped to look down at their surroundings.

"This is the Whitetail Woods," Harumi commented into her earpiece, "My statue was in the middle of the city. Should we follow the tracks?"

Harumi indicated to what looked like a large pile of snow disturbed in the distance. The area was still snowing, however, and thus the tracks were now little more than indents into the ground. They veered in various directions as well, making the destination unclear.

"No,"' Lloyd remarked, "It wouldn't be a smart idea. The Time Twins probably expect that we're following them even if they don't know how. They probably planted a trap for us along that path."

"Lulloyd, where do you think we should go?" Harumi asked.

Lulloyd sighed, "I hated it when my dad called me that, I really don't like it when you two do…" He looked up slowly towards the sky, "I, uhm, have no idea. I don't know much about this universe."

"Well… if this place is anything like my universe, then maybe…" Lloyd slowly pulled his ninja suit's top open slightly to remove a tiny circular pad from the cloth, "Nya put these trackers on us so that if we got knocked off the Bounty she could find us quickly. They can track the Bounty too. Now… if this is like my universe, and Nya built them the same way here, then maybe… just maybe…"

After a few seconds of the tracker blinking, the light became solid. Lloyd smiled, "Yes! Alright, we just gotta follow this now! We can warn this universe's ninja and maybe see about preventing this before it all starts this time. Maybe they've dealt with the Time Twins already."

Harumi didn't say anything. Instead, she let the mechdragon take point in front of her. The two dragons followed the signal, the wooded landscape under them flying by. Lulloyd looked to his screen several times, but was hiding the fact he was looking back towards Lloyd, whom was looking to Harumi behind him.

"Harumi," Lloyd spoke up, "Does your watch have a temporal scanner?"

"I just told you it has everything, so yeah, of course it does," Harumi responded curtly, "Lulloyd, let me fly up to your dragon's computer."

Lulloyd stalled the jets enough to let Harumi catch up. As she flew closer, she pointed her way at the screen. After a couple seconds, a message reading 'SYNC COMPLETE' popped up and the date appeared on Lulloyd's screen.

"There, now you and I should be synced, Lulloyd," Harumi tapped her watch to cause it to turn off, "See what you can make of that data."

Lulloyd stared at the data on screen even as he let his dragon jet forward. He shrugged at it to Lloyd without much recognition. Lloyd, however, stared at it and then nodded his head softly.

"This is only a few years before I left in my universe… I, think I was being possessed by Morro at the time," Lloyd grimaced at the memory and pushed away those thoughts quickly.

"Wait, we're that far back?" Harumi asked, "...That means, I'm in the past? I… I'm in the past!"

"Uhm… what's so special about that?" Lulloyd asked curiously. Harumi suddenly let out a somewhat excited squee over the line.

"I'm in the past! I can meet my parents before everything happened! Well… not exactly them but, I can see what my dad's team was like before he had me!" Harumi gasped, "I… I can see my dad's team in their prime!"

Lulloyd looked to Lloyd at that statement, who just began shaking his head. Harumi continued to think excitedly over what she could do in this universe over the comm enough that the two cut off her line.

"Wasn't she super upset at you a few minutes ago…?" Lulloyd asked curiously.

"If you got the chance to go see your dad during all his conquests that he talked about while he was interrogating me, wouldn't you be excited?" Lloyd asked back. Lulloyd started to disagree, then a few moments of thought made him reconsider.

It seemed this Ninjago was near identical to that of Lloyd's own. As the two soared out of the Woods, they began to bank towards the west. That was odd; the Samurai X Cave was usually where they parked the bounty when it wasn't in flight, and that was to the east. They seemed to be heading towards the coast. The signal wasn't moving either, which made the location they were heading towards even more confusing.

Soon enough, the two had crossed into the desert region, with Lloyd suspecting they'd pass the Anacondrai tomb soon enough. The signal took them along the end of the mountain chain that led towards Jamanikai Village. It was once they were in sight of these mountains that they caught sight of the Bounty. It suddenly became readily apparent why it wasn't moving.

The Bounty was currently parked next to a large rock. A large plume of smoke was rising from the back jet of the ship, with what looked like a massive shiny rock stuck inside of it. The ship looked as though it had crashed softly, if Lloyd knew his crashes well. All six ninja were on the deck of the ship, all in full gi. Lloyd's eyes instantly recognized the gi as the Deepstone armor that Wu had fashioned for them during the Preeminent crisis.

Currently, said ninja were facing what a creature that was coming over the rock. It appeared to be a massive black lizard, easily the size of the Bounty from head to tail. Its entire body, however, was riddled with what looked like massive jagged crystals. The way it was staring at them showed that it clearly wasn't happy. A massive hole looking more like a sinkhole, was opened in the mountains further up the slope of the bounty. The creature's pointed face roared at the crew on the Bounty as it bore down on them.

"That's a Crystal Lizard…" Harumi spoke up quickly, "I thought that they went extinct!"

"Well, maybe we should help them endanger the species," Lulloyd steered his dragon down towards the Bounty, "Let's help them!"

* * *

Normally, a Crystal Lizard was a species that remained underground for its entire life. It fed on minerals in the earth, which converted to the crystals that grew from its body. They generally stayed around mountainous or volcanic regions, with myths stating they were the cause of earthquakes. Given their massive size and angry temperament, when one did show its face on the surface, it was never a good thing for anything that lived nearby.

A blast of ice from Zane froze the side of its face. The lizard snarled and ejected a crystal spine from the side of its face, shattering the chunk. Kai leapt to the front of the snow colored ninja, sending fire blasts into the thawed spot. The lizard only blinked at the flames tickling it.

"Our elemental powers won't be of use against something that large!" Zane shouted, using his ice powers to boost himself upwards to the top of one of the Bounty's sails, "We'll have to find another way to bring it down!"

"Oh yeah?" Cole's voice filled the air as he scoffed, "Let's see it handle THIS!"

Cole leapt forward, driving his fists into the rocks. He ripped a boulder nearly four times the size of himself from the mountainside and launched himself up into the air with a hard kick. He swung the boulder as hard as he could. The lizard responded by opening its mouth, firing crystal shards into the boulder to break it apart. Cole's eyes widened and he shrieked as the shards flew right at him… only to look down and see them pass right through him. The ghost sighed in relief as he dropped back to the deck.

"We have to defeat this thing quickly," Kai called out from the deck, "I think Wu's cabin was hit when we crashed, Someone should see if he needs help!"

"I'm on it!" With a flash, the Green Ninja was already rushing below deck.

"The Bounty isn't moving," Nya shouted from the upper deck, "The cannons are offline too!"

"Then we're doing this the hard way?" Jay whined, "Oh great, I think this is the easy way for him!"

The lizard didn't give the group time to talk anymore. It raised its tail into the air and then swung its body in a circle. Crystal spikes on the tail discharged and flung right down into the Bounty's deck. The Ninja scrambled as said deck gained a massive amount of new holes. One spike struck the main sail, causing it to creak. Zane leapt down onto the deck to avoid getting crushed by it.

"Jay!" Nya shouted, "Those crystals are conductors!"

"Huh?! Oh!" Jay pulled out a pair of nunchucks and rapidly spun them up, forming an electric current. He leapt forward and thrust the nunchucks forward, "Have a shock free, on me!"

The electricity struck the crystal spines, arcing right down into the lizard. The lizard shrieked as its body was shocked. In response, its tail raised up into the air and then slammed right down into the deck, nearly throwing Jay over the edge. A shot of water by Nya and flash freeze by Zane created a ramp to catch Jay. The blue ninja shouted as he slid back down the ramp onto his feet on the deck.

"Zane," Pixal appeared on Zane's HUD, "I'm detecting two dragons flying in from the south."

"More Elemental Masters?" Zane asked hopefully. Pixel was silent for a moment, then shook her head.

"One perhaps, but it does not match a dragon I have on record. My sensors indicate that one of the dragons is a machine. Given its design, it doesn't appear to match anything I have on record." Pixel responded.

"A machine?" Zane's mind flashed to the Overlord's mechanical beast, "How peculiar…"

"Look!" Kai pointed a sword up to the sky. As the group turned their attention, they noticed a strange blocky figure clad in black leaping from the mechanical dragon. The dragon rapidly began to shrink down until it looked to be no bigger than a suitcase. A second figure, dressed in green, appeared beside him, both in freefall. The second figure caught the case. Both were glad in full gi and had their hoods drawn.

"NINJA-GO!" The second figure suddenly rapidly spun into a sparking green tornado. The blocky figure landed on top of it and suddenly was shot far up into the air. The spinning one fell to the deck out of his tornado, sending the blocky figure up into the sky. He brandished his sword and narrowed his eyes. He reached his hand out, grabbing one of the spines of the creature just before impact and swinging himself in an arc around it to use up his momentum. He seemingly stopped right in midair and thrust downwards with all his might, driving his sword down into the creature's hide. It clinked against the skin but did not pierce.

The third figure, dressed in strangely familiar robes, let their dragon suddenly swoop in low, extending its wing for the blocky one to grab onto. It was just in time as the lizard reared its back to try to throw him off. The dragon rider flew upwards into a spiral, then dispersed their dragon in midair. Her hands formed two energy discs, sending both of them the two's feet. They clung to the dragon tightly as it carried them down towards the deck, landing soundly. The blocky figure quickly shot out and struck the deck's railing, turning it into bricks he rapidly assembled into a makeshift net to catch the falling one in.

"WOAH!" Jay shouted, "THAT WAS SO COOL!"

"Who are they?!" Kai gasped, "And why are they wearing green?"

"Does it matter what they're wearing?" Nya landed on the deck with water balls on her fists, "I think they're here to help!"

The blocky figured corrected as he waved his hand in a motion that seemed unnatural, "Hey! We're here to help!"

Harumi had landed with her own hood up, which she rapidly spoke through, "We need to destroy the crystal spikes along its spine," Harumi pointed up to the largest ones that ran directly down its back, "If any of those are damaged, it'll retreat underground to regrow them!"

Zane put a hand on his head, "Pixel indicates that those are made of solid crystal, it would be impossible to break them without something of the same material."

"Pixel?" Harumi looked around rapidly, "Where is she?!" She looked around excitedly, much to Zane's confusion.

The lizard roared in anger at seemingly being ignored, raising its front left foot. The crystal-laden tips of its toes slammed down into the deck, piercing through the wood easily. Lloyd shot out and grabbed Harumi, throwing her out of the way just before she was struck.

"Hey!" Harumi growled, "What are you?!" She looked to where she just stood and silenced herself, "I would have dodged that myself!"

"Pixel will get a new body later, right now she's a program inside of Zane's head," Lloyd hurriedly whispered, "Focus on the battle!"

Harumi glared at him angrily, but said nothing. The two stood up as Lulloyd seemed to be lost in thought for a moment.

"Wait, you need something made of the same material?" He looked to the spikes had were now jutting up from the deck and his eyes widened, "Here, I got an idea!"

Lulloyd ripped the tassel off of the stud on the end of his sword and turned it upside down. With the bricks he'd used to build the mini net, he pulled apart bricks with studs on all sides and attached four of them to the end of it. He raced out and his eyes focused. Master building like this wasn't as easy as it was back home, but if he focused hard enough, he could start to see the bricks that each piece would break into. If he could find a way to attach the crystals…

Lulloyd yanked several crystal spikes up from the deck and struck them as hard as he could. His hand burned, but the crystals partially converted to anti-studs on the bottom. He did the same process with four more spikes and laced the bottom of his sword with the crystals in a hammer-like formation. The sheer weight of it caused him to drop it to the deck with a massive groan.

"I can't lift it!" Lulloyd groaned out as he tried to pull on the handle, "These crystals are too… too heavy!"

"Cole!" Lloyd yelled out, "You gotta lift it!"

Cole blinked in confusion as his name was used by someone he hadn't even met before. After a moment, he rushed over and grabbed the handle. Just as Lulloyd stated, it was incredibly heavy. Even just lifting it up into the air took almost all of his super strength.

"INCOMING!" Kai pointed up towards the lizard. The creature had sprouted more spines on its forearms and all were getting ready to fire off. Thinking fast, Harumi fired off ten small discus into the air and aimed them at the spikes that were about to fly off towards them. They struck each spike just as they fired off, sending them harmlessly away into the air. She stumbled slightly from the strain of controlling so many discs.

"Cole!" Lloyd shouted, "I'm gonna throw you, break as many of those things as you can!"

"W-What?!" Cole shouted, just as Lloyd grabbed him. In his shock, Cole had solidified his body.

"NINJA-GO!" Lloyd shouted again, spinning Cole around in his Spinjitzu tornado as fast as he could. When he let go, Cole was sent flying up into the air at a high velocity.

"WWWWAAAAHHHHH!" Cole's shock barely kept him from letting go of his new hammer. Despite his terror, as the lizard came into view, Cole's eyes flashed with understanding.

Focusing hard, Cole suddenly gained a brown aura. After a few seconds, the aura rapidly swirled up around him and up into the air, pooling together above his head. The aura colheased and then exploded outwards to form a massive grizzly bear that roared outwards towards the lizard. The bear leapt up into the air in front of Cole, baring its fangs at the creature. A moment later, Cole's trajectory carried him directly into the path of the bear, which seemingly faded away into his chest.

Cole's eyes gained a burning brown blow that pulsed from the sides of his face. He let out a massive animalistic roar as the hammer that had previously been hard to lift was swung over his head like a stick and brought it down in front of him with ease. The speed and force of the swing shattered one of the spines on the back of the lizard straight down all the way to the skin, which violently cracked upon impact. Cole landed on the creature's back and swung his makeshift hammer in a massive circle, shattering another spine right behind it.

With a bellow of pain, the lizard sent a ripple along its back, sending Cole flying back into the air. The glow in his eyes faded as he let out another shriek as he was now free falling back down towards the Bounty. The bear appeared in front of him and quickly sparked away. Harumi shot another disc at him, catching his back and gliding him back down towards the deck safely.

The lizard whipped around in fear. Its tail fully broke the main sail of the bounty with the swing. The creature rapidly began to flee back into the mountain. The spines that had previously attacked them shot into the mountainside to crack it apart, letting it burrow with ease back into the dirt and rock. Its tail went up into the air as it rapidly descended into the earth.

Once Cole had gotten to his feet, he dropped the hammer. Lulloyd walked over and hit the top of the makeshift weapon, causing it to all break apart to just his sword. He placed the tassel he'd picked back up on the end and sheathed it on his back. The ninja team formed up in front of Lloyd, Lulloyd, Harumi and all let out a massive cheer of victory.

"Thank you so much for your help!" Nya gasped out.

"That was AWESOME!" Jay shouted at them, "That thing you were doing with the discs, and that little spinny thing you were doing, and then you were flying around and made that hammer, you guys were so cool!"

"Thanks, we really appreciate your help!" Kai smiled at them and then smirked, "But uh… who exactly are you guys?"

"Your choice of outfit is rather peculiar," Zane scanned them, "Your attire seems to be directly inspired by that of the Green Ninja, yet to my knowledge there is only one. One of you also appears to be moving in a rather robotic fashion."

"Hmm… you're right," Cole rubbed his chin, "You guys do look kinda weird!"

"Where is the Green Ninja?" Lloyd asked. The group was about to answer, but at that moment the ninja himself raced upwards from the interior of the ship with several weapons in hand. He was in his deepstone garb with his hood drawn up.

"Guys, Wu said that we have to break the spines on the lizard to…!" The Green Ninja looked up towards the mountainside, then looked to the three strangers. He cocked his head in confusion.

"Heeeyyy, nice of you to finally join us!" Kai grinned, "Sorry, but the lizard's already gone."

"Yeah!" Jay put his arm on Harumi's shoulder, "These guys helped us out!" Harumi blushed under her hood.

The Green Ninja walked forward, his face filled with confusion. As he got close to them, the three shared a look to one another. Lloyd nodded his head and slowly nodded his head.

"Okay…" Lloyd put his hands up, "This is going to be a surprise, but we can explain…" On cue, he, Harumi and Lulloyd all pulled their hoods upwards to reveal their faces. Lloyd smiled awkwardly, while Lulloyd brushed his hair aside to mimic Lloyd.

"Me a little less so," Harumi smiled awkwardly with her face revealed.

The Green Ninja looked on without a reaction, "Uh… am I supposed to know who you are?" Slowly, he reached up to draw his hood back, "Sorry, but I don't recognize you."

As soon as his face was revealed, both Harumi and Lloyd gasped.

"Morro?!" The two shouted in confusion. Morro slowly smiled and nodded.

"You three fought extremely well from the looks of it!" Morro smiled warmly, "It's a shame we haven't crossed paths until now. Allow me to extend my gratitude for helping us with that Crystal Lizard." He bowed his head slightly.

Lloyd remained in a state of complete shock, his lips frozen. Lulloyd looked onto Morro without any knowledge as to how this was shocking aside from the fact the Green Ninja wasn't himself. Harumi managed to compose herself the most and spoke up for them.

"It was nothing," She extended her hand, "We've already told the others, my name is Harumi, this is Lloyd and Lulloyd." Behind Harumi, Lulloyd put a hand to his face and groaned.

Morro accepted her handshake with a hard and firm grasp. He shook it heartily, almost making Harumi jerk forward with the force. The rest of the ground dispersed slightly to go and assess the damage to the Bounty in full.

"Why are you all wearing green though?" Jay asked once Morro let go. Morro shot him a look.

"Let's not be rude, Jay. They just helped us defeat that Crystal Lizard. Though, I wonder if this meeting was purely by chance?" Morro asked with another smile.

"It actually wasn't," Harumi shook her head, "We were on our way to talk to you and Master Wu. There's a matter of grave urgency we need to warn you about. Wu knows a lot more about it and can help fill you all in."

"Well then," Morro nodded, "I'll go get Master Wu for you, it'll just be a moment." He turned and once more disappeared below deck.

As soon as Morro was gone, Lloyd and Harumi stopped waving at him and instead they turned to one another, turning around and huddling in close to speak. Lulloyd paused for a moment before he was dragged in to talk with them.

"This doesn't make sense," Lloyd looked to Harumi, "Morro, he should be dead. Or, he shouldn't be human. You read about him, right?"

"Yeah, Souma talked a bit about him, and my dad told me the stories," Harumi muttered, "Something must be wrong here. Morro was Sensei Wu's apprentice a long time ago, right? Even if he didn't run away from being his apprentice, then he would be way older than he looked."

"Uhm… I don't wanna barge in but, can you explain this bit about Morro?" Lulloyd asked sheepishly, "Like, I know you were talking to him with Zane in the last world, but, uh, like I said there we don't have the same frame of reference?"

Lloyd looked around to ensure the other ninja were off doing other things, "A long time ago, maybe like, thirty years before I became a ninja, I'm not sure when exactly, Wu found a young boy called Morro who turned out to be the Master of Wind. Wu trained Morro up for years, and soon thought he could be the Green Ninja. Morro wasn't, and when he saw this, he got angry and left. He ended up dying in the Caves of Despair trying to prove he was strong enough to be one. Well, he got cursed and became a ghost. He escaped a few years ago for me, and when he did, he tried to unleash the physical embodiment of the Cursed Realm into Ninjago. He died trying."

"That's the puzzling part…" Harumi nodded her head, "If Morro was born around the end of the Serpentine Wars, then he'd have to be at least fifteen years older than you. He died still young, so his ghost reflected that. But he looks your age…"

"Who are these visitors that you have brought me?" A wise old voice rang out from the entrance to below deck.

The group whipped around to see Master Wu walking forward. His attire was still in his battle robes, specifically those he'd taken on in preparation for storming the City of Stiix. The golden bands shone against the small bits of armor he wore underneath them. The clicking of his cane was followed by Morro smiling at him and gesturing to the group.

"They aided up in our battle against the Crystal Lizard, Master," Morro nodded his head, "They were on their way to meet you. They have incredible powers, I think you should see for yourself."

Wu chuckled, "I'm certain there are few abilities I can see that will impress these old bones, but I'm certain… certain that…"

"Master Wu, my name is Lloyd, this is Harumi and Lulloyd," Lloyd gestured to his group, "We've come with news of an impending danger to Ninjago. Can we speak to you?"

Wu's eyes were unreadable as he took in the group. He stood still, a few feet away from Lloyd. Lloyd extended his hand further, ready to shake to fully introduce himself. Morro smiled expectantly at Wu. For a few seconds, Wu stared at the group, completely still.

Then Wu's staff spun upwards, cracking out into Lloyd's hand and knocking it backwards. The end of the wooden staff pointed up into Lloyd's face as Wu's eyes filled with an anger that Lloyd had only seen when the Master had faced the Time Twins themselves.

"Leave," Wu's words were laced with venom, "Leave this place and never return."

Lloyd's eyes widened, "B-But Master Wu, we need to warn you-"

"LEAVE!" Wu shouted, the staff spinning again and smacking Lloyd again, "You have no place on this ship! Do not return to us, if there is a threat, we will deal with it ourselves!"

"Master!" Morro shouted in shocked, "What are you doing?!"

"Hey, what was that sound?" Jay piped up, walking over. The other ninja slowly began to converge on Wu.

"These are trespassers, they have no place here anymore than they do among this world," Wu hissed, "Leave now, or I will remove you!"

"Wu…" Harumi spoke sadly, "Please, we simply need to warn you, this is just-"

The woman was cut short as Wu's eyes suddenly glowed golden. Aura formed around him and converged on his staff he thrust up into the air. From it, a beautiful golden dragon formed. The dragon was roughly as long as the staff, and its serpentine body wound around the pole as it flew up into the air. The dragon hovered over Wu once it was fully summoned, his jaws snarling. Wu spun himself in a circle and then pointed his staff forward. The dragon shot down into Wu's chest, filling his body and causing Wu to gain a bright golden glow around his body. Lloyd could feel power emanating from Wu just as he stood there, staring Lloyd down.

"I said, I will remove you," Wu's voice sounded distant yet loud, as if it was being projected from far, far away, "Do not make me, or you will regret it."

Lloyd tried to speak again, but this time it was Lulloyd that stopped him. He walked forward and slowly stood in front of Lloyd, then bowed down by hinging at the waist. Wu stared at him as Lulloyd sighed, "We… we will go, we apologize for intruding, Master Wu…"

Wu took a long breath. The power that was in his body seemed to fade as he planted his staff back on the deck. He said no more, and instead turned around and waited for the group to leave.

"I'm… sorry that, it had to be this way," Morro sighed, "It appears that our paths were not meant to cross."

"More than you know…" Lloyd muttered before speaking at regular volume, "It's fine, Morro. We'll be leaving now."

Lloyd turned around, signalling for the two to follow him. The stunned ninja team watched as the three were forced to leave, each sliding over the side of the wrecked Bounty onto the ground. As soon as they hit the ground, Harumi pointed to Lulloyd's brick.

Harumi and Lloyd gave another look back at the Bounty. Wu was looking at them with a side glare harshly. Lulloyd threw his brick onto the ground as it rapidly unfolded out into his dragon, which he helped Lloyd climb onto. Harumi summoned her own dragon, taking off into the sky. The mech dragon didn't make a sound as its jets carried it up into the sky as well, taking the three far away from the Bounty.

As the ship faded into the clouds, Lloyd's mind was racing. Part of him was painfully hurt by Wu's harsh words and a very physical threat against him. This was Master Wu, and from what Harumi said, this was before anything like the Time Twins. He was shocked at being rejected like just like that. Was it his appearance? His name? Why had he reacted so harshly to _him_ being the one to introduce himself?

"Should we try to warn them about the Time Twins when Wu isn't around…?" Lulloyd, his voice showing an equal level of confusion, asked, "They, need to know that there is a threat…"

"We shouldn't bother," Harumi responded over the comm, "You saw that threat. Something happened to Wu, and he doesn't want us helping. We might make it worse if we even try to contact the ninja."

"What was that all about…?" Lloyd asked half to himself, "Why would Wu, be angry like that? At, us of all things?"

There was a long silence. Their dragons flew up into the sky until they were far enough away from the Bounty for some form of comfort. Harumi stopped her dragon, and Lulloyd shifted his thrusters to simply keep his dragon up in the air in place. He muttered something about needing some fuel soon.

"...Something had to have happened to Lloyd in this world," Harumi surmised, "Wu reacted to you trying to shake his hand. He was looking at _you,_ not us. I don't know how, but, let's assume that Wu at least, knows Lloyd. Something must have happened to him for Wu to be angry."

"Even assuming that he did, the other ninja didn't recognize us," Lloyd shook his head, "And again, there's the age difference thing."

"That might just be dimensional circumstance. This is an _alternate_ universe," Harumi pointedly stated, "Maybe Lloyd was born earlier or later in this world. If Morro was born later, than that fixes the age gap."

"But where is Lloyd?" Lulloyd pipped up, "The team, should have recognized us with our hoods down. That means that Lloyd never met them either?"

"Something might have happened to Lloyd before the team could meet him," Harumi mused, "Maybe… but, we wouldn't be able to know unless we found Lloyd or could talk to Wu."

"Can, we stop referring to this, other me in the third person?" Lloyd asked, "It, feels weird talking about myself as a separate person."

"You got lucky that Lulloyd has a nice nickname and I'm from the next generation," Harumi scoffed, "Not every world will have some convenient name for us to give to ourselves."

"Okay," Lulloyd groaned, "I still wish you guys would find another name for me, but, where exactly are we going now?"

Lloyd thought for a few moments. He tried to piece together what they could do now. They were in this universe, and tracking their elemental power was only good for getting into the world. The ninja were their best bet, and it's worked twice so far.

"Oh!" Harumi pipped up, "What about Uncle Dareth? Maybe he'll give us some help!"

"Uhm…" Lloyd shook his head, "No, that's, Dareth just has a small dojo in this world. Plus, he won't even know who any of us are."

"I know, but, I wanna see what Dareth was like in the past!" Harumi excitedly clarified, "Maybe he can even tell us some stuff about Lloyd!"

"I doubt it," Lulloyd spoke up, "Dareth is… uh, many things but, I don't think he'd know about that."

"You have a Dareth too?" Harumi perked up, "What's he like?"

"Basically like your Uncle," Lulloyd paused, "Except, my Dareth constantly tries to build a mech to be the Brown Ninja."

"Dareth IS the Brown Ninja!" Harumi shouted over her mic, "He's the best ninja!"

Lloyd tuned out what the two were saying. Where could they go for information? The ninja were out, and that also ruled out Misako lest they want to anger Wu when he learned they spoke to her. The ninja's ongoings weren't generally publicized until Dareth took over for their PR, and that didn't seem to have happened yet. They needed someone they could go to that knew the ninja, and maybe knew things that an average citizen wouldn't...

"Regardless of how great Dareth is," Lloyd shook his head, "I think, I have an idea."

"What idea?" Harumi and Lulloyd asked in tandem.

"Well… ever heard of a guy called Ronin?"

* * *

As it turned out, the ramage of the Preeminent had only been a few months ago. That became readily apparent as the two dragons landed just outside of Stiix. The city itself was reduced to scrap in several places, with a clear path able to be drawn from where the Preeminent had covered itself in buildings. The entire western half of the city was nothing more now than junk floating in the water and broken poles sticking up with splintered tops. Those buildings that still stood were overcrowded as those that lost their homes needed places to stay. Large cranes were erected, and appeared to be dredging up things from the bay.

"So… this is Stiix?" Harumi shuddered, "This place was rebuilt back home for me…"

"Yeah, we weren't exactly welcomed back here after Morro destroyed the place," Lloyd shook his head, "Thankfully this time we don't have to come in disguise."

"Wait, disguise?" Lulloyd asked as the two stepped forward onto the plank bridge to the city, "Uhm… do I want to know?"

"Power hungry Djinn making us out to be Ninjago's most wanted, or so I'm told," Lloyd stated plainly, "Come on, let's find Ronin."

As soon as the three were in the first stretch of buildings, the sight of the city's destruction was evident. Or, perhaps that was just the natural element of Stiix. There was a purveying stench throughout the streets, one of unwashed men and the ocean's spray underneath the planks. Those that stayed in the city wore ragged or dirty clothing, many of which sporting harsh glares as the three walked by. The streets were crowded with men carrying new planks or equipment, working to repair the damages. More than once, Harumi almost found herself getting her head knocked off by a man swinging something about without looking.

Asking around about Ronin often times earned them scoffs or snarls. The more people they asked, the deeper they went into the grime and darkness. Lloyd felt a pang of worry as he saw a small group of men leering towards Harumi as she walked by. Her ninja outfit had a hole that showed the underside of her chest in a large window very clearly, and while he knew it was symbolic of her moving forward, it didn't help that he knew others were looking at it.

"Harumi," Lloyd slowly paused, "Do, you think you wanna, cover up a little bit?"

"What?" Harumi frowned, "Why?"

"Your… uhm, suit, the hole…" He gestured to the little cutout, "It's, attracting attention."

"Are you saying I can't handle myself?" Harumi scoffed at him, forming tiny little Rhotatae discs in her hands, "I'm not covering this up. This is my suit. My dad died in this thing, I'm not going to cover up the reminder of what happened. And I am wearing underwear, if that's what you're asking."

Lloyd's face lit up with bright red as he snapped his head forward, "T-That wasn't what I was thinking at all! I'm, just saying we're not in the nicest of places is all!"

Harumi thought about that for a moment. Then, she reached up and pushed Lloyd aside. She walked up to the nearest man she could see. His grizzled and dirtied face, along with workman's clothes with several tears in them, looked to her for a moment. Harumi smoothed her hair back and then smiled at him with a warm and obedient smile.

"Hello sir," Harumi giggled slightly, "I'm looking for a man called Ronin. Do you think you could help us find him?"

"That deadbeat?" The man slurred, "Heh, I know where he is. What exactly are you wanting him for?" His eyes started to drift to the hole in her outfit.

"Oh you know… I've heard a lot about him!" She flipped her hair back, "I just want to make sure that I can thank him for saving Ninjago!"

"That guy didn't do nothin' for nobody. Him and his stupid little friend only cause trouble. Now… if you want me too…" His lips curled into a grin, "Maybe I can help show you where he is…" His eyes were drifting lower.

Harumi smiled for a moment, then she suddenly it dropped into a frown. Her hand rapidly formed a small Rhotatae disc as he slammed it forward into his chin. The disc shattered on his chin, sending far more than the force of a normal punch into his skull. Her knee shot up and hit him in the chest, making him double over in pain. Her other hand grabbed his hair and pulled him upwards so he was facing her.

"My eyes are up here," Harumi stated coldly, "How about instead of that, you just tell me where I can find him?"

For a moment, the man blinked heavily at her. His thoughts were unfocused as the pain of getting stuck like that pulsed through him. Then, he slowly turned and began to babble off directions, pointing with his hand at the paths she would need to take. Harumi nodded to each of them, then she giggled again and dropped him back down onto the ground.

"Thank you so much, good sir," Harumi turned around, "I'll make sure to follow that to a T." She winked at him, then stalked forward to Lloyd.

"Follow me," Harumi stated to him firmly, then turned around. Both of them were left stunned at the actions she'd just performed.

"Wow…" Lulloyd muttered, "That's, your daughter?"

"...Apparently…" Lloyd shook his head, "Come on, she got us directions to Ronin's place. Let's go!"

Harumi confidently led the three of them down several paths, a few of which led them through alleys with men sleeping up against the sides of wooden buildings. More than once, Lulloyd almost fell into the ocean below. Harumi said nothing and only continued to lead them forward. The two had nearly reached the very edge of the city, the buildings thinning out and become far newer when they found themselves at their destination. The building was unmistakably newly built, and was separated from the homes around it by a long walkway up to it. The general exterior, however, was clearly that of Ronin's shop.

"Huh… guess he rebuilt this place…" Lloyd shrugged, "Alright, let's go inside. Ronin can give us some information."

"Your Ronin must be different from mine," Lulloyd frowned, "Our Ronin always tries to steal our mechs in battle and then sell them back to us…" He looked to his mech dragon brick, "...There's a reason why I make it so my dragon has so many extra limbs stored up inside of it now…"

"I only know the stories about him," Harumi shrugged, "But, the guy back there said something about a friend? I don't remember any of that."

Lloyd shrugged and then moved forward to open the doors. There was a massive creak despite the new wood. As soon as they entered, the large purple rug in front of them and little bits of blue light that trickled in from the mostly covered windows instantly put him back into the memories of this place. He muttered to himself as he stepped forward into the seedy shop.

Around them, various boxes filled with weapons were pilled up, many of them unorganized. A few scrolls and banners hung on the walls, cluttering up the space further. It was impossible to tell what was genuine and what was fake just from looking. How Ronin had built up this much of his inventory back after having his place destroyed was beyond Lloyd. He could only guess how much more stuff was hidden on site. The items, however, wasn't the strangest thing about it.

Across the room, there was someone at the counter. At first, the three thought it was Ronin. Yet as they stepped forward, the dull light of the shop revealed it was anyone but him. The first thing that stood out about the figure was that he was green. There was a strange way that light passed through him. As they took a closer look, they realized that the figure was none other than a ghost. A ghost was manning the counter of Ronin's shop.

The ghost had messy unkempt black hair that was somewhat slicked back against his forehead. His eyes had large bags under them, and his gaze was filled with boredom. He wore what looked to be body armor, similar to what Ronin would wear. It covered him in pieces, going up and down his arms, legs and torso. Each piece was colored either maroon, yellow or black, with each piece being tinted green from his ghostly nature. Across his left arm, he wore a massive side cape that was black with two bands of maroon and yellow going down it vertically. On his hip were a pair of daggers plainly placed for all to see. He looked young, perhaps 17 or 18 at first glance.

The ghost slowly looked up from the counter. He yawned slightly and then spoke in a somewhat scratchy voice, "Hey. What do you want?"

As he yawned, his eyes focused on the group in front of him. He looked from Lloyd, to Lulloyd, and then to Harumi. When he looked back to them, he slowly put his hands on the counter and pushed himself upright. This plate armor he wore shifted slightly as he did so, and he grumbled as he tightened the straps to it.

"Uhm… is this Ronin's shop?" Lloyd asked curiously.

"Yep, this is _our_ place, we have a big selection of exotic goods and weapons, if you're looking for weapons at decent prices and questionable legality, shop Ronin and Mon…. Aaauugghwh…" The ghost yawned again, "I'm Monty, what do you want?"

"We were hoping to get some information about where we can find someone named Lloyd Garmadon," Harumi stepped forward, "Can we talk to Ronin?"

Monty paused, "Lloyd Garmadon? Never heard of him. You want weapons? Armor? Anything else I can get you to get you out of here faster?"

"No, we're, looking for Lloyd Garmadon," Lloyd affirmed, "We need information on where we can find him, and we heard that if you need information, you talk to Ronin."

"Ronin is out," Monty shook his head, "You're not wrong, though. This is a good place for information. Bunch of useless stuff, but something good comes up every once in awhile. Why you looking for this, Lloyd Garmadon?"

"That's our own personal reason," Harumi spoke up, "We weren't able to get anywhere with the Ninja, so we decided that perhaps you would be our next best bet."

"Course you didn't," Monty scoffed, "You won't get anywhere with them. Now, if you wanna try talking to them, turn around and leave. Otherwise, let me say this again: you want anything specific? Ronin is out right now, so if you want to talk to him, yoo bad. Right now, you're loitering in the store. Either tell me what you want or get out."

"...Uhm…" Lulloyd thought fast, "Uhm, Harumi here is looking for a weapon!" Lulloyd grabbed Harumi's hand, "She, uh, doesn't use weapons! She was in the market for one!"

Monty looked the group over for a moment before he just sighed and nodded his head. He phased through the counter and walked up towards Harumi. Once he was outside of the counter, now the team could get a full look at him. His arms and legs were strong, yet his overall frame appeared to still be underdeveloped. The armor he wore gave his torso more bulk than it likely had. He brushed his side cape around his back as he stared Harumi up and down.

"Weapon?" Monty reached out and grabbed her arm. His hand was covered in what appeared to be some sort of glove, and when he focused his hand to physically touch her, she found feel that the glove itself felt almost tactical in design, "Well just from your muscles, you're not doing anything overly heavy. What exactly are you looking range wise?"

Harumi pulled her arm away from Monty as quickly as he grabbed her. Monty just stared at her and then sighed, stepping back and walking over towards some crates. Harumi looked at him oddly before she sighed and decided to go along with Lulloyd's idea.

"Well, ideally something close range. I've relied on my fists for awhile," Harumi paused, "But, I need something light. I don't do well with swords either."

Monty yawned, "Well then, aren't you special?" As Harumi twitched, Monty walked over to a large wall with large boxes and barrels filled with several weapons, "Alright, ever thought about just gauntlets? Pure things to put over your hands?"

"I've… considered them, but I also, don't like the feeling of them," Harumi didn't want to let on right now she charged energy in her hands, "I also need to use my hands for, some special things."

"Getting even more unique by the second here girl," Monty shrugged, "Well I'll go ahead and look around for something. We mainly have novelty weapons here, but I'm sure we can find something…."

As the ghost trudged off into the store, it gave the trio a time to turn around. Almost instantly, Lloyd's mouth was moving and filled with questions.

"How did a ghost get away from the Cursed Realm? And why is he with Ronin, of all people?" Lloyd blinked and turned to make sure Monty was still searching, "It doesn't make any sense!"

"I don't know… the only ghost I ever know that escaped was Morro, and that was due to Wu…" Harumi muttered, "Lulloyd, do you know anyone named Monty in your universe?"

"Uhm, no, but like I said we have a Ronin," Lulloyd smile before he winced, "Oh…. great, I just realized he probably stole Kai's fire mech when the Time Twins hit it and sold it back to my friends…"

"Focus on the here and now," Lloyd stated firmly, "We need to talk to Ronin, he always has answers."

"And find a place to stay," Harumi pointed out, "We're not exactly swimming in options here. We can still go to Dareth though!"

"I'm, not sure Dareth would appreciate three strangers dressed up in green ninja clothes just showing up on his doorstep!" Lloyd affirmed, "Though, maybe we should get a change of clothes…"

Just as Lloyd was about to say something else, the sound of something whizzing filled the air. Lloyd turned his head just to see a shuriken flying past his skull, embedding into the wall behind him. As he saw the cold metal reflecting his face back to him, he saw Monty sitting up on the desk casually playing with another.

"Hey!" Lulloyd shouted, "You could have killed us!"

Monty leaned forward, "Well what's so wrong with being dead?" He kicked his feet idly, "And I already said that if you won't buy anything, you're loitering. That was your warning. Next one will shave off some of that golden hair you got there."

Lloyd was about to say something, but Monty raised his hand. A light breeze entered the room, swirling about from under the door. Wind slowly colheased together around the shuriken in the wall, wrapping around it like fingers. Then, suddenly, the weapon shot backwards from the wall, once more nearly clipping Lloyd as Monty's outstretched hand caught the gust of wind and the weapon it brought back with it.

"You're the Master of Wind?" Harumi gasped.

Monty groaned and leaned forward, "You all clearly aren't from around here. Everyone here in Stiix knows that I can blast them clean off into the ocean whenever I want. What, you want an autograph?"

"What? No, no it's just," Lloyd began, "Morro was the master of wi-"

"Don't talk about the ninja in here," Monty stated coldly. His tone dropped from dismissive to venom laced in a heartbeat, "Even if you were stupid enough to bring them up in the city they were destroyed in, don't mention Morro to me."

"Oh, don't mind him," A friendly gruff voice came from behind a curtain behind the counter, "Monty is just in one of his moods it seems."

From the curtain spread apart the figure of Ronin. Lloyd could recognize that armor anywhere. His large red straw hat sat atop his head, his eyepiece still in place and armor still dirty and tough as ever. Almost nothing about him seemed to have changed from the last time that Lloyd met him. Ronin casually strolled over towards the counter and stood beside it.

"I'm not in a 'mood' Ronin," Monty huffed, "They're loitering and talking about the ninja."

"Hmm… must not be from around here then," Ronin chuckled, making Monty roll his eyes, "Well, what brings you all the way out to Stiix in the first place?"

"You said Ronin was out!" Lulloyd protest to Monty.

"Yes, he was out. Now he's back in," Monty huffed, "They came in asking for some Lloyd Garmadon, I told them I didn't know him and then they said they wanted to talk to you."

"Talk to me?" Ronin smirked, "Well, guess they're getting what they wished for. Though, can't say that name rings any bells. Now if you're looking for just Garmadon, well, I can tell you where he is, though you ain't finding him."

"He's dead, yes, we know," Lloyd spoke quickly, "Are you _sure_ the name Lloyd doesn't mean anything to you? Nothing?"

"Nope," Ronin shook his head, "Though, speaking of names, what's yours? I like to get to know my customers a bit."

"Yes, he's such the popular guy around here," Monty sarcastically gasped, "The other day, he had to fight his way past _three_ guys he ticked off!"

"See, mood!" Ronin chuckled, "And those three guys owed me money. I was just trying to collect some money so we'd be able to get some repairs done on REX."

"We're not getting into this again!" Monty snapped, "You three, names, now!"

"Uhhh… Lloyd," Lloyd stated awkwardly, "This is Harumi, and he's Lulloyd." This earned yet another sigh from his bricked dimensional counterpart.

"So, you're named Lloyd, and you're looking for Lloyd?" Ronin shrugged, "Bit of a coincidence there, don't you think? You trying to find some rich twin or long lost relative of yours?"

"Let's just call him someone we need to see," Lloyd answered smoothly, "You think you can help us with that?"

"Hmmmmm…." Ronin looked the three up and down. The lens in his eyepiece shrunk, as if it was analyzing them in some way. Ronin looked over to Monty for a second as he winked with his uncovered eye. Monty stared back at him blankly and then looked back forward to the group with Ronin.

"Well," Monty shrugged, "We don't know a Lloyd, but we could help you dig up some information about him. If you'd be willing to hear us out about a job we were going to work on hiring some muscle on."

"Like… bodyguards?" Lulloyd asked.

"Something like that," Ronin smirked, "Well, Monty and I were going to go out to get some food here soon. Why don't you all come and join us?"

"Us? Join you?" Harumi asked curiously, "You just met us."

"You'll never get to know someone if you don't talk with 'em," Ronin countered back, "And what, is eating lunch a bad thing?"

The answer to that question was already answered for several people in the room. Harumi, however, seemed curious as to where this could lead.

"Sure thing," Harumi smiled, "We haven't eaten in a bit, so why not?"

"Alright then," Monty slid off the counter, "So where are we going tonight, Ronin?"

"Oh, I had a few ideas…" Ronin let that trail off. It took Monty a few seconds, but the ghost suddenly scoffed and shook his head.

"Really?" Monty huffed, "You really wanna go there? Again?!"

"Hey, we haven't been there in at least a week!" Ronin shot at Monty, "You picked the place last time, now I'm picking it this time. Fair as that."

"You know it's named after an insane lunatic that locked me in a dungeon for months, right?"

"Course I do. Doesn't mean the food is any less good!"

"Uh…" Lulloyd blinked, "Where exactly are we going?"

The two partners halted there bickering. Ronin looked over ot Monty, silently asking him if he wanted to explain. When Monty just stayed silent, Ronin spoke up.

"Ever been to Master Chen's?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, we have arrived at our next AU! In writing this fic initially, this was where I really started to see how the story was going to take shape beyond just AU to AU. We have also been introduced to one of my favorite characters that I have ended up writing so far. 
> 
> Also, I've started using horizontal lines instead of "---" to indicate time breaks. On Fanfic, where I also post this, it removes those whenever I put them into the document, but between these two sites the horizontal lines are kept. so I'll start using those instead. I'm going to leave the "---" in the previous chapters, but from here on out that's what I'll use. Just a minor change! 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!


	10. Chapter 10

"Mhm… you know," Ronin paused between sipping noodles from his bowl, "I've told Skylar, she should totally work on franchising this place more."

"Yes, you've told her that at least ten times…" Monty groaned, barely picking at a bowl of his own, "Face it, Stiix isn't a good location for one."

"She could make it work," Ronin shrugged, "Come on, she's the daughter of Master Chen, I'm sure she could figure out something. If her dad did all that, imagine what she can do!"

The group of five currently were seated in a large circular booth, with Ronin sitting on one end, followed by Monty, Lulloyd, Harumi and Lloyd. Initially, Harumi had tried to sit down away from Lloyd, yet after attempting to ask Monty a few questions, she'd gotten the cold shoulder. She'd instead opted to put the quietest member of their group along with the ghost instead. Lulloyd had said a simple greeting to Monty, gotten nothing, and decided himself not to engage him.

The restaurant they currently were in was indeed the one in the midst of Ninjago City. Ronin had insisted that they go to the original location to get the most authentic experience. He'd taken the group out back behind the shop to a small pier that overlooked the vast ocean outside of the bay Stiix rested in. After flipping away the wood on top of a pillar to reveal it had a control panel under it, a few buttons pushes had brought REX in all her glory out from the ocean depths.

"I keep it under there so idiots don't try to hijack it… or take it for joyrides," Ronin directed that last comment at Monty. Monty had opened his mouth to angrily retort, yet Lulloyd's questioning at the machine had silenced him.

And thus, half an hour later, the group had REX currently parked in a garage several blocks away and were in the original store. Harumi smiled cheekily at Ronin mentioning the franchise location, hitting her watch and tilting it so Lulloyd saw the location in her timeline had gone up to nearly 50 locations. Every so often, Lloyd could see a flash of bright red hair coming from the kitchen.

"So, Skylar runs this place?" Harumi had beaten Lloyd to the punch.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah," Ronin pointed towards the kitchen doors, "Has for awhile now. She's really gotten it up. Love coming here."

"That makes one of us…" Monty groaned.

It hadn't taken much doing for the group to find something they liked. According to Lulloyd, noodles were a popular thing in his Ninjago City. Garmadon had always crushed at least one noodle dog cart on his weekly to biweekly rampages. Thankfully, it seemed noodles themselves were similar in both their dimensions, as Lulloyd easily found himself a few bowls that suited his tastes. The strange thing of 'food' being compatible was one that Harumi put a note down to study later, especially upon Lloyd mentioning he had eaten what looked like plastic but somehow been perfectly fine. Lloyd and Harumi, having eaten at the place many times, had no issues.

"Why don't you like Chen's?" Lulloyd asked Monty.

Monty stopped mid-bite and cast an annoyed glance at Lulloyd. Monty's attitude had already made him out to be quite the ball of sunshine, if said sun was covered by stormclouds. Unlike Ronin sitting upright, Monty was slouched back into the booth, picking at his food with a fork and looking up at the ceiling as much as he was at the three strangers across from him. He had intentionally taken the fork over traditional chopsticks.

"Alright, now that's a story I gotta tell you all about!" Ronin grinned.

"It's my story," Monty turned to Ronin, "Maybe I should tell it this time."

"Last time you told it you bored that girl to death," Ronin smirked. Monty just gave a hard groan and shook his head.

"Great, this again…" Monty groaned, leaning back in the booth and putting his hand up to his face. Ronin ignored him.

"Okay, so, get this," Ronin leaned forward with one arm on the table, "Monty here gets invited to this crazy Tournament of Elements thing. Tells me he's going out for something he needs to do, nothing more to it. This is on an Island, way out in the endless sea. It's not even on any map whatsoever. So, he gets there, and fights in the tournament in one on one matches. Then, boom, he loses to Morro in the middle of the semifinals. You know Morro, right? Green ninja, kinda quiet, super dedicated?"

"We know him," Lloyd affirmed, "Though, he wasn't quiet when we met him."

"Really? Huh, looks like Monty isn't the only one having an off day. Well anyways," Ronin looked over to Monty, "He gets his windy thing stripped away from him, locked in a cell for months, and guess what?"

"Chen just forgets about me."

"Chen just forgets about him! Right up and forgets him in a vengestone cell. So I have to go hopping island to island, scouring the whole thing until finally I figure out where his ghost butt was!" Ronin huffed and threw his arm up in the air.

"I had a plan to get out," Monty sighed, "Not that I'm saying I didn't _want_ to get out of there faster."

"So, Skylar has been offering him free noodles for life to make up for it. She always offers. And guess what!"

"I never accept."

"He never accepts!" Ronin sat back, "Seriously, don't look a gift horse in the mouth is what I say. Heck, that's what my father used to say-"

"Your father didn't 'use to say' anything," Monty growled, "He left you before you could remember him. Spare them some made up story about him as a deep sea diver that talked about how air would work as you went up or whatever!"

"Firstly, he was an adventurer. Heck, he knew Clutch Powers in his hayday! But as he said, don't go up too fast or you'll crack under the pressure, just like building towards your dream in life," Ronin continued, "But yeah, so Monty here has a free lifetime of noodles, and won't take them."

"I don't think Skylar knows what she's getting into offering me that," Monty rolled his eyes, "A lifetime for a ghost is probably far longer than she'll be running this chain."

"How long do ghosts live for?" Harumi spoke up, hoping to interrupt this strange little argument they'd been witnesses to.

"No idea," Monty shrugged, "Pretty sure I'm here to stay until I either get wet or leave. Now that the Cursed Realm is gone, I'm sure I can actually die now. But, you know," He raised his arm up, letting light refract through it, "It's not like death means anything to me."

"You and me both know you're incredibly popular with the ladies though," Ronin smirked, "Speaking of which…" His eyes drifted towards two women chatting away at a nearby booth.

"We have guests," Monty hissed, "I'm not playing wingman for you right now."

"You might wanna get your mind out of that gutter there," Ronin pointed a bit further beyond the two, showing a large bowl of desserts coming down the conveyor belt, "You like those, don't cha?"

Lulloyd and Lloyd had both taken the time to eat rather slowly. In truth, all they'd eaten at Kai's house the previous night for them had been more than enough food, and while they were a little hungry, a place that was partially all-you-can-eat was a bit too much for them. For a moment, the question had come up if ghosts could eat. Lloyd then specifically noted that Monty, despite picking at his noodles, had devoured a bowl of Puffy Pot Stickers.

Harumi was a bit more hungry due to what had happened to her the previous few days. She was eager to dig into food that she had excitedly claimed was the 'original' and taken to grabbing anything off the belt she saw that looked good. While she ate, she intentionally seemed to avoid speaking. When Monty hadn't been looking, she turned and flashed her watch at him, causing it to scan Monty's body. Lulloyd looked to her curiously when he saw this, only garnering a little suspicious nod from Harumi in response.

"So, uh, how'd you two… meet?" Lloyd asked slowly, "Like, I always got the impression that like, you were a bit more of a loner guy, Ronin."

"Huh, not many people know me well enough to get that impression. Have we met before?" Ronin sat down a bowl of noodles to lean over the table towards Lloyd. His lips curled into a grin while his eyebrows raised.

"Somewhat, yeah," Lloyd nodded his head, "I heard of you when I was a lot younger. And I saw you work a few times."

"Probably just some kid that saw you fly off on REX after some heist," Monty rolled his eyes, "Gonna have to add another tick to the Ronin Fan Club," He muttered, "It's still smaller than the Monty Fan Club though. Kids love ghosts, apparently."

"That story is a little less interesting," Ronin shrugged his shoulders, ignoring Monty, "Found Monty about ... fifteen years ago maybe? I'd have to look up the exact date to be sure. Here he is, this lonely ghost wandering around Ninjago, earned himself the reputation of being the Wandering Spirit. So, of course, I go out and track him down. Didn't know if this was actually something I could make money off of."

"And he finds me," Monty interjected. Ronin shot him a glare.

"Yeah, found him right there, all alone. Now, you gotta understand that ghosts, we don't get a lot of those in Ninjago. Ever," Ronin tapped the table with a chopstick, "Most people that get cursed go right to the Cursed Realm. The only way out is if someone opens a way out for you. Monty here hasn't ever told me how he got out. And I haven't asked, cause I respect my partner."

"Right," Lloyd tried to put this right in his head, "You and Monty are full partners, then?"

"Yep," Monty grimaced, "You got that right. You want some noodles for figuring that out?"

Lloyd gave Monty a bit of an annoyed glance. Monty just shrugged and picked his bowl up. He ate a few bites, then sat it down and slid it to the side. He dove right back into a second bowl of Puffy Pot Stickers Lulloyd had snagged without another word, leaving Ronin to finish his tale.

"So a few years before that, I made a deal with a guy called Soul Archer," Ronin explained while leaning back and putting his feet up on the table, much to Harumi's chagrin, "Guy helped me get rich quick. Used that money to buy REX and my shop, right? Well, the guy made a deal that after a bit I'd have to pay him back. Wasn't going so hot. Thankfully, he dies, goes right to being a ghost. So I think I'm out of the deal. But then I find out that the deal didn't go away, and that if I don't pay him back when Soul Archer comes back to Ninjago, I'm off to the Cursed Realm myself. And then… I find little old Monty here, a nice fresh ghost right out of that place. Think you can see where I'm going with this?"

"Our deal was we'd become partners and split the profits, and in turn I'd protect him from Soul Archer if and when that guy got out," Monty spoke up rudely again.

"And then, just a few months ago actually, he does!" Ronin sits up, "Turns out that Garmadon just straight up sacrificed himself to stop Chen after his little Tournament thing led to Ninjago getting invaded. Now, now, I wasn't there when it happened. I was looking for his little smiling ghost face at the time. But in doing so, he lets out Soul Archer, and guess where he goes? Morro. Heck, we just actually finally got the Ninja off our back after we had to go and help them out with Morro. We actually saved the Ninja from a big death trap too! Well Monty here did."

"They were gonna believe an obviously forced message to get lost in the Caves of Despair!" Monty chuckled, a surprisingly positive noise after spending so long in a negative mood, "Seriously. I got to them right before those idiots would've gotten trapped in and died."

"Wait," Lloyd shook his head, "Why'd you have to send that message in the first place?"

"I was going to make good on our deal," Monty shook his head, "See, there are only two things that kill a ghost: water, and another ghost. So I got myself a good aeroblade and Ronin stole the Sword of Sanctuary and we got within a literal inch of winning. Course, right when we're about to finally run him through he jumps right into Morro again," Monty growled, "...Even if I hate that green guy, I wouldn't kill him for that. So we get caught, and I escape to get the ninja from dying. Simple as that."

Lloyd and Harumi were building a profile events off of what Ronin was saying. Monty was involved in events in their timeline, but Morro was the Green Ninja. The events of when Morro escaped the Cursed Realm appeared to line up somewhat. Yet despite that, something was off about everything that was being said. Lulloyd, however, didn't have any knowledge of this, so he was the one to thankfully ask the questions they didn't want to.

"Uh… so, what's your relationship with the Ninja..?" Lulloyd asked slowly, "Like, do you know them well?"

"Oh, we've run into them a lot. First major time was with the Fang Blades," Monty answered this time, "We do whatever job we're paid to do, don't care who it is. This guy called Pythor hired us, and so we were off getting them. 'Course he just went and vanished right after we got them."

"And that's why we take half the payment in advance now," Ronin grinned, "We are running a business here, you know. Which… is part of why we wanted to talk to you guys."

Harumi, Lloyd, and Lulloyd sat down their bowls. Ronin looked to Monty, who summoned wind to blow the bowls in straight lines down towards the end of the table. Despite Lulloyd's protests, the bowls managed to stay perfectly upright and not spill at all. Ronin took a device off from the inside of one of his armor plates and sat it down on a table. It spread out over the surface to show what looked like a checklist.

"You want us to help you with business?" Lloyd raised his eyebrow, "What exactly is your game here, Ronin?"

"Let me lay out our business terms here before you make any judgements," Ronin turned to Monty, "Or actually, Monty will. He's good about giving just the facts."

"I just don't like aimlessly rambling on about useless information to people," Monty sighed and leaned forward, "Long story short, we have a job to do. We have a collector that's all into Serpentine items. Fang Blades, Staffs, war relics, weapons, venom, all that. We found a place where we can get all of that. Problem is, we need to hire some help on for this job."

"What… sort of help?" Harumi spoke cautiously, "Are you wanting us to help steal?"

"Oh no. No, no, no, no, no!" Ronin laughed, "Trust me honey, I only trust myself and this guy right here to do any of that. We need you guys to act as… well, Monty, what's a good way to put it?"

"Insurance," Monty replied deadpanned, "Basically, we might end up running into some trouble once we get the items. We need you guys to ensure that we don't end up having all of that taken from us when we make our way home."

"Ohhh… you want us to be rear guards!" Lulloyd smiled proudly. As the others looked at him somewhat oddly, his smile fell as he turned his head to the side, "I-I mean that's what my dad would call us, at least…"

"Well your dad sounds like a smart person, stiff-legs," Ronin grinned, "By the way, what artifact did you get your hands on to get stuck moving all like that? Seems kinda inconvenient."

"Uh… the… Beam… of… Meowtrha!" Lulloyd improvised poorly, "Y-Yeah, I got hit by the Beam of Meowthra, so, now I can't move my arms in any way but up and down and my legs back and forth! It used to be annoying but, now I've finally figured out how to live with it."

"Mhm, hit me up about that later, we might be able to strike a deal to help fix that," Ronin offered casually, "But yeah, we want you guys to basically be some hired help."

Lloyd started to speak, but Harumi cut him off, "And what would be in that for us? You two are stealing, and you want us to put our lives on the line for you. Seems one sided."

"Wasn't finished there yet, chest-window," Monty scoffed at her, causing Harumi to grip her hands into fists, "You want information on this Lloyd Garmadon? Well, information isn't cheap. You help us with this job, then maybe we'll see if we can find them for you. How about that?"

"Well…. Firstly, I have a question," Lloyd leaned on the table himself, "Why even offer the job to us? We're basically strangers to you."

"Ever heard that saying, don't go storm chasing with a weather guy?" Ronin shook his head, "It's best to go on jobs with guys you don't know. That way, we don't have to feel bad if you run off on us. And you don't know enough about us to do anything to try to steal from us either," Ronin chuckled, "Plus, you three seem pretty unique. So… now how about that?" Ronin leaned forward, "You scratch our backs, maybe we'll take a scratcher to yours."

Lloyd considered that offer. The ninja had already thrown them out, and for what felt like no reason. If they went back to them, they'd never find out anything about this universe's Lloyd. Then again… this was Ronin they were talking about. Even after fighting alongside the guy for months back home, he would only trust Ronin as far as he could throw the guy. Which, given how heavy the weapons he carried were, wouldn't be too far.

"You didn't tell us where the job is," Lloyd stated pointedly, "We should know about that."

"That's not for you to know," Monty stately plainly to him, "We don't know anything about you, and you don't know anything about us. We're keeping it that way. All you need to do is sit in REX and then move when we tell you to. Can you handle that?"

Now Monty's tone was getting to Lloyd as well. He and Harumi shared a look, then they each gave a little shrug. Lulloyd watched them do this without being sure what they were even doing in the first place.

"Give us a minute to discuss this," Harumi stated firmly, "We need to figure out what we're going to do."

"Sure, sure," Ronin nodded his head, "Come on, Monty, let's go pay for all this. That be enough time for ya?"

"Should be," Harumi smiled at him.

"Good," Monty slid out of the counter, then turned to Ronin, "You're gonna have to pay for this one. I didn't bring my wallet."

"Wait, what?" Ronin frowned, "Monty, you know I don't bring cash with me. You're the cash guy!"

"You've never said that…" Monty growled hard, "I don't have the money to pay."

"Well unless you wanna get us thrown out of here, you better think of something!"

"Maybe I'd like to get thrown out, then we wouldn't have to come back to this place…"

"You know, there's a simple solution to this. Go into the kitchen, walk up to Skylar, give her your best non-angry expression and simply say 'Oh, Skylar, we can't afford to pay, can we take you up on that free noodle thing you were talking about?' That's it, nice and simple."

"I'd rather go jump into the sink in there than go and beg a girl whose father imprisoned me for months to give me pity food."

Ronin slowly growled at Monty, then turned to the three of them. He leaned forward and put his hands on the table, "You three got anything? We'll get you some cash when we get back to the shop."

"I still only have my bills…" Lulloyd whispered.

"All our currency is digital now…" Harumi whispered, turning her head away in shame.

The entire table turned to Lloyd. The ninja looked at all of them, then he sighed hard in exasperation. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, putting down all the bills he had onto the table. Ronin gave him a toothy grin, then snatched the bills up and walked away.

"He better pay me back," Lloyd groaned, "I was gonna use that to finally complete my Starfarer collection…"

"You have a near complete Starfarer collection?!" Lulloyd gasped, "Wait, can I borrow it sometime?!"

"Can we talk about Ronin first?" Harumi stopped Lloyd from answering again, "Are we going to do this, or not?"

"Have you ever met Ronin?" Lloyd shook his head, "There isn't any good that'll come of us going with him."

"True…" Harumi sighed, "But we don't exactly have any leads on how to find Lloyd in this place. It's either them or we spend weeks trying to find him ourselves."

"Uh… can you remind me why it is that we need to find Lloyd in the first place?" Lulloyd asked, "I mean… besides like, the obvious."

"Because the Time Twins must be looking for him," Lloyd pointed out, "Think about it. They don't know where Lloyd is. They have to be planning something. They'll go and try to find Lloyd, and then maybe use him to refuel their army or whatever. They don't know who Morro is. If we can find Lloyd first and figure out what happened, then we can get the Ninja on our side and maybe find the Twins before they get back to full strength."

"Given how much damage Karlon did and Lulloyd's fall must have done," Harumi tapped her watch a few times, "I… suspect that we might have three days. If they scrounge enough pieces then they can rebuild pretty quickly, or at least given how those snakes acted that's what it looks like. The biggest issue is going to be them needing to breed and then raise more snakes. I don't know how fast the Vermillion grow, but I'm lowballing this."

"Uh… what are you doing with your watch there?" Lulloyd asked curiously.

"Oh, I'm running simulations," Harumi didn't look up from it, "Like I said earlier, the Borg Watch basically does everything. I think Kai pointed out that Borg has caused some headaches for them in past with all that."

"Wait, I forgot! We scanned for the Time Blades using the chrono-scanner thing!" Lloyd beamed, "You can scan for the Time Twins!" Lloyd grinned, "We can take them out now and we won't have to deal with Ronin!"

"Alright tried that," Harumi shot him an annoyed look, "Nothing. My watch still hasn't fully assimilated the map of Ninjago. There's a program on here that can emulate earlier versions of Borg Tech, but that's kinda finicky. I'm trying to run version 2.0 which would be a lot closer to what you guys would have…. It's honestly so primitive that I can hardly make it work. Plus, they'd have to be using time energy to get me to see them. It's not like radiation I can just pick up and scan at any point," She scoffed.

"I guess you are a girl from the future…" Lulloyd sighed, "I like my smartphone as it is now."

"But should we _trust_ Ronin on this?" Lloyd brought the question at hand back up, "He's… Ronin! And none of even know who that Monty guy is. Should we do this?"

"Do you have a better option right now?" Harumi tapped her watch, "We're on a time crunch here. We need to find Lloyd, get the Ninja on our side, and take out the Time Twins before they get back to their full strength. Either we take the route that we know will get us what we need, or we gamble. Can we afford to take those odds?"

Their time to debate was over as Ronin came back over. He stretched his back out once he was back over, setting a receipt down in front of Lloyd. There was no change given. Monty stood behind Ronin with a vacant gaze as Ronin extended his arm out towards the three.

"So… what about it?" Ronin grinned, "Partners?"

Lloyd looked to Harumi, then to Lulloyd. He formed a small miniscule ball of green energy in his hands, then looked to that too. After a few seconds, he let out a small sigh, reached his hand out, and shook Ronin's hand hard.

"Partners," Lloyd grimaced, "Let's go steal some stuff."

* * *

Lloyd had never realized that REX had the ability to extend a thin metal canopy over the back of itself. Behind the main cockpit was a little open deck that he had always ignored. When they'd arrived, it only had a few boxes on it. They'd ridden here with it open, and thus the wind had constantly been somewhat deafening. Yet this time, as the three had gotten onto the deck, Monty had phased through the glass to the cockpit and hit a button, which caused a thin red shell to extend down to cover the area where he, Lulloyd and Harumi stood. Lights turned on above them, then the craft shook as Ronin's voice came over the intercom.

"Alright, we're off!" Ronin grinned, "Feel free to make yourself comfy. Don't open anything back there though. If you break it, you're buying it."

"Does he not trust us to see where we're going?" Lulloyd remarked.

"Pretty sure he doesn't…" Harumi looked to a metal door that led to the two-seat cockpit where Ronin and Monty were, "You'd think he'd want to stop at home first to get some tools, right?"

"Ronin has a habit of being a one-man arsenal when it comes to arming himself. A lot of that armor is hollow for a reason," Lloyd remarked, "He probably brought the stuff he needed with him too."

The three descended into silence as the dull sounds of winds outside of REX filled the space. Lulloyd found a spot to sit on top of some crates, leaning his head back and resting his eyes. Harumi leaned against a wall near the door to the cockpit, doing the same. Lloyd got down and laid his head on his wrists, thinking.

"What exactly are we going to do with the Time Twins when we stop them?" Harumi asked out of the silence.

Lloyd perked up slightly, "Well… I, figured I would take them back to my dimension and imprison them in Kyrptarium like we do with most of our villains."

"Oh, right," Harumi sighed. Her reaction made Lulloyd lean onto his side and look at her curiously.

"What were you thinking of doing with them?" Lulloyd asked, "I mean, what else can we do other than imprison them?"

"Forget it," Harumi huffed quickly, "It was a dumb question."

Lloyd knew that angry voice. He slowly began to speak, "Harumi, we're not going to kill them. We're Ninja, not judges. If we kill them, we sink to their level."

"I know that," Harumi hissed, "You- He- My _father_ taught me that. I'm not an idiot. It was a dumb thought. That's why I said forget it."

Lloyd gave Harumi a look. He wasn't sure how to respond to what she just said, so he didn't. He pulled his hood up slightly over his eyes to act as a sort of blinder. He sighed softly as he tried to get a bit of rest. The room descended into silence once more.

"...I wonder what my dad is doing right now…" Lulloyd muttered.

Harumi looked towards Lulloyd. Lulloyd realized he'd said that out loud, and his face went bright red. He nervously sat up from the crates and started to roll his hands together as his arms rotated out of their sockets.

"I-I mean… I kinda, just left really fast…" Lulloyd sighed, "Like, the Time Twins took my power and all my team's own and then… then my dad told me to leave and get them back. So, I did. But, I barely even said goodbye to my team…"

"Your team sounds like they're strong," Harumi pointed out, "You all managed to reform your father and held off the Time Twins. Not even my team could do that. I'm sure they're fine."

"Heh… it's, actually not them I'm worried about…" Lulloyd winced, "I… I kinda left my dad to tell mom that I was leaving…"

"Hmm…" Harumi shook her head, "I'm sure she'd understand. You were attacked and now you have to get back what they took. That's noble enough for her to accept, right?"

"I guess, she always talks about how fighting someone is about showing you're the superior one and not about winning…." Lulloyd thought, "Actually, my mom has been, a lot crazier ever since she got back together with my dad."

"What sort of crazy?" Harumi asked.

"Like… uh, the other day we were in the middle of training, and Nya said that she admired my mom. So my mom came over and flipped her over her shoulder, slammed her into the deck, then spun her out into the water, saying something like 'Admiration only brings distance!' or something like that. Nya only got even more excited after that."

"Oh, I see…" Harumi paused, "Well she sounds like she'll understand that you had to leave. You'll be fine."

"Yeah, I'm just, worrying too much is all," Lulloyd looked up, "I'm, kinda felt a little weird ever since I started this. Like… you two are so different from me, it's like, I'm almost out of place or something."

"You're the one that managed to send the Iron Doom off the side of the Mountain of a Million Steps," Harumi pointed out with a grin, "That's pretty impressive. Even if you feel out of place, I'm glad to have you around."

"T-Thanks Harumi…" Lulloyd blushed, pulling his hood over his face, "T-That's really nice of you."

"It's no problem," Harumi smiled back to him, "We're going to get your power back, and get you back home where you belong, kay?"

"O-Okay," Lulloyd nodded his head, "But, first let's go and handle this thing with Ronin."

Harumi gave Lulloyd another warm smile before she went and resumed her silence. Lloyd tried to think of something to say. She'd managed to get Lulloyd's spirits up before he could piece out the root of the problem. Trying to talk to her, however, proved more difficult. Trying to find something that could at least get him talking with Harumi felt daunting; She had just been so nice to Lulloyd, why was it that she was, cold to him?

"Hey, Harumi?" Lloyd smiled, "Maybe, we should discuss some plans for dealing with the Time Twins?"

"I think we need to focus on Ronin right now," Harumi shook her head, "Your plans haven't been successful so far either, Lloyd. So let's follow Ronin's plan, then we can discuss one later."

That made Lloyd fall silent again. He sighed and pulled his hood over his face, using it to try and get some rest. He had no idea where it was that they were going, and Ronin was behind a door. He sighed and decided to try to get at least a little rest.

Thankfully, Wu's training meant that Lloyd knew how to rest his eyes without falling asleep. One he relaxed his thoughts, he found his breathing calm and he decided to rest a tad bit more. The trip seemed to take almost an hour, which meant they could very well be spanning the entire length of Ninjago. Where is was that Ronin was taking them, he somewhat wished to know.

Lulloyd, in the meanwhile, was playing around with his sword. He didn't have a brick to sharpen it against, so he instead was spinning his hand around to spin it rapidly in the air. Harumi had her hands in front of her, slowly forming and unforming Rhotatae discs of various sizes and shapes. She would cast glances to both of her fellow friends by her, then she would turn her head away and just go back to what she was doing. Overall, it was a boring trip.

Roughly an hour later, the three would be greeted by Ronin's attempted pleasant voice coming over the intercom: "Heya, we've arrived. You three just wait there, alright? We'll be back up with the goods in a few minutes."

"More waiting…" Lloyd sighed, then spoke louder, "Alright, Ronin, just tell us when you need us!"

"Assuming all goes to plan, we won't," Ronin grinned, "But in case I do, well, you'll tell by the feeling of REX getting pummeled. Under no circumstances do you get into the cockpit, you hear me?"

Right as Ronin finished speaking, suddenly a loud crash sounded from the left side of the ship. Lulloyd was sent tumbling backwards as REX leaned hard to the right. Lloyd managed to take hold of a crate and Harumi the piece of wall she was leaning against to stop themselves sliding. As the room rocked, Ronin spoke up again.

"Sorry guys, Monty triggered the anti-aircraft sensors," Ronin sighed and veered the ship back upright, much to Lulloyd's relief, "Thankfully I prepared for this."

"I told you they'd install them after last time!" Monty's aggravated voice could be heard faintly, "I'll go take care of them."

"Right, anyways, we're off! REX is on autopilot, so don't worry about getting shot down. Just hold onto something and wait for us to get back!"

Harumi could see through the window the cockpit of REX opening up. Monty and Ronin both leapt up from their seats and down towards the ground, with Monty using his Wind in order to control both of their descents. Once the two were out of range of the window's view, Harumi looked back to Lloyd with a curious expression.

"I'm thinking it too," Lloyd walked forward, "What sort of place has anti-aircraft guns?"

Lloyd made his way up to the door, gripping it and trying to pull it open. Nothing happened aside from the door stubbornly refusing to move. Before he could try again, another round of gunfire shook the cabin, causing the three to stumble backwards for perch.

Lulloyd slowly groaned, "Ugh… my dad doesn't believe in arming his volcano with guns! Why would someplace have guns?!"

'Maybe it's just something we can wait out," Harumi grimaced slightly, "I'm sure Ronin and Monty have control over what they're doing. Yeah, I'm sure this will stop soon."

Another round of gunfire sent the entire ship careening off to its right. Harumi fired off three Rhotatae discs, catching Lloyd and Lulloyd on them. She stood on one herself and focused, keeping them all in place. By the time the ship stopped spinning, she panted and released the discs for them to hit the floor.

"Okay… maybe this isn't safe…" Harumi groaned.

"Alright, I need to see what this place is!" Lloyd groaned, "Harum, help me get through the door!"

"Guys… Ronin said not to," Lulloyd shook his head, "I'm sure that this gunfire is just, uhm… some other ship, and, REX will take care of it…"

One more round shook the ship. Lulloyd groaned hard and looked somewhat sick as he moved to pop his limbs out to stretch around and grip a crate.

"I can get us through, it's just a simple lock," Harumi held up her hand, forming a miniature disc within it. She imbued it with energy, then held it up to the side of the door. The rapidly spinning disc began to cut right through the lock system like a tiny buzzing saw. Harumi released the disc so it shot out and slid through the door. She dissipated it quickly before it could hit anything vital to REX with a flick of her wrist.

Nodding his thanks to Harumi, Lloyd opened the door, Harumi rolled her eyes as she followed after him. Once the two were standing in the cockpit region of REX, with two seats situated one above the other, they took in their surroundings. Outside of the glass windscreen was a massive stretch of lush, vegetation overgrown jungle. The hot Ninjago sun was beating down over the area, making small amounts of moisture condense on the glass. Lloyd made his way over towards the window, sliding by Ronin's chair as his eyes widened.

"Wait a minute…" Lloyd looked around, "I've… I've been here before!"

Lloyd shot his head to the side. He could see a tiny sliver of stark white and purple between some of the trees. He traced the strange bands over towards a series of anti-aircraft turrets that looked ready to fire once more. Once he saw the coloration continued into the turrets, his eyes bulged.

"We're in Hiroshi's Labyrinth!" Lloyd gasped, "Ronin and Monty are stealing from the Ninja's vault!"

"Wait, vault?" Harumi paused, "...Right, you used to keep things in a vault."

Lulloyd made his way into the cockpit, finding it incredibly cramped. He looked to the two of his allies staring about the glass, then looked up towards the seat situated above them. A small series of indentions on the wall let him swiftly hop up until he was able to slide into the seat. Once he did, a small cape slid down the back of the chair, floating down towards the floor. Lloyd stared at it in confusion and kicked it aside.

"Wait, wait, is that why Ronin wanted us as 'insurance?'" Lloyd shook his head, "If I remember how Zane and Pixal wired this place, then just those guns firing should have alerted…"

"I thought we told you to stay out of the cockpit," A robotic voice emanated from outside REX, "Apparently you three aren't even able to follow simple orders."

The three turned to see a white and purple colored Security Drone hovering in the air using the jets on his feet. He had a large bag strapped to his back that was far larger than he was. His rifle was sheathed on his hip, and he had his arms crossed in front of the cockpit.

"Monty?" Lloyd asked curiously.

"What gave it away, my voice?" Monty replied through the drone, "Turns out the Ninja haven't possession-proofed all their stuff yet. Which is good. I'm keeping this body. Also at least three more in case this one goes down. Now go help Ronin load all the stuff onto REX before I kick you out of my seat. I'm more than willing to give you personal advice on how to possess things, Lulloyd."

Lulloyd shuffled off at the veiled threat, moved into the back to see part of the shell had retracted. Ronin, using hover boots of a similar design as the security drone, was struggling to hoist up another deactivated drone onto the ship. Lloyd grimaced and ran over, grabbing one of its arms. Ronin smirked at him and the two hoisted it onto the ship, letting it drop to the floor unceremoniously.

"Heh, thanks," Ronin gestured down, "I'm grabbing one more for Monty, so get ready to help. Also, take these!"

Ronin shoved a bag into Lloyd's face, one that was surprisingly heavy. As Lloyd took hold of it, the bag shuffled around awkwardly in his hands. He turned around to set it down on top of a create, when a piece of silver glinted out from the inside of one of the bags. He looked to Ronin, then peeled part of the bag away.

"The… the Fang Blades?" Lloyd stared at the Fangpyre blade in confusion, "Why'd you steal these? They're worthless now that the Devourer is destroyed, right?"

"Yeah, but like I said earlier, HUGE collector of Serpentine memorabilia. Monty has the Staffs with him. Also," Ronin grinned, "I took a few other blades just for keepsakes. Tell you what, I'll sell one of them to you guys at half off just for this job."

Ronin saluted and leapt back out of REX, hovering down until he could grab another drone. As he did, Harumi slowly peeled away the bag a bit further to reveal a glint of green inside of the bag.

"Are… are these Jade Blades?" Harumi blinked in confusion, "I thought they were all destroyed when Master Chen was banished. Didn't they all go to the Cursed Realm?"

"Nah," Ronin laughed out between growling as he hoisted up another drone with Lloyd's help, "Those… were… inside… Chen's… personal… weapon room! GAH! Why do these have to be so heavy?!"

Lloyd and Ronin gave another hard heave, sending the second drone onto the floor. Harumi sighed and gestured to Lulloyd, and the two dragged the drones with surprising difficult to prop them up against a crate. Monty flew up behind Ronin and passed him the bag he had, and Ronin tossed them inside REX. The metallic clanking and shine of gold made it clear these were indeed the Serpentine Staffs.

"You clearly don't appreciate the fact that I mowed down almost ten of those guards myself without even suffering a scratch," Monty landed on REX with a loud clang and shrugged the robot's shoulders.

"It's not like you would be the one that got hurt if they shot you in the first place," Ronin shook his head.

"Then it's a good idea I went ahead and possessed this guy quickly, don't you think?" Monty retorted.

"Fine, I'll keep one backup for you, I'm selling the other one. Those things can be worth a bunch if we sell the parts!"

"No, you said you'd grab three of them so I could have two backups!"

"You want another one? Go get one yourself!"

The robot didn't move for a moment. Then, without warning, it leapt backwards from the opening in the shell and back down towards the ground. After roughly thirty seconds, Monty returned in the robot body carrying another decommissioned robot effortlessly. He slung the robot into the cabin, nearly striking Ronin head on with it.

"Hmm… I sell the rifles and one of them, how about that?" Ronin picked the rifle up off the robot and attached it to his own belt

"Fair," The robot responded before Monty stepped out of it, causing it to collapse to the ground, "Now come on, those alarms went off nearly ten minutes ago, it'll take the Ninja at least twenty to get here, so we only have another ten to find a better place to fight."

"Why not try to avoid a fight?" Harumi offered hopefully. Monty turned to look at her, then he just shook his head with an annoyed sigh.

"We hired you here to help us out fighting them, I thought you would've figured that out by now," Monty groaned out, "They'll be coming for us soon, so get ready for a fight, got it?"

Harumi looked ready to snap at Monty for his curt tone. Lloyd just nodded his head, while Lulloyd was struggling to try to drag the robotic body Monty had unpossessed back with the others. Monty stretched for a moment, flapped his cape up with his hand, and then made his way off into the cockpit along with Ronin. The shell closed fully once more around the back section. Ronin felt the broken lock on his door and gave the three a long look, rubbed his hand together like holding coins, and shut the door behind him.

REX lurched forward, this time flying at a far faster pace if the sound of the wind outside the ship was any indication. Lloyd made his way over and helped Lulloyd finish propping all the four total robots together. Lulloyd slumped down as Lloyd looked towards the window.

"Are… we going to have to fight, uhm, ourselves?" Lloyd asked, then saw Harumi raising an eyebrow, "Or, at least, the Ninja?"

"I don't know if we are," Harumi sighed, "But we were prepared to fight when we took this job. We hadn't done anything so far. Let's just see where this goes."

An uneasy silence descended over the cabin. As the three tried to wait it out, nearly five minutes had passed. The hope that perhaps they had avoided a confrontation, for a bit, felt tangible. It was upon the three letting out a collective sigh that the intercom came on again, and this time it wasn't Ronin's rough voice going through it.

"Ronin," Pixal's automated voice came through the speakers, "We have received an alert of a break-in at our vault. I believe that you have taken something that belongs to us."

"Hey, you don't know that we did anything!" Ronin sighed, "Seriously, a guy just can't fly REX around Ninjago without being suspected of crimes, now can't he?"

"Your trajectory roughly can be traced back to the vault's location. Given the proximity of your ship to the vault and your current speed, it is a safe assumption that you were indeed the one that caused this break in. We will be arriving to intercept you shortly." Pixal spoke calmly.

"How about you go ahead and remember the fact that _we_ were the ones that kept you and Zane from getting murdered in those Caves _and_ helped defeat Soul Archer, ever think about that?" Monty growled angrily to Pixal, "Why not just take that little piece of information deep inside your robotic heart and just turn away from all this?"

"You and I both know that won't happen," Pixal stated plainly, "We'll arrive shortly."

"That was Pixal?" Harumi asked curiously, "She sounds… weird. And did you say she wouldn't' get a body until later?"

"She's a program inside of Zane's harddrive right now," Lloyd informed her, "We, kinda helped us her to automate all of our systems, including our communication lines."

"Oh," Harumi paused, "Right. Of course."

REX lurched once more, this time with its entire speed being halted, sending the three jerking forward, followed by the sound of screeching metal. The three looked up to see a large harpon had been stuck into the side of REX's hull, with large metal protrusions holding onto the ship.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Ronin shouted over his comm, "How about instead of damaging my ship, you just let us go and land so we can have a discussion like civilized people?"

"Yeah, I would hate for me to possess Zane and start kicking the crap out of him with his own robotic fists before you could regain control of him!" Monty shouted. Ronin rolled his eyes, but he was smiling..

"Very well," Pixal responded, "We will meet you on the ground shortly."

REX began to downwardly descend through the air. The three felt a bit of dread forming in their guts as Ronin opened the door to the hanger. His smile was gone, and now was replaced by what could best be described as an outwardly irritated scowl.

"Alright, grab whatever weapons you need," Ronin stated calmly, "And get ready to hold up your end of the deal."


	11. Chapter 11

"Just admit you stole everything, give it back, and this can all go home!" Cole's ghostly voice sounded across the grass.

REX and the Bounty were landed opposite one another, guns trained on the other's cockpits. Ronin, a Monty possessed security drone, Harumi, Lloyd and Lulloyd stood in front of REX, while the full ninja team, sans Sensei Wu, stood across from them. The area was a small cleaning amongst the various trees on the outskirts of the jungle that housed Hiroshi's labyrinth, with overgrown trees surrounding them with a thick underbrush. The Bounty had crushed down a number of smaller trees when it landed. REX remained hovering just slightly above the ground, with a ladder extended down. Given the state that the Bounty had been in earlier, it was a miracle they had somehow gotten it flying so quickly.

"Wait, isn't that drone one of ours?" Jay whispered hastily to Morro.

"It's possessed, genius," Monty replied using the robot's voice, "You should know that by now. You have a ghost on your side for crying out loud!"

"Return the drones and the artifacts you stole from us," Zane spoke calmly, "Or else we will be required to take them by force."

"Fellas," Ronin shook his head, "Didn't we just get through one gigantic life-altering adventure together? You know, with Soul Archer and that? Come on, Morro, you should remember that most of all!"

Morro was completely silent. The only sign he heard what Ronin said was his eyes moving to look at Ronin as he talked. When he didn't say anything, Monty let out a sigh and raised his rifle at Morro, the energy charge commencing.

"Why are you guys on _his_ side?" Nya asked pointedly to Lloyd, "Were you just Ronin's agents all along?"

"What? No!" Lloyd shouted indignantly, "We went to Ronin to buy some things and… apparently he didn't tell us the job description he hired us for until it was too late."

"That's just how we roll," Monty aimed down his sights at Morro. Morro slowly raised his hands, charging a green energy shield he sent in front of him. Monty scoffed as he mirrored the action by charging up the jets in the drone's feet.

"Wait!" Harumi shouted, "Do we have to fight? Do you even know what Ronin stole?"

Ronin gave Harumi a harsh groan, but Kai answered, "No?"

"It was only the Serpentine Staffs," Harumi lied, "Really! Nothing of value! The Serpentine tribes are… uhm, Underground now, right? They don't have any need for them anymore. Why can't we just go ahead and let that all go?"

A small bit of silence descended over the two tense groups. Harumi prayed for a moment that perhaps there would be some peaceful resolution to this. There seemed to be a calm still over the potential battlefield as the ninja took what Harumi said to mind.

Then Morro spoke up, shattering hopes for that: "That does not change the fact that he stole from us," Morro stated dryly, "Return what you have stolen, or we will be forced to attack."

Ronin responded to this by drawing two blue pistols from his armor, the barrels extending outwards until they were small hand cannons. In response, the ninja each drew their weapons fully, holding them out towards the group menacingly. Morro, not holding a sword, dropped his shield and instead concentrated energy into his fists, drawing them backwards ready to fire directly at Monty, who adjusted his rifle. Lulloyd, Lloyd and Harumi instinctively drew their hood over their faces.

"I...I think we're going to have the fight…" Lulloyd sighed, "This, feels kinda weird…"

"Don't hurt them!" Lloyd stated firmly, "Just immobilize them if you have to! We can't risk interfering with this world because of this!"

"And it was fine to interfere with mine?" Harumi pointed out with a scoff, "But I agree. Don't use our powers either. We don't want to answer questions we don't have answers for."

"That's not a problem…" Lulloyd sighed, "It's not like my element actually let me fire energy beams like you guys."

A tense standoff fell over the field. Ronin and Monty slowly backed up until they were pressing their arms together. Monty cricked the drone's neck, while Ronin seemed itching to fire his weapons. Aside from their breathing, the tenseness was silent enough to hear the wind blow.

"You three," Morro spoke up, turning his attention to Lloyd, Lulloyd and Harumi, "Whatever business you have with these two, it isn't worth fighting for. If it's money he offered you, then we'll pay it. We do not want to hurt innocents for any reason."

"It's not money he's offering us," Harumi shook her head, "It's the information that Wu wouldn't give us."

Morro paused, and that pause turned into silence. He looked back towards the ship, thinking over what Wu had so angrily rejected them over earlier. Lloyd prayed that perhaps this could be avoided after all. But when Morro turned his head back, that was when the sound of an energy rifle firing shattered that hope.

Monty had released four shots in the span of a few seconds, each flying directly towards Morro. Morro shot his head back around just in time to see them, raising his energy shield and catching them. In response, Jay swung his nunchucks and fired a bolt of electricity at Monty. The security drone raised its left arm, extending a small shield that stuck to its left forearm to catch the lightning. The spark stalled the drone, and Monty cursed through the robot's voice as he forced the drone to move.

Ronin drew his facemask up and fired his guns directly towards Kai, who was shoved out of the way by Zane. The white ninja raised an ice shield in front of him to catch the blasts, the sheer force of the bullets shattering the ice into shards. Ronin fired again, tracking Zane who began to rapidly flip into the air and produce shurikens to counterattack. Ronin drew his guns across his face, the ninja stars embedding themselves hard into the metal guns. Ronin scoffed and threw the guns down, drawing a pair of twin katanas from his back.

"Take them down long enough for us to get away," Ronin turned to Monty.

"Don't let them release their chi!" Monty shouted at Lloyd.

"Their what!?" Lloyd shouted back as he drew his own twin katanas.

Monty didn't answer, and instead he activated the robot's jets in its feet to take to the air. He spun the rifle around a few times, firing wildly down towards Jay and Cole. The two ran for cover. Morro responded by firing off several green energy blasts, which flew directly into the small shield on the robot's arm. The shield began to crack. Monty leveled his rifle back down at Morro again.

"Their CHI!" Monty shouted, "Their animal spirits! Are you stupid or just clueless?!"

As Monty and Morro traded fire, Lloyd saw Harumi without a weapon and instinctually tossed one of his swords to her before rushing forward towards the fray. Harumi stared at the weapon in confusion, but Lloyd was already too far away to give it back. Seeing an opponent moving, Kai's eyes were starting to glow red to attack him. Out of the corner of his eye, Lloyd could visibly see energy around Kai's body beginning to condense. The same thing had happened when Cole did the bear thing earlier. Was that chi?

Lulloyd thought fast and saw a piece of tree sticking out of the ground. He jumped into the air and brought his fist down into it, causing it to turn blue and shatter into bricks. As soon as he saw the part numbers, he rapidly kicked them up into the air and began throwing them hard at Kai.

Kai's focus was broken as a few studs struck him in the shoulders and forehead. When he looked down, he saw what looked like the makings of some sort of bear trap under him. He gathered flame in his feet to blast it away, then the trap sprung shut. When he opened his eyes, however, he realized that there were no spikes. Instead, the bricks were locked around his torso, keeping him him place. Lulloyd ran up and delivered a swift yet soft kick to Kai's torso, sending him falling over.

"Gah!" Kai gripped the bricks and pulled, "What… what are these things?!"

"Kai!" Morro shouted, turning his attention off Monty. Monty narrowed the robotic eye of his drone and turned towards Kai, leveling his blaster straight at him.

Morro saw Monty changing target and darted forward, trying to form a shield over Kai's body. Monty fired off two shots, then rapidly swung his blaster around and fired again. With Morro looking at Kai, he wasn't able to see the rifle blast until it struck his right leg and sent him to the ground with a cry of pain.

Before Monty could fire again, his rifle and feet were covered in ice. Zane had his hands in the air and sent another icy blast that froze the drone's leg and the end of its rifle. Without propulsion, it began to fall down towards the ground. Monty bailed on the body, his green form appearing out of the drone and grabbing its rifle with his hand. He used his wind to guide him through the air by firing off bursts of concentrated air from his hands and feet to dodge Zane's attacks. His body shot back and forth through the skies, spinning about and making hitting him near impossible. When he hit the ground, he smashed the rifle on the ground to free it from the ice and primed it to fire again.

Lulloyd had used the kick off of Kai to send himself spinning into the air to land directly in front of Nya. Nya responded by pointing sais in Lulloyd's face. A swift spin of his curved blade knocked them away. Lulloyd gave an apologetic look at Nya before he locked their weapons together. The two struggled hard, only for Lulloyd to notice Nya's aura starting to flare up as Kai's had. With a nervous glance, he threw his entire body backwards. Nya, not ready for the unexpected change, fell forward. Lulloyd thrust his arms back to catch the ground, then did a backflip to bring his feet up to kick Nya backwards. When he landed, he spun his sword behind him.

Ronin, meanwhile, ha swung his katanas down towards Cole, who swung his scythe hard enough to knock them both out of his hands. Ronin gave a grimace and reached into his belt again to draw a much smaller gun, which he fired directly at Cole's chest. Cole swung his body to the right and then brought his scythe over his head at Ronin. Ronin swung his body aside and then dropped to the ground, kicking out with his leg to connect with Cole's hip. Cole hardly even blinked before Ronin just chuckled and rolled away.

Zane attempted to fire another icy shot at Monty, but he was intercepted by Lloyd hitting Zane's arm with his katana, sending it firing off randomly. His titanium shell meant it did little harm, but it drew his full attention to Lloyd. Lloyd weaved underneath Zane's fired shuriken and turned his sword so he could try to strike Zane's face with the hilt. Zane responded by flash freezing the sword, causing its weight to increase and throw off the strike. Lloyd staggered, giving Zane enough time to kick his left shoulder and send him hurtling away.

Harumi ran forward, doing her best not to fire off any energy blasts. Jay was the only opponent left for her. Jay shouted at Zane for nearly freezing him with Lloyd's misdirected blast. He looked to Harumi and spun his nunchucks, preparing to shock Harumi to her knees. Having the sword meant she had some protection, but her skill with one wasn't as advanced as the others. Harumi tried to swing the sword towards Jay, but the blade's strike missed horribly. Her face lit up with embarrassment as she formed a small Rhotatae disc with her hand, using it to try to punch Jay. Jay's nimble feet saved him from that. Harumi tried to swing again, but the sword missed its mark again.

Morro, who now was on the ground near where Ronin and Cole were still grappling, looked down to see a hole had been blasted in his uniform from the rifle blast. He steeled his gaze and pulled himself up onto his feet, feeling an intense pain as he put weight on his leg. He trembled as Monty landed in front of him, who reached down and drew twin tasers from underneath his armor.

Morro growled and formed energy in his hands, swinging wildly at Monty. Monty slid between the strikes and grabbed Morro's right arm in his elbow, holding it still while he drove a taser into it. Morro shouted in pain as the current shot up through his body. His other hand tried to strike into Monty, but it went right through him. Monty just rolled his eyes and drew his taser back, then jabbed Morro right in his abdomen. Morro again shouted and kicked off with his leg, separating him from the current and Monty.

Ronin shot his head towards Monty and shouted, "Kid! Switch!" Monty shot his head to the side and flung his tasers towards Ronin, and in turn Ronin flung his pistol towards Monty. The two caught each others weapons, Ronin swinging a taser into Cole's hand to force him to drop his scythe, while Monty fired his gun towards Morro, who dodged by dropping to the ground.

Monty wasn't about to let up on Morro. He reached into his armor to draw out another pistol, then spun the pistols in hand and began firing rapidly. Morro formed shields to block the bullets, only for a burst of wind to knock him backwards. Monty rushed forward and shot one arm forward, putting the gun to Morro's shoulder. Just as Monty fired, Morro fired energy from his arm, making the bullet only graze the skin. Without missing a beat, Monty raised the other pistol to fire more at Morro. Soon, both were out of bullets, and Monty spat angrily. He reached down to his belt, ejecting the clips and reloading them with two more on his belt in one single motion.

The bullets from Monty's missed shots struck the Bounty where Nya had landed. She took a few steps towards Morro, but Lulloyd shot forward with blinding speed and blocked her path. Sighing, she launched forward and clashed blades again with him. Lulloyd saw her aura start to burn again. Quickly, he leapt backwards away from Nya to shock her and, right when he hit the ground, he leapt off his back foot and flung his sword to send her up into the air. Right as her feet left the ground, Lulloyd leapt up into the air and rapidly began to slice his blade back and force across her guard.

"NINJAGO!" Lulloyd shouted as he knocked Nya higher and higher into the air with every strike. As his hit combo against Nya continued to increase, her guard faltered until finally her blades flew off away from her. He finally reached the apex of his strikes and grabbed her arm, throwing her towards a tree. Right before Nya struck it, Lulloyd struck the tree when he hit the ground, causing it to turn to bricks. Nya continued through the air, only to find herself stopped suddenly with vine-like whips wrapped around her body.

"Sorry about that," Lulloyd apologized with a sigh, "But you need to go join your brother."

"FFFFFFIIIIYYAAAA!" Lulloyd winced as Kai's massive yell overtook the battlefield.

Kai stood in up, the bricks around him broken. His hair was waving in the air like it was being carried in an updraft. His eyes were glowing a deep orange, and his skin had seemingly turned into a deep grey hue. He opened his mouth and released a massive string of flames.

"I told you not to let them use their chi!" Monty shouted in anger as he shot his gaze to Ronin, "You want to deal with this?!"

Ronin, seeing the development, dodged a powerful fist from Cole and grabbed his shoulder, swinging around his back and running straight for Kai. As Cole was left confused, Ronin drew out a massive string with some strange rock on the end, spinning it over his head and swinging it out until it hit Kai's shoulder. Kai looked down at it, grinned, and then causally reached up and gripped it with his hand. It burned to a crisp.

"Oh, awesome…" Ronin drew his arms up in front of his face as Kai launched forward, his speed slowed but more than enough to cover the distance between him and Ronin. Kai simply swung his fist with enough force that it cracked and broke apart the body armor across Ronin's arm. Ronin looked momentarily stunned before he just sighed, "...and gotta replace that too now, thanks, Kai!"

Kai's voice now had an almost ethereal enhancement as he grinned, "You shouldn't have challenged the Salamander!"

Lloyd had been keeping Zane at bay. Seeing Harumi still swinging and failing to hit Jay, he watched Jay spin his nunchucks and prepare a hard blast. He attempted to turn, but Zane had another pair of shurikens in hand. Lloyd surmised his surroundings and thought of a plan.

"Harumi!" Lloyd shouted, "Think fast!"

Harumi turned just in time to see Lloyd leaping in front of her. She saw Zane's arm being pulled back and dropped to the ground just as Zane threw his shuriken. Jay let loose his lightning and Zane his ninja star at the same time, both flying through the air.

Zane's eyes widened as a strike of lightning surged through his systems. He let out a string of incoherent mumbles as he fell over,, his systems on the fritz. Jay shrieked in shock girlishly as he narrowly missed the shuriken. Harumi took advantage of this momentary lapse to send a Rhotatae disc right into his chest, sending Jay to the ground. Both ninja groaned out as they hit the ground. Beside Harumi, Lloyd hit the ground from an Airjiztu tornado. The two turned to make light of Ronin and Monty's status.

Cole, having figured out Ronin was now vulnerable from attacking Kai, was now converging on Ronin. Ronin slowly backed up as he stared at the empowered Kai, feeling the heat radiating off of him. Cole, shaking his hand, took the chance to pick his scythe up.

"Give up, Ronin!" Cole stated plainly, "It's two against one!"

"You know, I just realized something," Ronin stated seemingly obliviously, "When I tased you earlier, shouldn't that have just passed right through you?"

"Huh?" Cole paused, "Gah, I keep forgetting not to make my body corporeaaaaaaaalll!"

Ronin slammed his shoulder into Cole, forcing him to stumble backwards. Cole, forgetting that his body had a variable density, was keeping himself still solid enough to strike. Kai opened his mouth again and burned the ground around Ronin, who rolled out of the way. Ronin got up and put his back to a tree, only for Kai's fire to nearly burn him again. Ronin flung a dagger towards Kai, but it hit his skin and bounced off like it was nothing.

"Nothing pierces my fire!" Kai grinned, "Now come on, show me what you got!"

"Kid!" Ronin shouted, "Need a little help!"

Monty turned to see Ronin fleeing from Kai's assault. He looked to Morro, now suffering from two bullet wounds and tired. Without hesitation, Monty raised his hands and sent a massive vortex of wind that knocked Morro down to the ground and slammed him down again for good measure. Monty quickly raced up and put his foot on Morro's chest, then grabbed Morro's right arm and spat.

"Stay down!" Monty pulled hard, causing Morro to let out a strangled scream as a soft 'crack' filled the air. Monty let Morro drop back to the ground as he turned and sent a massive vortex directly into Kai.

Kai's new skin seemingly increased his weight, as the wind hardly made him flinch. Instead, he turned towards Monty and sprayed fire towards the vortex, making the two elemental powers meet. Monty dropped his vortex and rushed forward, letting the fire consume him. Kai stopped burning in sheer confusion, only to see an unharmed ghost swinging his fist to strike Kai right across his jaw.

Kai looked confused until Monty simply stated, "Fireproof armor. Also, I'm a GHOST!" Monty grabbed Kai's head and slammed it down into his knee, stunning him. Ronin, seeing his chance, rushed up directly behind Kai and drove his tasers right into Kai's neck.

Kai's orange began to fade as Ronin turned the power up on the tasers. Kai bellowed fire up into the air until he began to wobble heavily, and then the glow in his eyes faded. His skin turned back to normal, and for a brief moment, an oversized fiery salamander could be seen in the air before it, too, faded. Kai hit the ground hard.

Just before Monty and do anything else, a blast of water suddenly skirted his face. Monty's eyes bulged as his wind blasted him backwards on pure instinct. His breath picked up in terror as he traced the source towards Nya, who had wiggled in her bonds to point her hands at Monty. Monty formed two massive vortexes around his hands as Ronin's eyes narrowed.

"Woah, Woah, WOAH!" Ronin shouted, "Sister! Cool it with the lethals!"

"You were about to kill Kai!" Nya shoutted. Ronin responded by walking over slowly towards Nya.

"No, I don't kill. Not worth having to deal with the vendettas," Ronin stated calmly, "And you guys, well, you're ninja. You should know a thing or two about not killing anyone. So…"

As Ronin reached Nya, he suddenly delivered a hard kick right to her face. The impact was hard enough that her bonds completely broke, reforming the tree from its bricks behind her. Nya's head shot backwards as Ronin grabbed her and slammed her up against the reformed tree. He turned the energy to its highest setting, then pointed a taser right against Nya's chest.

"...If you're willing to let me make an exception too, how about I send you to the Departed Realm before you can send Monty there, hmm?"

Jay, who had slowly gotten up after his attack, blinked and gulped, "W-Wait, is… is he serious?"

"As a heart attack!" Ronin laughed darkly, "_You want one?_"

"RONIN!" Lloyd shouted, "That's enough!"

Ronin looked deep into Nya's eyes. As he readied his trigger, Nya stared at him with a confused mixture of terror and shock. Ronin slowly let his scowl fall away as he let the arm holding his weapon drop. He looked to Nya and stepped off of her and walked over to Monty.

"So… we'll be going now," Ronin stated calmly, "If you want to follow us, fine. I mean, heh, you guys know where we live after all."

"Don't follow us," Monty stated coldly, "Unless you're ready to get reminded just how serious we are about our threats."

Morro, cradling his arm, shot leg and grazed shoulder on the ground, looked up towards them. He looked across the battlefield, seeing the state his team was in. The pain of his wounds was enough to cause him to flinch hard, ending in him hissing as he shook his head.

"Good… alright, we're out now!" Ronin called out, "Let's go, Lloyd."

Harumi and Lulloyd looked to one another, then to Lloyd. Lloyd slowly walked after Ronin as he and Monty hopped back into the cargo section of REX. He reached his hand out for Harumi and Lulloyd to hoist themselves up. Neither of them could see a smile on Lloyd's face.

The door to the compartment shut, and REX's engines fired up automatically. Monty looked up and let out a strange whistle, one that had six notes and ended in a chirp. REX started to fly on a preset course. Given their earlier destination, Lloyd could assume this was likely a way to get REX to head back to Stixx without the cockpit.

The second that the ship was flying smoothly, leaving the Bounty behind, Monty looked to the three. He walked forward, sliding into another of the drones that they'd stolen. The robot stood up and walked over to them. He stopped right in front of Lulloyd. Lulloyd stared at it in confusion, unsure what he was looking out. Then, Monty raised its first and clocked Lulloyd hard right in the jaw, sending him flying backwards into a crate.

"Hey!" Lloyd shouted, only to receive a strike of his own. The force was enough to send searing pain into his face, along with the added pain of striking another crate. Harumi was given just enough time to raise her arm up to block her strike. Instead, the robot's other arm struck her in the gut, making her fall to her knees on the floor.

"I said, very clearly I might add, NOT to let them use their Chi!" Monty shouted through the voice of the robot, "Why weren't you watching Kai?!"

Lulloyd groaned and rolled over on the crate, lifting his arms up to place his hands on his face. At the same time, Lloyd gripped the wall and waited for his jawline to get over the worst of the throbbing pain for him to be able to respond.

"What the heck, Monty?!" Lloyd groaned, "We're all okay, aren't we?!"

"I'm with the kid on this one," Ronin stated with his arms crossed, "You guys should know the only way to stop someone from using chi is either tire them out or knock 'em out. You just left Kai lying there. You know what could have happened if Nya struck Monty here?"

"We… don't know anything… about chi!" Harumi wheezed out, glaring death eyes at Monty, "Have you two really not questioned where we came from, why one of us doesn't have moving elbows or knees, or why we're all three wearing green ninja suits?!"

Ronin and Monty looked to each other. They both shrugged simultaneously.

"We've met weirder people," Monty shrugged, "We said earlier we assumed Lulloyd was cursed. We've seen some weird curses before."

"Plus we weren't just going to ask," Ronin added, "The kid is the rude one, and he'd only ask if he actually was interested." Monty gave a huff.

Once all three were back on their feet, Lloyd and Lulloyd rubbing their jaws, Harumi seemed to take charge of talking. She shook her head to what Ronin said.

"Okay, well we don't know what chi is," Harumi reaffirmed, "We're not from around here. At all. Never heard of chi in our lives. So we don't even know what to watch for!"

Monty gave Harumi a glare, then just shook his head and turned around. He walked up to the wall of REX and suddenly a green circle formed on the wall of the ship. The robot drone dropped to the floor, and REX jerked for a moment before the shell over the cargo area started to rescind, and instead large rails moved upwards to keep the cargo in place. A small screen above the door to the cockpit showed Monty's face.

"We're not being followed," Monty reported, "Also, you need to fix REX's left engine. It's only outputting at 80% right now."

"That was the engine you let hit that cliff last time," Ronin scoffed, "You'll have to be the one to fix that."

"Firstly, you tried to take manual control when I was possessing REX. That gap was more than big enough if you hadn't tried to get involved!" Monty hissed, "Secondly, kinda hard to fix anything when you keep REX underwater."

"You were the one that kept taking REX out without my permission!" Ronin shot back, "Besides, your little windy thing can call her up whenever you need her anyways. All you have to do ask for me to turn her on."

"Right, like I'm going to ask for you to please let me take the car out tonight, Ronin!" Monty growled, "I'm older than you, you know."

"From what you said, you ain't been dead for that long, kid," Ronin chuckled, "Just focus on steering REX, I'll handle these guys."

"Oh yes, thank you for _allowing_ me to steer the ship," Monty retorted before he disappeared from the screen, Ronin rubbed his hands together and turned towards the three.

"Alright!" Ronin grinned, "I'll go ahead and count my little lesson here as part of your payment for your help back there. You all really know nothing about chi?"

"Nothing," Lloyd stepped forward, "We'd love to learn, though." Harumi looked at Lloyd in annoyance.

Ronin nodded his head. He walked over to one of the crates and sat down on top of it. He brought one foot to rest on the crate so he could lean up against his knee. He gestured for the three to come closer, at which point he held out the hand he had gestured with.

Around Ronin's hand, a faint gray aura began to flow, just like the others had seen on Kai. It covered only his hand, but as they watched, light refracted off of it, showing it getting denser and thicker. Ronin let them stare at it for a few moments, then he spoke.

"Alright, that's aura. Pretty simple. Just pure energy. You release it and control at will," Ronin paused, "You guys really sure you don't know anything about all this? This is pretty basic stuff here."

"Not from around here," Harumi stated again, "Just explain."

"Uhm… and, thanks for teaching us!" Lulloyd added, "We appreciate it."

"Eh, I just like teaching, is there something wrong with that?" Ronin smirked, "My father was a pretty good teacher, taught all sorts of kids about-"

"If he starts going on about his father don't listen to him," Monty's voice echoed from the screen, "He likes teaching people things so they do it the right way, his own words."

"Thanks for that interruption, Monty," Ronin scoffed, "I won't go into the specifics of aura. It's just energy, everyone has it. You release it. Well, the thing is, your aura is directly linked to some sort of animal ancestor. According to myths, the First Chi Master created everyone from animals he populated this place with, so that's why we all have them. It's all passed down too. You usually take after the parent that you share the same gender with. Son gets his father's chi, daughter their mother's chi, but that's not always the case. Two kids will usually have both chi. But I'm getting ahead of myself here."

Ronin let his aura condense until his hand underneath it looked somewhat murky, "You form up enough aura, well you can summon your ancestral animal. You ever see that?"

"Uh… Cole kinda summoned a big bear for a half second?" Lulloyd recalled, "Then it just like, poofed into him."

"Yeah, we'll get into that," Ronin grinned, "But yeah, you form up enough aura, you can convert that aura into your ancestor. I like to look at it as basically making a big energy body for it to slip into. It'll do whatever you tell it to, and basically it'll act as your personal guardian. Now, let it get hurt too much and it'll dissipate. You can heal it by pouring more aura into it. Following me so far?"

"One question," Harumi raised her hand, "What is your animal?"

"Oh I don't tend to use mine," Ronin shrugged, "Seems pointless to me. But anyways, what you saw Cole and Kai do, well that's way more advanced. You gotta be tough to handle that. It has some really long name, the layman just calls it Chi Fusion. Basically, you summon your animal, then you force its spirit into your body."

"You can fuse with your animal ancestor?" Lloyd clarified. Ronin nodded.

"It does different things based on the person. For example, you guys asw Kai's chi makes his skin super hard like rocks, really hard to thrust a sword into. Thankfully it conducts electricity well enough," Ronin chuckled, "Usually the ability relates to the animal. Some people can grow extra limbs or stuff. I knew this one girl that had a scorpion chi, she could make this big stinger tail grow from her back. It was really hard to fight, let me tell you... "

"We're not going into the story between you and Runje!" Monty shouted from the screen, "I told you she just wanted to get that necklace we'd just bought."

"Hey, Monty, why not just focus on flying instead of making me look bad," Ronin sighed, "Might make me consider not getting you out of REX."

Monty didn't answer. Instead, REX jolted to its left, making Ronin slide slightly and grip his crate for support. REX then leaned upwards, causing the crate to slide. Ronin crawled on top of the crate to avoid getting squished completely by another crate he was sliding towards. He looked up to REX and growled.

"You done there, kid?" Ronin growled in annoyance. REX righted itself in response.

"Good," Ronin sighed, "Anyways, it's pretty useful. Course, Monty tells me you can't use elemental powers when all fused up. I mean, I don't have any. He does. Never actually seen Monty's chi myself."

"You're partners… and you've never seen that?" Lloyd raised his eyebrow. Ronin shrugged again.

"You know everything there is to know about your two friends here?" Ronin countered. Lloyd fell silent.

"The thing about aura is that you can manifest it whenever you want," Ronin shook his head, "So again, you either gotta tire 'em out or knock 'em out to stop them from using it. Nice thing is that staying fused takes a lot of energy, so most of the time, if you can hold out five minutes, the average person will drop to the floor. I know the Ninja's average is about ten minutes due to training with it for years and years. Sort of a really odd number, though."

Lloyd, Harumi, and Lulloyd took stock of what they were hearing. Harumi gestured towards Lloyd, pointing back towards the crates nearby. Ronin, seeing this motion, just waved his hands for them to go and talk.

"What is it, Harumi?" Lloyd asked. Harumi gave him an annoyed glare and spoke.

"I'm noticing a pattern here…" Harumi lifted her hand up and formed a disc, "Your world has Spinjitzu, Lulloyd, you have Master Building, I have Rhotatae, and now this place has chi. And we each have our own version of the First whatever Master. I think this fits in with a principle I read about."

"Uh, that book about multiverse theory?" Lulloyd asked.

"Glad you remembered," Harumi nodded her head, "It's an offshoot of the idea of the Butterfly Effect. Essentially, any change, no matter how small, can create a completely different universe. For example, there is one universe where I talk to you guys right now about this, and then another universe where we talked about, I dunno, frogs or whatever. Or a universe where the universe is a frog. But each universe that you've visited so far, Lloyd, it's all been something unique."

"Uh… unique how?" Lloyd asked.

"Isn't that obvious? None of the worlds you've visited have Spinjitzu. Every universe the Time Twins visit and we follow them too, no matter how similar to yours, still is fundamentally different!" Harumi explained, "You've not just gone to a universe where, like, you were never born."

Lloyd shuddered a bit, "I'm starting to think that this is that universe…"

"So...is there a reason you're telling us all this?" Lulloyd quiered.

"I was thinking about this and… I'm trying to figure out the rules as to what universes we're jumping into. Since we're jumping on the Green Power, that has to be a universal constant, or some derivative of it. But perhaps the Twins can't jump into worlds that have certain constants in them, like the fact they haven't-"

"Whatever you three are talking about, you're really bad at keeping your voices down," Monty spoke up and interrupted Harumi, "You might wanna work on that."

"Thank you, Monty!" Harumi shouted exasperatedly, "Glad you pointed that out!"

"I'm just helpful like that. Speaking of helpful, Ronin wasn't finished," Monty continued.

Ronin smirked, "Well, it was only really one other thing, but thanks, Kid."

The three turned towards Ronin, who waved his hand at them, "This isn't about chi, I just needed the reminder. Monty said something about finding a connection to this Lloyd guy you're looking for. I'm assuming he's probably some relative of yours, eh?"

Lloyd realized Ronin was looking at him, "Huh? Oh, yeah, he is! But, you know, we've never met him."

"Well, when we get back to Stixx, ask Monty about it," Ronin chuckled, "He'll go ahead and fulfill our end of the deal. It'll be at least an hour before we get there, so hang tight," Ronin leaned his head back against the crate, "We'll be back home soon enough."

* * *

"I still don't see how anybody can actually call this place home…" Lulloyd muttered as REX sank below the waves behind Ronin's rebuilt shop.

"Doesn't your dad live in a volcano?" Lloyd asked.

"It's, actually really well done inside. He's basically turned it into a big mansion-army-base hybrid thing," Lulloyd grimaced, "He, made us move in when he saw how small the apartment was."

The damp and ocean-ridden breeze of Stixx cut through the air as Ronin and Monty walked away from the dock. The still rebuilding and broken down city behind them stood in the air, looking just as seedy and dilapidated as it had when they left. Stixx, despite being destroyed mere months earlier, never changed in that regard.

"It's the perfect place for Ronin to live," Lloyd muttered, "Let's just get that information Monty has on Lloyd and get out of here."

The two agreed with silent nods. The three walked after the duo, entering Ronin's shop once again. Ronin walked over to the middle of the floor and smirked at the three of them as he tapped in a code seemingly at random into the floorboards. Suddenly, the floor retracted away to reveal a metal vault. Ronin gestured over to Monty, who was lifting the crates they stole up with his wind powers.

"Before you ask," Ronin noted Harumi's glance, "The code changes every night, and trust me, even if you could open this, we'd get you before you left. 'Sides, I'm sure I can trust you at this point, right?"

"We're moving the vault tonight," Monty huffed, "He's too trusting."

"I keep you around, don't I?" Ronin snarked back. Monty just rolled his eyes.

Once the spoils of their battle were stored, Monty dropped a drone body into the vault and sealed it. With the other drone, he slowly stepped up into the body and walked it up behind the counter. Once it was in place behind it, he stepped back out of the drone, causing it to lock up in an upright position. He moved over and pulled what looked like a bag of harpoons in front of the drone and slung it so it mostly covered the body. After that, he walked back up to the same place the three had met him the first time, slumped against the counter, and yawned.

"Heya, I'm going out drinking!" Ronin smirked, "How about it, Monty?"

"Pass," Monty waved his hand, "I'm not in the mood."

"Hmm… what about you three?" Ronin turned towards them, "I'll buy the first few, how about that?"

"Uh… I'm only, sixteen…" Lulloyd rubbed the back of his neck.

"I've never actually had alcohol before… but if it's anything like all the teas Wu makes, I'll pass," Lloyd added.

"I'd prefer not to," Harumi shook her head, "Alcohol really isn't my thing."

"Well, I'm sure I can get some of the dock guys to go out with me then," Ronin waved his hand, "Don't wait up for me, I might be gone awhile. A fight really takes a lot out of you!"

"Bye," Monty stated without much emotion. Ronin just grinned at him and walked out the door.

Without Ronin in the room, suddenly his shop became rather dark and dreary. Monty didn't even look at the group as he began to use some wind to move dust around on the table in front of him to form shapes. He looked up towards the three for a few seconds, then he sighed. He turned away from them and began to seemingly randomly adjust things on the walls, bringing some items forward and pushing others back.

"You three still here?" Monty turned, "What, you not have a place to stay? You're not the first guys to try to bum around here, you know."

"Actually," Harumi tried to smile, "Ronin said you had some information on Lloyd for us."

"Yep," Monty replied. After he failed to continue, Harumi's smile dropped.

"Uh.. what's, the info?" Lulloyd asked curiously.

"The information is worth a bit more than the job we just pulled," Monty shook his head, "I'm docking your pay for nearly getting me sent to the Departed Realm by letting Kai get his chi up like that."

"What?" Lulloyd frowned, "But, that, wasn't our deal!"

"What is it that fools say in this situation?" Monty shrugged, "Oh, wait, you just said it. Seems like now I should say 'The deal has changed.'"

Harumi's eyebrow looked ready to explode off her forehead, "We just fought the ninja, and you're telling us that you won't even!"

"Relax," Monty turned, "Listen, as much as you screwed up, I'm in a good mood right now. So, I'm going to offer another little mission for you guys. You do that, I'll not only tell you about Lloyd, I'll show you to him."

"Wait, really?!" Lloyd exclaimed, then narrowed his eyes, "Are you lying to us?"

"Nope," Monty shook his head, "Totally serious here. I'll lead you right to him. Heck, I'll even introduce you. But, I need you to get me something."

The three stared at Monty with a mixture of hopeful, confused and angry eyes. Monty walked over and pulled something out of a small container under the desk. He sat down an image on the counter, an image of symbols that were imprinted into what looked like some sort of dirt. Lloyd instantly saw what they were about.

"I want this," Monty pointed to the second image, "The Sword of Sanctuary."

"_The_ Sword of Sanctuary?" Lloyd asked ludicrously, "As in, the one that predicts your opponent's next move?"

"Well there isn't any other sword that does that," Monty scoffed, "It's up in Cloud Kingdom. The ninja took it back there after Soul Archer was defeated. Ronin tried to swipe it, didn't work. So now, they have it, and I want it."

"Why?" Harumi growled, "It's not even that powerful a weapon!"

"Because Morro was the one that took it away from me," Monty growled back, "And I can't stand to see him get something I don't. So, I want it. You get it for me, I'll get you to Lloyd. Deal?"

Lloyd was about to say something, but Harumi pulled him aside. Harumi stared at Lloyd for a moment before she sighed and turned over to look at Lulloyd.

"I don't want anything to do with Monty anymore," Harumi groaned, "First we have to fight the ninja, now we need to break into Cloud Kingdom? That Realm doesn't allow visitors anymore! At least, not where I'm from. How are we even going to get in there?"

"I mean… do we have a choice?" Lulloyd shook his head, "We're stuck here, we don't know where this Lloyd might be, and Morro is the Green Ninja. Can we really not go and try to get Morro to come with us?"

"Wu kicked us out, Lloyd is our next best hope!" Lloyd affirmed, "Listen, we find Lloyd, we can figure out what's wrong with Wu, and then we can help track down the Twins!"

The three turned to Monty, who had just gone back to sitting on the counter again. He caught their look and just went back to blowing around dust.

"I don't like this," Lloyd tried to affirm to Harumi, "But, just, we can't sit here and do nothing, We need to get to the Twins as fast as possible. We can't trust Ronin and Monty to help us. We need to find Lloyd, find out what's up with Wu, and then get going!"

Harumi and Lulloyd didn't look very sure. Lloyd could feel it himself. He didn't like this, having to steal more things. Yet they were running out of time here, and they needed to follow the clear path. Even if that path wasn't one they wanted, it was the one they needed to follow.

"You swear you know where Lloyd is?" Lloyd asked Monty with his eyebrow raised. Monty put his hands up in the air and then nodded.

"Of course I do," Monty groaned, "Look, I know every square inch of Ninjago by now, and pretty much everyone who lives in it. I know exactly where to find Lloyd."

"And you want the Sword of Sanctuary, that's it?" Lloyd affirmed.

"That's it," Monty nodded, "Just get me that sword, I'll give you what you want."

"Then… we have a deal," Lloyd extended his hand, "No changes, nothing else. We give you that sword, that's it."

After taking a moment to stare at his hand, Monty shrugged and extended his arm, "Good luck then, Lloyd," Monty shook his hand with a firm grip, "You'll probably need it."

Once Lloyd let go, he turned to the others and gestured towards the door. As the two fell in step behind him, suddenly Lulloyd cried out. He rubbed the back of his head as he caught a bag of coins that Monty had just chucked at him.

"That pays you back for dinner," Monty cracked his neck, "Should get you a place to stay for the night too. Might recommend getting out of Stiix. There's a good ferry that leaves in about fifteen minutes that'll take you down towards the coast, should hook you up into Ninjago City if you follow it along. Ferry is free most of the way."

"Thanks," Lulloyd grimaced, "We, uh, appreciate it."

Lulloyd's comment was ignored. With that, Monty made his way back into the shop and slumped down against the counter. He extended his hand and used wind to start making things on the wall dance and move about while he looked at them, making him sigh a bit. After a little bit of that, he yawned and then turned around to make his way back into the rooms behind the main shop.

Harumi, Lloyd, and Lulloyd walked out of the shop, closing the doors behind them. As they made their way down along the bridges towards the ferry Monty had pointed out, Lloyd sighed and then stretched his arms out.

"Alright, guys," Lloyd stated with a groan, "Let's go get that sword."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we have our fight! I'd say this one was a particularly hard learning experience for me. I learned a lot about general fight flow. I studied a bunch of anime, actually, when writing it. Likewise, we have our next power system! 
> 
> So, a bit of an explanation on the name: yes, a few of you may see the connections to Legends of Chima. I can't say that is entirely unintentional. I never liked Chima's story, characters, or anything outside of the sets. I didn't get into the sets for lack of money, but the ones I did get -namely the smaller ones- were good. I wanted to create a power system for this world.... and before I knew what I was doing, I realized I'd unconsciously drawn upon Chima. However, I instead opted to simply change the system to be more distinct rather than come up with something new, as I already planned a key event around the chi system. So, I wanted to address this!


	12. Chapter 12

"So, uh… any ideas on how we're going to get that sword?" Lulloyd yawned out.

The three sat within a cheap motel room in a small town southeast of Ninjago City. The room wasn't in the best shape, and they had all made certain to draw the comforter away from the bed. Lloyd and Lulloyd had taken one bed, while Harumi had grabbed the other. The faint clicking of the air conditioning unit on the wall had threatened to keep them up that night, but thankfully they had all been too exhausted to let that stop them.

"Uh… we get into Cloud Kingdom, get the sword, and then give it to Monty!" Lloyd stretched his back out, "I mean, it's not like we don't know how to get there."

"Last time I checked, the only way we know of to get there is either through the Realm Crystal, or the Blind Man's Eye," Harumi spoke up from behind the door to the bathroom, shower running.

"Can, uh, someone fill me in on this Cloud Kingdom place?" Lulloyd paused, "Is, it kinda like, a world that's parallel to yours? Cause that I know about."

"That's a good way to look at it," Lloyd affirmed, "Ninjago is one of Sixteen Realms. Cloud Kingdom is one of those realms. The Realm Crystal we've been using to travel, it's sorta like a doorway into each of the realms. The guys in Cloud Kingdom were the ones that wrote destiny. They wrote down everything in scrolls for people, and then that destiny would eventually come true. After Morro defied destiny, though, they decided that it wasn't worth interfering with destiny anymore and stopped."

"And, Morro is the Green Ninja here, so, like, that's different then?" Lulloyd paused, "Can, we just use our Realm Crystal to, you know, get in there?"

"I don't think it works like that," Lloyd frowned, "I mean… I'm not even sure how we're actually using it to jump universes. It's linked to my world, I doubt it'd actually work like, in this world, you know?"

"It wouldn't," Harumi's voice came from the bathroom, "Your crystal would be attuned to your dimensional frequency. This place has a completely different one. You wouldn't be able to get that one to work without somehow changing the frequency."

"We already guessed basically that, Harumi," Lloyd called back, "You can just shower, you know! We'll handle this!"

"Fine," Harumi's voice drifted away. She continued along with her shower, while the two of them continued to plan while awaiting for the chance to leave.

After the number of times their green clothes had come up, Harumi had found the best deal for normal street clothes they could use with the money Monty gave them. Monty had slipped in a fair bit extra, which seemed to be a fraction of the payment for their job -as Lloyd theorized. With that, they'd hit up the cheapest clothing store they could and gotten casual outfits to wear over their gi.

Lloyd had gotten himself a green t-shirt with a button up gray shirt left unbuttoned overtop of it, along with a pair of casual jeans. Lulloyd had snagged a simple long sleeve blue shirt and then layered a deep green sweatshirt overtop of that, pulling the strings and leaving the hood dangling over his shoulders, then gotten a pair of black jeans to slide on. From the way that he wore them, it seemed he was relatively comfortable in that attire, and it was baggy enough his 'strange' physique wasn't an immediate issue anymore. Harumi was currently changing into a somewhat baggy long sleeved light blue shirt and black leggings. They had each picked their outfits to allow for them to wear their gi underneath in case it was needed.

"What about the Eye?" Lulloyd continued, "Can we maybe get in that way?"

Lloyd sat back down and put his hands to his chin, "Well… that's kinda a problem in it of itself. The Eye is this massive vortex that only gets close enough to fly into at the top of the Wailing Alps. We had to use Airjitzu to get into it, and, well, I don't think you guys know Airjitzu..." He paused, "Half the time I don't even think I do anymore."

"Do you know when the Eye will get close enough?" Lulloyd continued.

"Nya was the one that calculated that. The weather around the Alps gets so bad it's hard to fly dragons through it. Even if we make it to the mountains on time, it took the others almost six hours to get to the top, and those were on mechs. And even _then_ if we make it there by some miracle on time, we'd have to get inside the Eye."

"Uh… then the Realm Crystal!" Lulloyd smirked, "I mean, for this world. Isn't it in that vault?" Lulloyd beamed, until the seconds that dragged on made him mutter, "…Oh."

"After yesterday, Morro and the ninja are probably are guarding that thing heavily," Lloyd grimaced, "We couldn't get in there even if we wanted to."

"So, we can't do this?" Lulloyd asked slowly. Lloyd looked away.

"It might be possible," The bathroom door opened to reveal a casually dressed Harumi with her hair drawn back into a braid and her face slightly wet from the moisture in the room, "Either of you need the shower?"

"We showered last night," Lloyd shook his head, "We're good. And, what do you mean?"

Harumi pointed to the mechdragon brick that Lulloyd had placed by the bed, "That might be the way we get there fast enough."

"My dragon?" Lulloyd asked curiously, "I mean, it's, fast, but I don't know if it's that fast as Lloyd says is needs to be…"

"Which is why we're going to use your weird Master Building skills to make it faster and strong enough to get us into the Eye," Harumi smirked, "Come on, we need to get to Ed and Edna's junkyard."

"You know about the junkyard?" Lloyd asked. Harumi just lifted her hand up to show her watch.

"Yep," Harumi hit her watch, causing it to bring up a mini map, "Last night on the ferry, I downloaded everything I could from a phone. It finally completed my map of this place. The only junkyard that I can see that won't make us pay for the parts would be that one. It's on the way to the Alps too."

"So, we're going to use junk, to make my dragon fast and strong enough to get us into Cloud Kingdom?" Lulloyd pieced together her plan. Harumi nodded, making Lulloyd rub his chin.

"First, we need to see if we can get into the Blind Man's Eye. I'm sure that information isn't publicly available… but maybe something that's not fully public has that for us..." Lloyd turned to Harumi, "Harumi, can your watch get into the network around here?"

"Probably?" Harumi tapped her watch with a raised eyebrow, "What sort of network?"

"Cyrus Borg set up all these informational kiosks around Ninjago, they're like interactive maps that can tell you a bunch of information you need to know," Lloyd paused, "If we could find one, think you could get into it?"

"If I had a direct link like that, yeah, obviously," Harumi stated plainly, "Where would they be?"

"Ninjago City, it'll be on the way," Lloyd turned, "Let's get going."

* * *

Harumi's suggestion to buy casual wear had appeared to work out rather well for the group, as despite the fact that Lulloyd was moving in ways that the average citizen couldn't, the clothes made them fit right in. Harumi's coldness towards Lloyd had seemingly faded the second she entered Ninjago City a few hours later and gasped once the group got down from the bus.

The first thing that Lloyd noted was the fact that everywhere that he looked, people had their 'chi' manifested. One man in a business suit chatted on a phone while what looked like a dog-sized stag beetle walked beside him. A woman in a red dress with a lopsided reporter's badge had a crocodile following after her in what looked like some sort of gold armor with a blue orb placed in the center of its back. A young girl with pigtails laughed as she chased after a massive raven. Nearly every person walking had some sort of spirit-energy animal around them in some way.

"Uh… is this normal in your world?" Lulloyd asked curiously. Lloyd slowly shook his head.

"No, not, really. I mean, some people have pets but, nothing like this!" Lloyd turned his head to see what looked like a flying electric eel coming right at his head. He winced and braced for impact, yet the creature flew right through his head.

"I'm so sorry about that!" A woman ran up, another eel flying around her head as she put a hand firmly on a young boy's shoulder, "He's still learning how to manifest! Come on, Tommy, you can't let it get away from you like that."

"Sorry, sir!" Tommy smiled at Lloyd, saw his eel starting to worm away from him, and gasped to go after it. The woman smiled apologetically at Lloyd before racing after her son.

Lloyd looked around again to take in the sights of everything. Already, he could see that Ninjago City had far more green spaces than he was used to. Buildings he had previously seen were gone, and instead replaced with large open parks and spaces. The roads were narrower, and there were far more people walking around with their Chi animals than in his own version of the city.

"Guys!" Harumi called out, "I can finally see this place now that Ronin isn't here! Oh my gosh, your cars still have wheels!" Harumi pointed towards the deadlocked traffic, "And, all these bridges! These are actual roads! I just, wow!"

"Uh… yep, these are what the average person uses here!" Lloyd nodded, "A few years ago it kinda looked like your home."

"Wait, really? What happened?" Harumi asked curiously, bouncing her way up over towards a wall plastered with advertisements for everything from an opera house to several rather restaurants, and one poster for an underground fighting ring called the Slithering Pit.

"Borg built his tower right on top of where I destroyed the Overlord, and the Overlord infected the machines and, well, used them to become the Golden Master," Lloyd felt a cold chill going up his spine, "That's, kinda how I lost my Golden Power, and all…"

"...Oh, right, you mentioned that," Harumi looked up from a poster for a tennis club, '...Right, you didn't actually fully destroy his spirit," Harumi frowned, "I sealed all my power along with him in the Golden Weapons. Never had to worry about him coming back."

Lloyd fell silent as Harumi put the poster back, her mood having seemingly gone straight down. Lloyd looked towards a poster advertising strengthening the bond between 'You and Your Companion!' Before Lloyd could try to figure out something he could actually say to get her to look back up, Lulloyd spoke up.

"Hey, isn't that the Mojo Dojo?" Lulloyd pointed towards a hand-made poster stuck in a patch of grass across the road with the telltale symbol and a massive red arrow pointing east.

"Dareth is here?!" Harumi turned towards Lloyd and Lulloyd, "We have to go see him!"

"Harumi, we're here to get you into Borg's network so we can get information on the Eye!" Lloyd shook his head, "We don't have time to make a stop like tha-"

"This is already a diversion from getting Lulloyd's dragon ready!" Harumi frowned, "Come on, we're going to see Uncle Dareth! I want to see what his Chi-thingy is in this world! Come on!"

Harumi took off down the road, using her small body to weave through the crowd. Lloyd sighed and quickly raced after her, finding that she was just as fast as he was. Lulloyd, having stood still to admire a massive skyscraper, was shocked to suddenly see his allies running off and quickly gave pursuit.

Ninjago City, at least as far as Lloyd looked at it, seemed to be relatively the same. The people there still walked around casually as though their city wasn't always in constant danger and peril, and several of the buildings appeared the same. Borg Tower was still in the distance, which made Lloyd wonder if this world knew of the Golden Master or not. The city was the same, but the way the people all seemed to have their chi out and about made it feel slightly uneasying.

Harumi slid between two kids, both wearing t-shirts of the ninja. Lloyd couldn't help but have his eyes drawn to the fact that the shirts were that of Morro instead of his own face, and unlike Lloyd's somewhat camera-shy smile, Morro was giving a determined smirk in the image depicted on the shirt. Lloyd gave a quick apology as he ducked between the two. The kids, annoyed, saw Lulloyd running as well and intentionally didn't move, causing Lulloyd to stumble and fall to the ground. In doing so, the Mechdragon brick on his back fell from his shoulders.

"H-Hey!" Lulloyd turned around, "What was that about!?"

The two kids shrugged, then looked to the brick that Lulloyd had dropped. The elder kid, the one in the Morro t-shirt with orange hair, grabbed the brick, giggled, and ran. The other kid quickly gave chase after his friend, summoning a small lion that knocked over a few bikes on a nearby rack to cover their tracks.

"H-Hey! Give that back, Chad! I-I mean, kids!" Lulloyd shouted, quickly getting up to his feet. He gave the disappearing Lloyd and Harumi a quick glance before he took off after the two children.

Lulloyd saw the two children crossing at a crosswalk and fleeing as the sign turned red for pedestrians to stop. Thinking fast, Lulloyd saw a massive streetlight and a banner on a nearby building. He took in a breath, then rushed forward and grabbed the banner and streetlight, striking the two to turn them into bricks. The string on the banner became a rubber band, which he pulled back to the top of the pole. A simple kick of his foot released the tension of the string, sending him flying over the road. A few seconds later, the pieces reverted to their original parts, the banner drifting down to the sidewalk.

Having seen this out of the corner of his eye, Lloyd paused in stride for a moment to decide who he wanted to go after. Given that Lulloyd had heard they were going to Dareth's place, and that he was already going after Harumi, he made the choice to follow her. He quickly shot after her again, jumping up onto the side of a building to run along the wall to get around large portions of the crowd, much to some citizen's shock.

"Hey!" A man called out, "What chi was that?!" He looked down towards a large eagle perched on his shoulder and sighed, "Why can't you help me do that?" Said eagle stared at him, then vanished, much to the man's shock.

"Harumi!" Lloyd shouted as he landed on the ground, darting forward expecting her to still be running. Instead, he felt something strike him in the gut. He stopped as a light yellow disc vanished from his torso, revealing Harumi looking forward in curiosity.

In front of the group stood the Mojo Dojo, yet unlike what either of them had seen before. Rather than being a simple small side shop like previously, the Mojo Dojo was now a large brown building that stood completely on its own. Large windows showed adverts for 'Train YOUR Chi today!' and 'I Dare-th you to join today!' The building looked far nicer, well kept and… newer.

"This… is the Mojo Dojo?" Harumi spoke slowly. Then she gasped, "Dareth has his own building for his Dojo now?! It took him years to get that back home! Come on, we gotta talk to him, Lloyd!"

"Uhm… yeah, we do!" Lloyd got over the confusion at the sudden change in setting, and quickly made his way into the building. As soon as they did, a loud greeting rang out.

"WELCOME! To my Mojo…. DOJO!" Dareth's distinct telltale voice came up from above them, "I am DARETH! And I dare-th you, to join my Dojo!"

Dareth stood atop a small series of stairs that went up to a small office he quickly made his way down. His brown robes, rather than being modeled after the ninja's suits, appeared instead to be a series of loose fitting robes that were tied to his body at the ankles, wrists, waist and shoulders. The brown robes flowed slightly as he made his way down towards them, and once he did, he threw back his unchanged perm with a grin.

"Hey, Dareth…" Lloyd blinked and looked around, "This… is your Mojo Dojo?"

"Why, yes it is, young one!" Dareth threw his arms out, "This is my space, where I train the minds and bodies of those to learn how to properly utilize their chi to its True Potential! If you are interested in signing up, please, make your decision soon! I, uh, have a class in like a minute, and the paperwork is kinda long and boring."

"You teach chi?" Harumi gasped, "Oh! Oh! Show us your chi, Dareth!"

"Sure thing, excitable girl! Watch and be amazed as I show off… the BROWN CHI!" Dareth pointed his arm up to the sky.

From around his fist, a brown aura formed. The two watched as the aura leapt from his arm and began to form a massive cloud in front of him. Said cloud rapidly spun around Dareth's body, before it collapsed together onto his fist and vanished.

Harumi blinked, "So uh… what is it?"

"What is what?" Dareth shook his hand, "It's my Brown Chi! The one and only!"

"But… what animal is it?" Lloyd asked. He quickly sidestepped a few children walking past him towards a room in the back.

"Oh… still figuring that part out!" Dareth chuckled awkwardly, "Once I figure it out, I'll be sure to let all my students know!"

"...Right, well," Lloyd looked to Harumi, "We're waiting on a friend, so, do you think we could wait here for them?"

"Sure thing, the waiting room is in the back!" Dareth pointed to the door the kids had gone into, "It's filling up, so I'd get your seats fast."

"Thank you!" Harumi smiled widely, "Come on, Lloyd, let's go!"

"But, you were the one who wanted t-" Lloyd was cut off by Harumi's insistent tugging.

Using her other hand, Harumi waved to Dareth and pulled Lloyd into the waiting room. Once they were inside, Lloyd quickly counted perhaps twenty chairs. Almost all of them were filled by children of various ages, but none looking older than perhaps twelve. Each of them wore similar robes to what Dareth had on, and a few of them were playing with their chi animals as they waited.

Lloyd took a seat at the end of the row of chairs,with Haumi sitting beside him. A twinge of annoyance went through him. Lulloyd was still chasing down those kids most likely, and then he'd have to get directions to Dareth's place. It was all one massive waste of time! He looked ot Harumi with a long frown.

"It's a Shark, by the way," A girl across from Lloyd spoke up.

"Huh?" Lloyd asked as he turned to her, "What do you mean?"

"Master Dareth's Brown Chi!" The girl smiled, "We've all decided that it's a Shark!"

"Have you ever seen it manifest?" Harumi asked curiously.

"Nah, he's so powerful, he's still learning how to control it!" A boy beside Harumi spoke up, "He got me to manifest my lizard chi in only two days!"

"We all want to be as powerful as Master Dareth one day!" The girl attested, "He's amazing!"

As soon as she said that, Dareth opened the door to the room. He looked around and then smiled widely, "Alright, class, shall we get to our daily warm ups?"

"Yes sir, Master Dareth!" The entire group of children called out, quickly racing up onto their feet. The group pooled through the door after Dareth, leaving Lloyd and Harumi sitting there.

"Is, what she said true?" Harumi asked curiously, "Is your Dareth powerful?"

"What? No!" Lloyd shook his head, "That's… I mean it's Dareth! He… he couldn't be that powerful without us knowing. He couldn't be. No… no. He's just, a great teacher! And… if he has a power it's, he has the biggest luck stat of everyone?"

"Luck stat?" Harumi raised an eyebrow. Lloyd turned his head away, realizing that she likely wasn't an avid player of some of those games. He suddenly remembered and hoped Jay wouldn't continue the campaign without him.

It was a few minutes in silence that it took before the doors to the waiting area opened up, and through it came a Lulloyd that was panting and clutching his mech dragon brick. Behind him, several of the kids in Dareth's class were pointing at the way his legs were moving, causing Lulloyd to grimace and wave at them.

"Sorry, sorry, Dareth, didn't mean to interrupt your class…" Lulloyd panted towards him. Dareth waved his hand and chuckled.

"No worries, your friends came to find you a bit ago, so it's all good!" Dareth looked him up and down, "I can recommend you a good chiropractor if you need it."

"Chiro..? Oh! Oh, no! But uh, thank you, Dareth!" Lulloyd waved his hand and turned towards the two with an exasperated expression. Harumi just shrugged and Lloyd gave a grimace back.

"What took you so long?" Harumi asked, cocking her head.

"Oh, uh, two ki-theives stole my dragon, and I had to get it back!" Lulloyd sighed, "This, Ninjago City isn't like my old one. I kept expecting for us to, you know, go down and find a bunch of older buildings and stuff. They just kept running between buildings!"

"That is kinda how fighting in a city works," Lloyd stood up and nodded for Harumi to do the same, "At least you got it back."

"Yeah, heh, guess I did…" Lulloyd slowly strapped the brick to his back again, "Kinda would be in, a lot of trouble if I didn't. Since, you know, this entire plan revolves around this."

Lloyd shook his head, "We'd find a way if we had to. Let's, just go ahead and get what you need Harumi, and get out of here…"

"I had a thought about that…" Harumi paused and walked over towards the door. She knocked once, twice, then three times, "Hey, Dareth! I think I have something neat to show your students!"

Dareth, who currently had the students pairing up and forming their Chi animals and posing at one another, smiled and waved his hand, "Ah, yes! A fellow tutor! Come, come!"

Lloyd and Lulloyed looked to one another in confusion, especially as Harumi made her way over casually towards where Dareth stood. Each of the students blinked at her in confusion as she stood beside Dareth. Everyone's chi animals floated or crawled upon their owners, looking towards Harumi with just as much anticipation.

"What is it you wish to show the class?" Dareth smirked, then he leaned towards Harumi and whispered, "Seriously what is it?"

"What are you all learning right now? I'm Harumi, by the way." Harumi asked curiously. One of the students, a young boy in the back, raised his hand.

"Oh! We're learning how to read our opponents!" He smiled widely, "And then how to counter them with our chi animals!"

"I think I have a good one for you then!" Harumi raised her hand up in front of her face, "Have you all ever heard of the Art of the Silent Fist?"

Lloyd's eyes flashed with recognition even as the students all shook their head. Harumi nodded her head and looked towards all of the kids, right before she ran a hand through her hair to push it backwards. She raised her hands up in the air, and then rocked back on her heels.

"What if I told you all you didn't need to attack your opponent to defeat them?" Harumi asked. She held back a grin as all the students blinked at her in utter confusion.

"I think my students will need a demonstration!" Dareth looked around the room, looking just as confused as his students, "Jasmine!" Dareth pointed to a slightly taller girl in the back, "Come up for our demonstration!"

Jasmine, a girl with massively long brown locks and glowing green eyes, simply nodded her head and walked forward through the crowd. She stood in front of Harumi, and then her eyes began to glow with that green aura. From her aura, a massive eight legged spider formed, crawling up her back and perching on her shoulder. It hissed angrily at Harumi.

"Hey, go easy on the kids, alright?" Dareth whispered, "I don't mind letting you do this but, uh, I don't actually let them do anything that dangerous. Parents get on me if I even mention a fist, you know?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt them," Harumi chuckled, "That's kinda what this technique is all about."

"Alright then…" Dareth nodded somewhat skeptically, "Jasmine! Show off what we learned last week!"

Jasmine nodded her head without a word. Her entire body twisted forward, throwing her left arm forward as she did. The glistening violet spider leapt onto said arm, its abdomen leaning backwards. A thin glittering piece of webbing shot forward towards Harumi, in a movement so fast, for an untrained eye, it would be hard to see until it was too late.

Harumi, however, threw her left foot backwards, sidestepping the webbing. Her hand gripped the webbing and pulled it forward, causing the spider to lurch towards her. Jasmine's arm was pulled along with it directly towards Harumi, who then swung her left foot around in a circular arc until she had her left hand directly on Jasmine's shoulder. The girl was spun around and then pushed forward, stumbling to catch her balance as Harumi returned to her original position.

Jasmine, her eyes filled with shock, threw her spider up into the air as it launched another web towards Harumi. Once more, Harumi dodged. From her right hand, Lloyd saw a tiny disc form, cutting through the web before it could attach to her arm. Harumi, unfazed, looked down to see Jasmine rushing forward, her right hand going for Harumi's gut.

Harumi, however, reached out with her right hand and gripped Jasmine's fist, stopping it in the air and then sliding underneath it, keeping her grip on the hand by rotating her arm. Now behind Jasmine, Harumi her her left hand against Jasmine's back and pushed her forward again, sending her off balance.

The entire class gasped and began to rapidly chatter amongst themselves. Jasmine, having been defeated twice now, looked to Harumi in shock. Her spider crawled onto her shoulder, looking between the two as though asking its owner for the chance to attack.

"The Art of the Silent Fist," Harumi explained, "Is all about predicting your enemy. You're not actually attacking them, you're letting them throw themselves off. Think of it like letting someone chasing you think you kept going straight when you hid against a wall. You shouldn't be hitting them, just letting them attack you and get stunned. Here," Harumi looked to Jasmine, "Jasmine, throw a punch at me, nothing too hard."

Jasmine, confused, reared her right hand back and flung her body forward, leading her shoulder into the punch. Harumi immediately swung her body aside and grabbed her extended arm, holding her in place.

"You don't need to attack your opponent to defeat them," Harumi explained, "Just focus on what they're doing. If you can dodge a punch, you can actually make them fall over. A lot of fighters will expect for the force of their strike to help them go into their next blow. Throw that off, and then they usually fall forward. Or you can pull them into yourself to deliver your own strike. It'll be the same thing with chi. Actually, if you can master this without your chi, I'm pretty sure it'll be really powerful once you start using it."

Harumi gave Jasmine her hand back, the student staring at Harumi with a small shocked open mouth. Harumi smiled and looked over to the students, "I suggest you all learn how to tell when your opponent is going to strike. If they lean their upper body backwards, they might be punching. Or if they shift back on their feet, they're going to take your attack. And with your chi, animals can be easier to read. Just something to think about!"

The entire group continued to stare at Harumi, then they broke out into small bits of clapping. Harumi just smiled at then and gave a bit of an exaggerated bow to them, before she turned to Dareth.

"Do you have a computer here that I could use?" She asked, turning briefly to Jasmine to give her a wink.

"Sure thing!" Dareth pointed to the office at the top of the stairs, "Feel free to use it!"

"Thank you!" Harumi chirped, smiling once more before she hopped her way over to the stairs. She gave a look back for her two companions to follow after her.

Lloyd and Lulloyd scrambled up after her, the two hurrying awkwardly after her. Harumi opened the door to his office, revealing a rather well kept room with several stacks of papers along one wall and a massive computer against the other. A window overlooked the floor below them, but currently had its blinds drawn. The entire room was painted with brown coloration.

"What, was all that about?" Lulloyd asked curiously, "I, uh, don't get it."

"I realized that we don't need something like a kiosk," Harumi smirked as she sat in the computer chair, "Borg set up a big public WiFi, right?"

"Yeah," Lloyd nodded, "Your watch probably automatically connected to it, right?"

"Exactly," Harumi's fingers began to type into the computer, pulling up the WiFi information in a window and undoing her watch on her wrist, "It already thinks my device is apart of everything else. I can just get my watch here to download all the information I need directly from his servers faster than they can detect I'm doing it. And since my watch isn't on the same software, I needed a computer for it."

"Uh… isn't that hacking?" Lulloyd asked curiously. Harumi shrugged.

"My watch has its own IP address I'll be using," She reached down and plugged a small protrusion on the watch into the computer, "Basically I'm just using this as an entry point. They won't be able to tell it was this computer, plus they won't know what this watch even is. Just, give me a few minutes here…"

Harumi began to type rapidly on the computer, not giving each key more than a few seconds to rest before she hit them again. She was incredibly fast, and as she did windows upon windows began to pop up. She scrolled through them effortlessly, until finally a small progress bar appeared on screen. She swiped that aside and pulled up even more windows, checking each installment as if looking through a rear-view mirror. Both of the two others were completely stunned by the time she leaned back and pulled her watch out.

"Got it!" Harumi tapped her watch a few times, reading the tiny text that popped up, "We're in luck. The Blind Man's Eye will be passing above the Wailing Alps tomorrow morning."

"Wait, tomorrow morning?" Lulloyd shook his head, :"That, doesn't give us a lot of time."

"Well then we need to get moving fast," Lloyd replied, " Let's get to that junkyard!"

* * *

"I know I said they'd just give us the metal, but I expected we'd have to work a little bit for it..." Harumi turned towards Lloyd, who nodded his head.

"Yeah, my Ronin once broke in to steal from them and they ended up just giving it to him even after he told them he was stealing it," Lloyd adjusted his hands on his wheelbarrow, "They're honestly really nice."

"They, uh, are the ones we buy all the parts from for our mechs when we need repairs," Lulloyd grimaced as he tugged two wheelbarrows at once by using masterbuilt poles to connect the two in a chariot-style, "They were the only ones that, didn't ask Wu what he was buying them all for, you know?"

Harumi didn't respond, instead maintaining two massive Rhotatae discs to hover two massive crates of parts off the ground. She looked as though she was straining to carry them, but because of her discs, she was only straining in maintaining the discs and not dragging the boxes themselves. The three carried their piles of loot towards the entrance to the junkyard.

"Now you come again soon, you hear?" Ed called out from the porch of the trailer, "Oh, and if you see Jay, tell him to visit soon!"

"Have fun building your spaceship!" Edna followed up her husband's cry, "Let us know how it goes!"

Lloyd and Harumi both gave Lulloyd a look for his explanation, who just turned away from them with a blush on his face. He pulled his haul a bit faster to get ahead of the two, stepping out into the dry air of dried out sand of the surrounding environment. Harumi had at least given the two of them the rest of their money from Monty by sliding it under their door. It wasn't much, but it at least eased their minds about taking all of this.

The junkyard, being at the edge of the Sea of Sand, was relatively close to an isolated place to build on the mechdragon. While at first Lulloyd had wanted to do so perhaps in the junkyard itself, Lloyd had pointed out that if they asked questions and then told Jay that they'd been there, it could end in them being hunted down. Thus, Lloyd had suggested them find a very specific large basin where his team had first found the Bounty.

"How do you know, it'll still be there?" Lulloyd asked, straining as he continued to pull.

"Because his dimensional signature is extremely close to that of this world," Harumi explained, "This dimension is far closer to an 'alternate universe' than my own. I would imagine that Zane still found the Bounty, given that any alteration with Morro being the Green NInja likely happened at some other point."

Lloyd didn't respond, simply groaned as he heaved his load up a large rock. Harumi gave him a small roll of the eyes and fired a small disc towards the wheel, lurching it forward to get it over the rock. When Lloyd looked back, she used her eyes to point to the top of the ridge, which Lloyd just grimaced and pull along towards.

As soon as the two came up over the ridge, he could see the familiar basin. It was clearly still there, and he could even see the marks from where it had first blasted off from the rocks before. Did that mean the bounty had still been chased? Now he was filled with questions.

"Alright… here!" Lloyd sighed and dropped the handles, "Lulloyd, let's do this."

Lulloyd gave him a sideways glare, panting slightly as he used his shaky exhausted hands to drop his brick into the center of the basin in front of him. Once it stopped sliding, it rapidly began to unfold and branch outwards, until the Mechdragon stood at its full form once more. The beast let out a mechanical rumble once it was ready, the spines on its back rising up and its jets unfurling out. Lloyd and Harumi slowly slumped down against their wheelbarrowl and crates respectively, Harumi caressing her wrists. Lulloyd slowly walked forward, stared at the pieces, and then slowly looked to Harumi and raised his eyebrow.

"So, uh, what am I building here..?" Lulloyd frowned, "Like, what's so special about the Blind Man's Eye?"

Harumi held up her hand and then started to tap away on her screen. Once she had, she pulled up several bits of information, which she swiped through and began to read: "The Blind Man's Eye stays at an altitude that no aircraft can reach. The only time we can reach it by foot is by using the Wailing Alps to get to it when it's in position. You have to build it to be able to withstand a lot of punishment. If we miss this chance, it means we have another month and a half before we could reach it again."

"Right…" Lulloyd stated, nodding his head, "Now… uh, what exactly do you want me to be doing here with my dragon?"

"Build it up so it can get to that high altitude, you know?" Lloyd looked back to it, "Maybe, add some boosters and make it even more powerful! Like, some sort of spaceship?"

Lulloyd looked to the parts that he'd taken from the junkyard, then he shook his head, "If it's spaceships we need that's Benny's expertise. Not, sure that a bunch of scrap, is gonna do all of that…"

Harumi gave Lloyd an annoyed glare and then shook her head, "Lulloyd, what does your dragon use for energy?"

"Oh, solar energy," Lulloyd pointed to reflective surfaces on its small flaps that extended from the main body, "It charges while it's in that brick form too, at least, since it's still moving I'm sure it does. Why do you ask?"

"Can you unbuild that part and see what parts you need to make more solar panels then?" Harumi asked, pointing to the flaps, "We need to increase its speed, fuel levels and give it a bigger cockpit so we can ride it in subzero temperatures," Harumi nodded to its head, "Since it's already made to fly under its own power, just give it even more power. We have to go fast enough to actually shoot the storm and make it into the kingdom."

Lulloyd slowly paused and thought about it. He made his way over to the parts, picking up two old turbines. He struck both of them, causing them to turn into the brick versions of those turbines. Once they had, he slowly nodded to himself, and then leapt up into the air and began pulling pieces off of his dragon to find attachment points for them.

"I… think I can make this work," Lulloyd turned to them as he attached the two large turbines, "I should have just enough power right now to get us into the Kingdom, then we can charge quickly with the extra panels when we get in there… Toss me, some of that sheet metal, I need some to attach all this on."

Lloyd groaned out and pushed himself up onto his feet, reaching down and tossing the sheets out towards Lulloyd, who quickly hopped into the air to catch them. He struck them, causing them to turn into large plates he quickly began to attach to his dragon by removing the spines on its back and mounting the turbines horizontally.

"I… need something like pistons, anyone got anything?" Lulloyd called out, his body blurring briefly as he began to remount the spines onto the back of the turbines for the sake of aesthetic.

"Here!" Harumi used a Rhotatae disc to hover over a car engine. Upon Lulloyd breaking it apart, small pistons in the form of bars that moved in and out of small slots dropped onto his dragon, which he began integrating.

The sun around them began to set as the dragon gradually took shape. Lulloyd gradually began to undo the sleekness of its back to continually mount more and more engines upon them, until, including the two secondary boosters that the dragon normally had, the dragon now had a total of six other means of lift attached. By pulling apart the fins, he quickly found the parts he needed to make more solar pannels, which went around the outside of each turbine. The neck was widened to create a sealed cockpit using old car windshield, making it just big enough for the three to fit in. The dragon's head and legs were left untouched, but the tail was gutted for a set of rigid aerodynamic fins that would aid them in maintaining direction against the high winds that the Alps were known for. Lulloyd, for some reason, continually placed any gutted pieces somewhere back on the model, saying he didn't want to 'lose anything.'

As Lulloyd began to put in seats for the three to sit in, Harumi looked to their almost used pile of pieces, then turned to Lulloyd, "Hey, Lulloyd?"

"Yeah..?" Lulloyd didn't even look up as he frowned, seeing that adding the chairs in would force him to raise the windshield, trying to find the bricks to make that space work.

"I was kinda wondering… how do you do this?" Harumi gestured to the outfitted dragon, "You can just look at objects and tell how you can put them all together. How does it, feel?"

"Feel..?" Lulloyd turned around from him prying the windshield up, then slowly looked to his dragon and to Harumi, "You, want to know how I Master Build?"

"I was wondering that too," Lloyd added in, making Harumi roll her eyes, "Like, do you just look at everything and know how to work it?"

Lulloyd paused, thinking of how to best explain it. When he seemed to come to a decision after seconds of silence, he took the leftover bricks he'd scavenged from around the dragon, then leapt into the air and landed in front of them. He held the bricks up by rotating his hands and then slowly looked to both of them.

"I kinda have to explain the concept of Master Building itself… so, uh, Master Building…" Lulloyd pursed his lips together, "Okay, so, the first thing that you need to understand, is that everything in the world can be remade into something else. Like, how you take concrete to make a road, and that concrete is made by mixing together a bunch of stuff. But, no matter what you mix together, or rebuild it, you're not making or destroying anything. Like, you can't just take two buckets of bricks, and somehow make three buckets of new stuff. The amount of bricks you use, don't change…." Lulloyd looked up nervously, "Does that, make sense so far?"

The two slowly nodded, and Lulloyd continued cautiously, "Okay… so, the next bit, is realizing that everything in the world can be rebuilt. And that something has more than one purpose. For example, I can take a gear, some floor tiles, and then make it into a wheel by wrapping the tiles around the beams in a circle. Or, I can take a pan, and a scorpion, and add some colored discs and make a blaster!" Lulloyd blinked, "Uh… the trick, is that a piece only becomes something when you put it together. Until you make something, that piece is just that, a piece! And… and like look!" Lulloyd pointed to his mechdragon's eyes, "Those are just, bowls with lights inside! It only becomes that when I put it together!"

By now the two seemed to be processing, and it made Lulloyd frown. Harumi slowly opened her mouth to speak, then stopped. Then tried again. And stopped. The third time she pointed to the pieces of metal they hadn't used.

"But… how do you use that?" Harumi coughed, "They're, not bricks."

"Oh… well, after I saw the twins do it, I realized, that it's like Master Building in reverse," Lulloyd picked up a piece of glass, "It's glass. And, if I go ahead and hit it, then it's a brick of glass. And, then I just do what I normally do. I can, kinda see like I normally do if I squint. But I'm mainly just, using trial and error overall…"

Harumi slowly pursed her lips together, "So… it's like… it's like you're understanding, deconstructing, and reconstructing matter. Only, you can't create something out of nothing. And so to build what you want, you have to be given the bricks. It's almost like, a law of equal… transfer?"

"Well… I guess?" Lulloyd shrugged, "I, kinda don't know how it all works. My dad is a Master Builder. I'm, still in training. And, uh, according to my dad still a novice. I mean, I still don't always do my best. I could be more efficient here, use less pieces…" He hopped back up to the cockpit, "Like, I wanted to make it symmetrical but, I didn't have the right amount of tiles and, that meant I had to leave the sides bare, now there are studs showing and… well then I tried putting in the seats and the seats just make it so you guys are bumping on the windshield, but the floor is already only two plates thick and that's not good…"

"Well you've made something that looks usable," Lloyd stopped Lulloyd's rambling by walking over and tapping the side of the dragon,, "So I think that even if this isn't your best, you're still doing good. If it does what we need, why worry about how it looks?"

"Because… when we're not using it, that's how it's gonna look?" Lulloyd grimaced, "If, you focus too much on how it functions then, uh, you might not like how it looks…"

"Well I think it looks fine and it'll function just fine!" Harumi stated confidently, "I think it's in a good place. Think it'll fly us up into the Blind Man's Eye?"

Lulloyd nodded, "Yeah, I mean, with what your watch said I think we'll make it just fine," He pointed to his dragon, "If, uh, you want I can build up some walls around the belly and, make us a tent?"

"Shouldn't we get to the Blind Man's Eye as fast as possible?" Lloyd frowned, "We already spent an entire night and day doing this. We need to keep moving."

"We should go ahead and get the sword now," Harumi agreed without looking at Lloyd, "If we wait, we risk losing the Twins. We need to get this sword, find out what happened to Lloyd, and find out what the Time Twins are planning in this universe. We find out what happened to him, we figure out where we should be looking next."

Lulloyd gave both of them a small look, then he nodded. He scrambled his way up his dragon and pulled the hook of the cockpit open on a hinge. He slid into a seat in front of at least three control panels and a massive aerial control stick. He raised his arm up and twisted his hand for them to hop up.

"I, uh, didn't get the seats fully installed, so, it might not be the most comfortable ride…" Lulloyd smiled apologetically, "But, uh, if you wanna do this then hop in!"

* * *

"Still think we can do this, Harumi?" Lloyd asked as he craned his neck up to see over the massive peaks in front of them.

The mechdragon currently stood at the base of one of the smaller peaks of the Wailing Alps, the wind buffeting against its plastic-like shell. The peak was towards the end of the mountain chain, specifically picked due to the fact that it had an almost vertical smooth ascension slope. Harumi's watch, currently plugged into the dragon's onboard computer, showed the trajectory of the Blind Man's Eye was to pass overhead in approximately two minutes. The screen showed they had a fifteen second window to pass inside.

"I'm mostly sure…" Harumi grimaced as she gripped a bit of the side of the cockpit, "What's the worst that could happen?"

"...You, you should never say that, right before doing something dangerous…" Lulloyd turned his head around, "I did that once with my dad and… I ended up having to fight through an army of skeletons just to get to a raft to go down the River of Impossibly Large Obstacles while my dad lectured me the whole way."

"Shouldn't we get moving?" Lloyd nudged Lulloyd's shoulder, "We only have a minute and a half!"

"Right! Right!" Lulloyd drew his hood up, "Alright guys, buckle up!"

Both of the two behind him looked for their seatbelts, only to find there were none. Lulloyd ignored as tin in his chest and leaned forward, tapping two buttons. The extra booster engines on the back of the dragon suddenly roared to life, firing backwards with a massive amount of power. The two in the backseats drew their hoods up and held on tightly as the dragon began to rapidly fire forward.

The feet of the Mechdragon retracted, and in their place, massive high impact tires scavenged from trucks extended outwards. The engines firing backwards rapidly accelerated the dragon up the slope of the mountains, the wheels allowing for the dragon to ride the slope without crashing into it. The entire cockpit began to rumble and rattle violently as massive bumps along the mountain and buffeting wings threatened to send the craft right up and off the side.

Out of the right side of the cockpit, the Blind Man's Eye appeared. Lulloyd noted it and pressed his control stick forward, causing the engines to fire even harder. The three in the cockpit were pressed hard back into their seats as the power in the extra engines was set near to maximum. Lulloyd gripped the controls with a look of resolute determination, while both Lloyd and Harumi worriedly looked to the rapidly decreasing amount of mountain left.

"Hold on!" Lulloyd shouted, jamming the stick all the way forward. The six extra engines roared to almost deafening levels as the dragon launched itself the last of the way right up the mountain, a few of the spines along the dragon's back breaking off and being lost to the sky below. Lulloyd then rapidly yanked the stick backwards, cutting off the engine's power just as the dragon's wheels left the remaining bit of the mountainside. The wheels retracted, and the entire cabin suddenly had a distinct feeling of weightlessness. For a few seconds, there was silence.

Then the massive winds of the Wailing Alps buffeted the dragon, causing the three to rattle around. The sheer turbulence felt as though the entire dragon was ripping apart. Lulloyd gasped and gripped the controls, holding on hard as the dragon was threatened to spin out of its path. His eyes flashed as he shot his left arm out, striking a switch on the wall before gunning the engines at full power once again.

A series of six small wing-themed stabilizers shot out along the dragon's back. Almost instantly, two of them were ripped away, flying off into the distance. Lulloyd wasn't deterred, however, as the Blind Man' Eye was just seconds from hitting them. The dragon rolled from side to side, each time Lulloyd yanking it right back into the course. Harumi formed two discs in her hands and plunged them into the gaps of the bricks around them for support, while Lloyd simply held onto the wall and kept his eyes shut.

The dragon let out one massive bellow as rain suddenly struck the windshield around them, a massive flash blue fading into black. That darkness suddenly flashed a bright white, and the winds suddenly stopped. Lulloyd let go of the control stick to prevent the dragon from spinning out, though for a second he felt as though suddenly he wasn't even flying anymore. The gravity around them disappeared.

When the gravity came back, they were surrounded by beautiful golden clouds. Lulloyd scanned the area as fast as he could, seeing a massive set of beautiful golden gates framed against the near heavenly sight. The clouds framed everything around them in a beautiful yellow, making it seem as though, somehow, his dragon had ascended not into another Realm but another plane entirely. The sun came from all directions, making the sight that much more graceful.

However, that feeling of awe was quickly checked as he realized the engines weren't firing anymore. Upon a small nervous glance to his screen, he felt a nervous smile grow on his face. The solar panels had run out, and now, they were going to go down.

"We're out of fuel!" Lulloyd shook his head, "Guys, hold on!"

The dragon's eyes slowly lost their backlight, followed suit by the dragon tipping forward. As they did, Lulloyd yanked his stick up again, hoping for at least some sort of last minute power. There was nothing, no matter how hard he yanked. He simply shut his eyes tightly and gulped hard as he awaited for them to hit the ground.

"Lulloyd!" Harumi gasped out as she undid her disc holds, "Turn the dragon into a brick NOW!"

Lulloyd stared at her in shock, but Lloyd gave him a solid nod even as he clung to the dragon. Lulloyd slowly nodded back and slid down onto his back, using his feet to kick open the windscreen and send it flying off into the air. He bailed and leapt up into the air, dragging the two along with him with his arms rotated backwards. As soon as they were airbourne, Lulloyd struck the dragon with his fist, causing it to rapidly revert into a brick. Said brick was notably thicker than before as it tumbled through the sky.

Harumi, focusing, opened her eyes wide and threw her arms out. A green energy around her turned green as her elemental dragon sprung forth, its slender frame catching the both of them on its wings and thrusting them into the saddle. Harumi yanked her reins up, causing the dragon to widen its wings to slow their descent. Thankfully, the harsh winds of the Blind Man's Eye seemed not to be present in Cloud Kingdom, allowing her to maintain control.

By the time they hit the ground, Harumi was visibly sweating from decellearting them from such high speeds. They landed with the gracefulness of any dragon dismount. Harumi's dragon vanished, leaving their eyes now drawn to the beautiful pearly gates of the entrance to Cloud Kingdom.

"Is… this it?" Lulloyd looked around. For as far as the eye could see, there was nothing more than beautiful orange and gold clouds wafting about in the air. The entrance the mechdragon had plunged through was lost to the ambience around them. Silence consumed the three, making Lulloyd's words appear distant and a loud crash at the same time.

"I think so," Lloyd shook his head, "I was still being possessed by Morro when it happened, and… I still don't actually remember how we even got in. Some kind of back door that I never heard details on."

"Well… it seems like this is the place," Harumi raised her watch, causing it to scan the environment before it beeped affirmatively, "This place visually matches Cloud Kingdom. Or technically the entrance to it. We have to get inside to really see more about it."

It was an unspoken rule that now was the time for stealth. Lloyd focused, causing a cyclone to carry him into the air. Unlike Spinjitzu, aside from the initial sound of air, Airjitzu made hardly a sound. He landed atop the gates with no more than a small tap. Hearing a clicking sound behind him, he looked down to see Lulloyd had struck part of the wall, turning it into bricks which he used for footholds to climb up himself. The two nodded their heads even as Harumi landed by them, a Rhotatae disc under her vanishing.

From there, the golden clouds cleared, revealing to them the full extent of the kingdom. The beautiful white sculpted roads and steeped buildings rose from the clouds atop floating pieces of rock, yet as the clouds moved in and out around the rocks it appeared more so that the buildings were built onto the clouds themselves. Large ships sailed through the sky in and out of the buildings, giving life to the sculpted realm.

The three looked around, and Lloyd quickly pointed towards a small boat that remained on the ground. Lloyd leapt from the wall and softened the impact with Airjitzu, skirting up the path and then quickly ducking behind a building to avoid the gaze of a couple of nearby citizens. Harumi fired a disc off to draw their attention as it hit the ground, giving the other two time to race over to him. They skirted slowly along the building's edge, the ground under them thin and only leading to clouds and nothingness below. Lulloyd's eyes darted worriedly to and from the ground.

Soon enough, the group had managed to work their way to the ship. Cargo was being loaded onto the middle of the ship, with currently no one at the helm. Harumi gave them a nod of acknowledgement before she ran forward behind some crates. When the two citizens that were nearby the ship began to walk away, Lloyd waved his hand.

Harumi raced around the crate, grabbing the steering wheel and pulling it towards herself. The ship began to steadily rise into the air, giving the other two their cue to run forward and grab on. They both leapt and grabbed the edge of the ship's deck, rolling themselves on just as it rapidly arose from the ground. Soon, their transportation was flying into the air, falling in line with other ships.

"That's how they fly? Where'd you learn to do that?" Lloyd asked as he pulled his hood off.

"When I was little, my dad took me to Cloud Kingdom a few times," Harumi steadied the wheel against her forearms, "He wanted me to see as many realms as possible so I would understand my place in Ninjago. He thought it'd be better if I learned how to drive one of these before a car, so I know the basics. A year after I visited, Cloud Kingdom closed itself off permanently from our world after it slipped out they dealt with destiny. The Blind Man's Eye actually doesn't exist anymore in my world."

Slowly, Harumi guided their boat from one lane of boats into another, taking them towards the center of the massive city. Their boat glided along on unseen wings, taking them by beautiful towered buildings that rose their roofs to the sky. The light seemed to shine from all around in this kingdom, meaning no shadows were present on almost anything.

"Wow…" Lulloyd's hairpiece blew in the wind as he leaned over the side of the boat's railing, looking down towards the buildings and the people on each of the other ships going about their businesses, "This place is amazing… you, uh, said they worked in destiny?"

"Yeah, from what my dad told me, these guys were the ones that wrote destiny," Harumi smirked, "They stressed both a unity and duty in crafting the fate of Ninjago, and that came about in the form of destiny. Whatever they wrote in scrolls would happen, though it seems they could only really write the action and not how it happened. They wrote that a descendant of the First Rhotatae Master would hold his power again, that turned out to be me instead."

Soon, their ship crossed between two large reaching buildings, putting them in sight of a massive building off in the distance. As soon as it came into his sight, Lloyd narrowed his eyes and pointed right towards it.

"There, that's where the Sword of Sanctuary is!" Lloyd grimaced as the memories started to bubble to the surface, "The Sword should be at the top, assuming they put it back there."

"Well… I mean, this place looks pretty peaceful... " Lulloyd rotated his hand, "A soldier in peace will place his sword on the rack, but one in war will sleep with it… uh, I mean, I think that is applicable here?"

"I'm sure it's up there. Either way, let's not dawdle too long here," Lloyd shook his head, "The longer we stay here, the more likely it is we get spotted, and I'm sure they've probably buffed up security since I was here at least. We should sneak in."

"I'll take this ship to one of the ports so it doesn't cause any trouble," Harumi nodded to them, "I'll catch up with you two. Don't screw this up."

"We won't," Lloyd frowned at her, "It's a straight shot there."

"You were possessed last time you were here," Harumi frowned back, "And remember even if this place is similar, it's not your place."

Harumi's words went unheaded as Lloyd pulled up his ninja hood, running forward and leaping off the deck towards another. He landed just behind one of the realm's citizens in light purple robes. Before he could be spotted, Lloyd darted to his right as the man looked over his left shoulder. Once the man had shrugged off the sound, Lloyd ran forward again and swung himself over the edge of the ship, holding on with one hand and waving for the two to follow him. Lulloyd pulled his hood up next, rushing forward and leaping into the air. He did a triple flip, landing perfectly on the top of the mast of the ship Lloyd clung to. Lulloyd slid down the mask and then spun around it, flinging himself outwards so he could grab on beside Lloyd. The two quickly took their bearings, looking behind them to see Harumi guiding their ship to one of the ports.

Once more, Lloyd leapt off, followed quickly by Lulloyd. Lulloyd shot forward with sheer speed, while Lloyd once more summoned Airjitzu down to the next ship. The two landed on another deck, rolling once they hit it to hide behind a few sparse crates. They waited again for an opening to run off and onto the next ship, this time finding themselves clinging to the mast due to several people on the barge below. Lloyd gave a signal for Lulloyd to wait and again used Airjitzu to another ship, at which point he hid behind the main steering section and sent a little blast of green energy up in the sky. The people on the previous barge drew their attention to it, giving Lulloyd his chance to slid down the mast and then flip off to where Lloyd stood. By the time the people turned back, the two were gone.

One last ship leap later and the two were now at the roof of a small building. A quick check to nobody was any the wiser and Lulloyd jumped up into the air and landed on the roof swiftly. Lloyd, fearing being seen, decided to leap as well. His speed was nothing compared to Lulloyd, however, and his hands caught the ledge. Lloyd groaned in shock, Lulloyd quickly reaching back and pull Lloyd up.

"Thanks," Lloyd smiled to him under his hood, then pointed his hand up towards the massive tower that lay a bit off in the distance.

The two sighed and quickly ran forward, leaping and barreling from rooftop to rooftop as they ran. Lulloyd occasionally would stop them, striking a wall of bricks and then quickly rebuilding them into bridges for them to cross gaps that were too long to do so. Each time, the bricks would revert into the wall when he broke them apart. With Lulloyd's speed and their ninja training, within five minutes, they had made their way to a building adjacent to their target.

"Do you see Harumi?" Lulloyd asked as he flattened his body as best he could on the roof, "I can't see her."

Lloyd looked around, scanning the area. The base of the tower was connected to a massive walkway, meaning many citizens were walking by it. Each of them were in white robes accented by another color and tied in various methods using golden rope. The entrance to the tower was guarded by two men holding large spears that looked at the top to be charged with a strange blue light. He didn't want to see what it would feel like to get hit by one.

"...There!" Lulloyd suddenly pointed to a woman walking through the streets in green accented robes. Despite her hair being pulled backwards into a bun, it was clear from her face it was Harumi. She walked forward towards entrance with the two guards, seemingly striking up a conversation with them.

"What's she doing?" Lloyd muttered, nodding to Lulloyd. The two saw a bit of roof overhanging where Harumi was, and the two needed a way to it. Without a way over the walkway under cover, Lloyd paused and pointed to the underside of the walkway.

Lulloyd gave Lloyd a look of pure shock even as Lloyd leapt off and shot down towards the walkway, only grabbing onto it at the last moment. He slowly climbed down, verifying that there were indeed purchases to free climb under it. He waved for Lulloyd to come down.

When his ally landed beside him, he looked at Lloyd incredulously. Lloyd just gave a nervous grin and quickly began to climb his way under the platform, each handhold small but just barely affordable for their climb. Lulloyd did the same, but in a far more cautious and nervous manner. Thankfully, weeks of being chased up and down the city by Garmadon's mechs had given him the strength to climb far more difficult things than monkey bars.

When the two got to the other side, Lloyd's arms burned. He quickly pulled himself up and around the lip to place his forearms on the actual walkway, finding they were a few meters away from the guards. From this distance, he could just barely make out what Harumi was saying.

"...It's a request from the main Writers, they need to verify some details from a previous writing," She spoke smoothly and with her voice twinged with innocence, "They sent me over here so they didn't have to stop their work."

"We just need your verification as one of the Writers to let you inside," The guard asked, in a voice that was firm, but kind at the same time.

There was the sound of clothing shifting just very faintly, and then the guards muttered something. Footsteps receded into the building, prompting Lloyd to grab Lulloyd's arm and hoist him up. The two shot their way around the side of the building and into the doors of the building just as they started to close. As soon as they were inside, the two found themselves in a massive hall that was filled to the brim with massive rows of shelves stacked full of scrolls. There were no signs of Harumi or the two guards she'd entered with, instead leaving them in what looked like a library.

Rather than risk being spotted, the two weaved their way around shelves, working slowly as they passed by. Each shelf seemed to be filled with several names, each that none of them recognized. Lloyd had never been inside this part of the building when Fenwick had guided Morro there. As they made their way past rows and rows, they eventually came to the opposite wall after a good thirty seconds of walking. When they did, they followed it to find it lead to a large door.

"Hey!" Harumi whispered to them, "Come on, let's go!"

The two held down startled cries of shock as Harumi whispered to them from the next shelf over between scrolls. She quickly nodded her head and ran down towards the middle aisle, followed by her two companions. When they arrived, Harumi looked around twice and then opened the massive doors, letting her two friends slide in after her. Once they were inside, they found themselves on a platform that seemed to rock as they got on.

"Take us to the top floor!" Harumi spoke. Suddenly, the platform lurched, and a force began to carry them upwards. As Lloyd looked down, he realized the platform appeared to be made of the same material that the ships outside were made of.

"That was pretty good, Harumi," Lloyd took the chance to speak as he caught his breath, "Where'd you get the robe?"

"Yeah… that was a good one!" Lulloyd smiled to her, likewise panting.

"Thanks, Lulloyd," Harumi beamed, "I saw a Writer on the docks when I ported, and convinced them to swap the ones we bought yesterday for these robes. She 'forgot' to take her Writer's identification out," Harumi patted her pocket, "I slid it into the guard's pocket though, so they'll report it missing soon."

Harumi reached under her robe and produced two more, handing them off to Lloyd and Lulloyd. Both draped the white cloth over their shoulders, hiding their gi away.

"Do you know what this place is?" Lloyd asked curiously. Harumi's smile fell slightly.

"Yeah… aside from keeping the Sword here, this is where they keep the destinies of those that had already, died," Harumi grimaced, "They're sorted by age and name, the first floor is for the oldest ones."

"Huh… I guess it makes sense?" Lulloyd posited, "Uh… so, the sword is on the top floor?"

"Yep," Harumi nodded, "Though this only takes us to the floor right below it. We'll have to open the door ourselves. I heard they added exterior defenses, so the elevator is our best shot."

The three stood in silence for about a minute before the platform stopped. Harumi pushed open a set of double doors in front of her, leading the group into a massive, featureless room. As the doors closed behind them, they lined up perfectly flush with the wall. Across the room was another set of doors like that which they'd entered from. The only other feature to note was a set of four holes positioned above the door.

_To those that seek the Sword, only those with the knowledge to use it may wield its powers, _A strange ethereal voice rumbled through the room, _Answer this riddle ,but be wary; just as a heart can only take one blow from the Sword, all inside gain only one try._

The three walked over to the set of doors. Lulloyd pushed on them, though nothing happened. Lulloyd shook his head, causing the three to look up towards the ceiling.

_Answer this question to claim the blade of destiny: I am a river, winding forward without pause. I guide you, as my duty is to ferry you. Though you may find my branches, the path never changes. When you reach my end, I bury you... What am I?_

The three stood in silence for a few moments. Each of them had heard riddles before, some of them from their Senseis. Each of them thought in silence, wanting to see what they could come up with. Lloyd himself was piecing it together line by line, while Lulloyd was scanning it for any contradictions or phrases that made no sense. Harumi herself was taking it all in.

"It's… destiny!" Harumi beamed, "It's destiny. When you reach destiny your past is buried, you can try to avoid it but you'll hit it, and you always move towards it. Destiny."

There was no response from the voice that had spoke to them. Instead, from the four holes in the wall, a charging sound emerged. A flash of yellow fired out four long beams of light which flew at high speeds towards the opposite wall. As soon as they collided with the wall, the beams sparked, then ricocheted off hard, aiming right for Harumi.

Harumi's eyes widened as she threw her body to the left, narrowly avoiding the missiles. Blindingly quickly, the lasers bounced off the floor where she stood and hit the wall behind them. They once more aimed right for her, forcing her to form a massive disc in her hands that they collided with. The force threw her backwards, sending her to the floor.

"W-What the?!" Harumi shouted even as another reflect sent the beams right back at her, "What are these things?!"

"I don't know!" Lloyd quickly spun into Spinjitzu, "NINJAGO!" The light beams fired right at him as he leapt in front of Harumi. The beams, however, went right through him, making him blink as they soared right into Harumi.

She had only enough time to raise her right arm before the beams struck it. She let out a scream as the beams burned right through the sleeve of her robes and black gi, striking her skin and burning it. She rolled out of the way to avoid another direct strike, making them bounce around to once more aim for her. She had only enough time to see the singed and burned arm before she once more had to dodge.

"Lulloyd!" Harumi shouted, "Master Build the door!"

Lulloyd struck his head, having never even thought of that. He reared his hand backwards, then struck the wall. A second went by as a confused ninja hit the wall again, only for nothing to happen. Blue sparks appeared around his fist, but nothing more occurred. Lloyd and Harumi looked to him in shock.

"Why didn't it work?!" Harumi shouted, "It worked on everything else!"

"I don't know!" Lulloyd hit the wall again, even as Harumi was forced to leap about once more to avoid getting burned, "It… it isn't working!"

Lloyd felt the wall, trying to figure out what was going on. From where his hand lay, he knew that Lulloyd had struck the door. Yet for some reason, nothing happened. When he tried to feel it further, he realized the problem.

"The doors are apart of the wall!" Lloyd turned to Lulloyd, "Maybe you can only Master Build things that are connected somehow!"

Harumi and Lulloyd gave him a look, one of desperation and another of revelation. Harumi put her back against a wall, the lasers bouncing away from her even as she shuffled her way side to side to avoid them. She clutched her burned arm, tears welling in the sides of her eyes as her arm shook hard. Lulloyd looked around the room and put together what he needed to do instead.

"W-We gotta answer that riddle before Harumi gets hurt!" Lulloyd looked up, "But, destiny sounded right! What else is there similar to that?!"

"I'm thinking!" Lloyd shook his head, "Wu used to give us riddles to help us learn! I'm thinking! It's usually an obvious answer you just overlook!"

"I'm not overlooking these lasers!" Harumi shrieked as one nearly burned her leg, "Come on, it has to be something metaphorical! If it's a river carrying you somewhere, it means that it's a force. Think of forces!"

"T-The only force I know is gravity, and I know that's not it!" Lulloyd shook his head, "C-Come on, think! Think! Gah!"

As Harumi rapidly dodged each attack, Lloyd thought. Something, like a force? Something that you have to follow. That no matter what you always get to the end. That had to be what the part about branches! But what sort of thing did that? It had to be a concept, nothing was ever described as a river like that!

"Life?" Lulloyd asked, "Maybe it's life! Wu always called life a river!"

Another barrage of lasers fired, causing Lulloyd to leap into the air and pose his legs and arms hard to dodge them, ending with him on the tips of his feet and arms behind his head. He panted, only for them to reflect back to him, making him flatten himself onto the floor.

"Lloyd!" Harumi shouted as she backed towards a corner, "You can't get this wrong! We gotta get out of here!"

"I'm trying to think!" Lloyd rubbed his head, "Gah! It's, it's right there, I know this!"

Lulloyd didn't pressure him, instead trying to dodge. Compared to Harumi, he was faring far better. His speed allowed him to weave in and out of the lasers, but their own relative speed and reflections made seeing their paths difficult. Soon he and Harumi were panting hard as they rapidly flung their bodies around, trying to avoid being burned. Harumi stared to the exit with pleading eyes, ones that wanted to see what lie beyond. Lloyd racked his brain.

"It's… it's… I don't know!" Lloyd shouted, "I… I don't, if it's not destiny then… then…" His eyes flashed, "Then it must be fate!"

Suddenly, the two doors swung open. The light beams didn't stop. The three raced out of the doors fast, throwing themselves beyond them. The lasers bounced towards them one last time before the doors shut, leaving them at the base of a small set of stairs and panting hard.

Lloyd was the first one up, slowly pulling Lulloyd and Harumi up. Harumi clutched her burnt arm as the three managed to get themselves on the stairs, looking up towards a small rectangular bit of light above them. Their destination was clear.

"Is… that gonna to be alright..?" Lulloyd pointed to Harumi's arm. Harumi just grimaced.

"It has to be, " Harumi groaned, shaking her head as her arm quivered, "Fate… ugh… I should have… should have… gotten that…"

"I only got it because my dad said it once," Lloyd slowly shrugged, "Fate is something that will befall you, destiny is what you will befall. One is what will happen to you, one is what you're meant to do. Two similar but different things."

"I thought this would be meant for the average person to get through it," Harumi sighed, "I bet those beams were supposed to just kill us instantly… I went in too quickly. Ugh! I'm an idiot!"

"Hey…" Lulloyd smiled as his arm came to rest on Harumi's shoulder, "I mean, I made a dumb guess too. It isn't like it was meant to be a simple puzzle."

Harumi gave Lulloyd a look, then her eyes trained on Lloyd. The two stared at one another for a few moments. Harumi slowly stepped past him and began to walk up the stairs without a word. Slowly, Lloyd followed after her, headed up by Lulloyd.

It was only a fair bit of seconds before the three emerged in a room that made Lloyd shudder. The room was empty save for a pedestal in the center. Upon said pedestal was a golden sword with a massive sky blue guard covering a hilt tipped by a blue gem. The blade shone unnaturally bright despite the fact that all the exterior walls were rice paper that filtered in light through their muted tanish-gray lining. There was nothing in the room to indicate anything of a trap.

"Alright…" Lloyd sighed out as he stared at the blade in front of him, "...Let's just, get that blade and, get out of here."

Slowly, Lloyd stepped forward. He walked around the blade slowly, his gaze fixated on it. Harumi and Lulloyd stared at him as he reached out, placing his hand along the blunt edge of the sword. Just feeling its cold exterior was enough to make his mind go dark with flashes of what his hands had done with this very sword. He took in a deep breath, stepping slowly around it towards the hilt.

"Would it really be wise to touch that blade?"

The three ninja suddenly shot to attention. Lloyd kicked himself into the air and flipped around the sword, landing back beside Harumi and Lulloyd. The three drew their hoods up instantly, even as the speaker in the room stepped forward.

"Knowing one's fate is a powerful things… though, from the look on your face, it seems that you already know that price," The speaker was a man in Cloud Kingdom garb. His robes were gray outlined with gold, and his gray hair was combed just slightly off to his right.

As Lloyd looked upon him, his entire body shuddered. His lips slowly moved as they formed a single word of revelation: "Fenwick."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO! This is a really long one. This chapter turned a bit into character development for Harumi and Lulloyd, which was the main reason that I initially kept it so long. I originally separated the stuff in NInjago City and Cloud Kingdom apart. The biggest problem was the latter half was too short and I didn't think I could justify it as an entire chapter. So, rather than have one 22 page chapter and one 10 page chapter, it was easier to stick them together. I don't intend to do this as much in the future, but I hope that you all enjoy!


	13. Chapter 13

"It seems as though my suspicions were correct after all," Fenwick smiled at the three, "Monty will indeed acquire the Sword of Sanctuary, though not by his own hand, it seems."

Lulloyd and Harumi's frozen state was quickly rectified by them backing their way against the opposite wall from Fenwick. Harumi formed two Rhotate discs in her hands. As soon as Lulloyd began to draw his sword from under his robes, however, Lloyd snapped his hand back towards him. Lulloyd blinked at the gesture, but slowly put his sword away. Harumi dissipated the discs in suit.

"So, you are aware that I am no threat to you," Fenwick chuckled, "I am just a writer. I'm certain I couldn't take all three of you, even with that sword. Youth is when we are at our prime, after all."

"Why are you here?" Lloyd asked. Just the sight of Fenwick sent his skin crawling.

"Why?" Fenwick slowly clasped his hands together and walked towards the sword, "Why indeed. Maybe it seems I was meant to meet you here. Destiny is, funny, like that, is it not?"

Lloyd eyed Fenwick with a gaze that betrayed his contempt. Fenwick only met Lloyd's glares with his calm and collected ones, his expression remaining completely unchanged. Fenwick made his way over towards display and with one hand, slowly moved his palm across the tip of the Sword of Sanctuary. He stopped once he saw his reflection glisten in the blade. After watching himself for several seconds, he turned his body so as to ensure the three could see said reflection.

"Do you know why we have kept this Sword so sacred to us for so many years?" Fenwick explained while continuing to smile, "When the First Chi Master entrusted us to be the heralders of destiny, he bestowed upon us this blade so that any that would attempt to defy our will would have their own destinies ended. This blade is almost a direct antithesis to what we here at Cloud Kingdom have worked hard to create. As the years passed by, we worked for years to control destiny enough to write its will upon the pages, and yet this Sword puts the destiny of those it faces on full display, completely out of our control. Even now, this could predict my every move in its reflection."

None of the three were sure how to respond. Lulloyd was confused as to why a middle aged man had been waiting for them as a last guardian for this sword. Harumi's mind was recalling everything that she'd ever heard about Fenwick in her own timeline, and how his actions endangered her father's friends. Lloyd was recalling all of this firsthand, yet like Lulloyd, he was confused as to why Fenwick, of all the citizens in Cloud Kingdom, was here.

"Of course, to hold the power of destiny means nothing as for your own abilities," Fenwick chuckled, "I could predict your fate within this weapon, yes, but could I counter it? Destiny is so fickle. It forever lies within a tangle with fate, both attempting to become the other but remaining forever apart. It's almost sad to think of. You must have realied the distinction of fate and destiny to arrive here. I am very sorry about that little trap. After the last incursion into our world, we were forced to add that."

"Just tell us why you're here," Lloyd demanded bluntly, "I want to know."

"Impatient?" Fenwick's hand had brushed down to the massive circular cross guard of the sword, "Well, I can understand why. You must all be wondering why, of everyone, I am here," Fenwick grinned, "Perahps I wrote in my own destiny that we would meet each other here?"

The group stared blankly at him. Fenwick chuckled to himself, "I'm sorry, that was a rather poor joke. No, I'm certain that if I was to look for your destinies, they wouldn't even be here. In fact, I would posit that none of you even were meant to exist in this world."

"What makes you think that?" Harumi shook her head, "Do you even know who we are?"

"No, I do not," Fenwick turned his smiling gaze to Harumi, his hand moving back up to begin tracing the blade's length, " I do have my reasons, however. Just yesterday, there was a massive disturbance felt throughout this entire Kingdom. We haven't written destinies in years, and yet, deep inside of our bones we felt something change," Fenwick's smile faded for a brief moment, "In fact, we felt the entire destiny of this very world shift in an instant."

When one of them spoke up, Fenwick continued, "Such a massive shift could only be the work of some outside force. And, given the way that your friend is moving, I think I am safe to assume you are not of our world," He gestured to Lulloyd's frame, "Am I wrong?" When more silence persisted, Fenwick smirked, "I will take that as I am indeed correct in my assumption, then."

Fenwick's hand moved down to the actual hilt of the Sword of Sanctuary. He traced its shape, right down to the gem imbedded in the bottom, then drew the blade from the pedestal. Lloyd and Lulloyd drew their weapons instantly, Lloyd crossing his katanas and Lulloyd spinning his curved sword about in hand. Harumi pulled her fists to her body. Fenwick, seeing this, let out a laugh that made Lloyd raise an eyebrow.

"That reaction proves the threat in this room is to me," Fenwick spun the blade around in hand and held the hilt out towards Lloyd, "Take it, that should prove that I mean you no ill will."

Lloyd looked back towards his allies, who didn't move or react to him. Lloyd slowly sheathed one of his katanas and extended his hand. Fenwick loosed his grip on the sword as soon as Lloyd took it from him, allowing Lloyd to spin the blade in hand and gaze into it. In it's reflection, he could see Fenwick taking a step backwards; and indeed, a second later, Fenwick backed away from him by one step.

"You never told us why you were here," Lloyd shook his head, "Why?"

"Oh, didn't I? I'm sorry, with age sometimes comes forgetfulness," Fenwick chuckled, despite none of them buying his words, "I'm here to warn you that what you are doing with Monty could have disastrous consequences for not only our world, but many others as well."

Lloyd and Lulloyd shared a long look between them. Lloyd sheathed his other katana, holding the Sword of Sanctuary against his hip. Harumi eyed the blade before her gaze drifted to Fenwick, eyes laced with suspicion.

"Oh?" Harumi crossed her arms, "Do go on."

"Whenever a new being is born, we here at Cloud Kingdom will learn of their existence. You three, however, produced a feeling unlike what we have felt before. It is through this feeling that I, and many of us here, have deduced that you are from other worlds. When you three entered our world, the entire course of our shared destiny shifted," Fenwick shook his head, "That has only happened once before, and when it did, we were forced to give up on writing destiny to avoid the future consequences of that happening again."

"Wait," Lloyd raised the blade in hand, "Isn't this not the first time this Sword was taken? Monty said Soul Archer got out of the Cursed Realm a few months ago, which I assume is when Morro was ... possessed by him to come take it from you. Wasn't that when you all decided to stop tampering with destiny?" Fenwick smiled once more.

"Oh no, no, no. We haven't tampered with destiny for years now. My, for strangers to this world, you seem to know a good deal of how events have played out," Fenwick gazed out beyond the group, "Indeed, Soul Archer stole the sword and the Ninja returned it, but that was not when we decided destiny was no longer ours to write. It was many years ago, in fact. The scars from when the destiny of this world was first unwillingly changed still remain. It took weeks for us back then to alter each and every destiny just to accommodate that. And now, with you being here, it means that our very world is in danger of disappearing."

"Uhm… how?" Lulloyd raised his arms up into a confused shrug, "We're, just here, that's all."

Fenwick seemed lost in thought for a moment. Then, he made his way over to one of the rice paper walls of the room. He slowly placed his hand up against it, looking back towards the group.

"Allow me to explain. Destiny is a force that flows similar to that of time," Fenwick began, "Disrupting destiny would have as terrible a consequence as destroying the flow of time," Fenwick slowly pushed his hand against the paper, "Imagine that the outside is the void. If you came to this world, you must have come through it. It is a place without time, without shape or form, and most importantly without the forces needed for life. Destiny is one of the many forces that shape the barrier between us, life, and outside, the void."

Fenwick pushed his hand against the paper. Slowly, it began to bend outwards, "The fact you have no destinies in this world, or so my guess is now, means you forcibly pushed through the void into this place. In doing so, you weaken the barrier. You forever alter destiny, as an element that was never meant to be added has now come," His hand pressed harder, making the area around it bow outwards, "If you were to leave now, then this damage would be minimized. Yet the longer that you remain here, or in any world where destiny must flow, the more pressure you place upon the world. And if you place too much pressure…"

Fenwick drew his hand back and thrust his palm through the spot. A small hole was ripped within it, causing the wind from the outside to whistle inside. Fewnick's face went grim, "...Then the very fabric of that world would be undone, permanently."

As Fenwick began to slowly pull the hole back together as best he could, the three looked to one another. Lloyd in particular seemed to look towards Lulloyd and Harumi with a newfound sense of fear, one that was mirrored in Harumi's eyes. Lulloyd's were drawn to Fenwick, and in doing so, he spoke hesitantly.

"But, we could repair any hole we make, right?" Lulloyd asked curiously, "We, could fix things, right?"

"You would need a great energy to do so, and must do so before the world is fully consumed by the void," Fenwick frowned, "You would need energies comparable… nay, surpassing that of the First Chi Master. And to undo the damage to the world would leave scars, which would need to be attended to. It is an impossible act for any that are not a god."

Silence once more befell the room. Lulloyd's mind was suddenly racing with worry as to what potentially would happen to his home, while Harumi's mind was wondering what damage the Time Twins were doing to this world just be being out there unchecked. Lloyd's sense of guilt flared up. .He was the one that let the Twins get away, and now, this world, and any others that he touched, could be at risk. In his mind, he could see the image, of a world being consumed by the blackness of the void, taking everything with it, and if they were trapped inside...

"Of course, that still does not answer how I knew that you would be here," Fenwick's uncanny smile was back once again, "Nor how Monty is involved. Was that you next set of questions?"

Lulloyd nodded before he could stop himself, making Fenwick exhale humorously, "Simply put, though we no longer write destiny, destiny still must be written. Destiny is now organic and is written by its own hand, yet we are still attuned to its flow. All of us here at Cloud Kingdom felt the disturbance when you three entered, and I in particular felt that it centered around Monty. And in his scroll, a new line was written: that he would obtain the Sword of Sanctuary yet again."

Lloyd grimaced, "But why would destiny want him to have the sword again?"

"I believe that is a question you might wish to ask him for yourselves," Fenwick smirked, "Monty is one that we here at Cloud Kingdom have had our eyes on for many, many years. You would do well to be wary of him."

"Wait, Monty?" Harumi shook his head, "You mean, Ronin's assistant? The ghost?"

"Yes, Monty's destiny was unlike any we have ever written before," Fenwick nodded, "Though, I believe that is something that would be best told from his point of view."

"Who is Monty?" Lulloyd asked quickly, "Like, how does he fit into all of this? None of us have any idea who he is."

"That is a question many of us here in Cloud Kingdom ask ourselves each day," Fenwick shook his head, "Yet again, I would be remise to tell the story myself."

Once more, the room was silent. Fenwick slowly walked over towards the door that the three had come through. Gently, he bent down and slowly wrapped his hand around a seemingly inconsequential piece of flooring, pulling up a door. A set of stairs led down into the building.

"Please, allow me to guide you to the bottom of the tower," Fenwick requested, "I have my personal ship awaiting us there. I will take you back to the entrance to Cloud Kingdom so you may deliver the sword to Monty personally. You should keep those robes you took on until we have left, we wouldn't want to cause a commotion."

"Before we go," Lloyd narrowed his gaze, "I have one more question for you."

"Then by all means, ask away," Fenwick smiled, holding the door open for them.

"If you knew that we were coming, why didn't you deactivate the trap for us?" Lloyd frowned, "These two nearly died getting up here."

"I can perhaps answer that question with another question," Fenwick replied, "If destiny is the destination to your journey, then who am I to hinder your journey? Destiny stated that Monty would claim the sword, not whom would do it. This kingdom must still have its safeguards. And only one of you needed to be here to claim the sword."

With that, Fenwick descended the stairs slowly, "Now, shall we return? I believe you all have many questions that need answering, and a specific spirit that can answer at least some of them for you. It's a long trip back to Ninjago, and I would hate for you to stay any longer than you absolutely must."

* * *

Fenwick stood in front of the gates of Cloud Kingdom, his arms crossed and smiling his unnervingly calm smile towards the group as Lulloyd and the others mounted the Mechdragon's cockpit. As the three slid back inside, Lloyd placed the glistening Sword of Sanctuary between himself and Harumi, his hand nervously still holding the hilt even as the dragon took off.

Even as the dragon ascended into the sky, the three had little to say. Harumi looked back to see Fenwick giving a small wave of his hand as the group flew off into the distance, remaining there even as clouds covered their sight. Harumi's watch beeped, projecting the path of the Blind Man's Eye onto the Mechdragon's translucent green loadout. Lulloyd dutifully steered the dragon towards the large gaping maw.

Going out of the Eye, as it were, was far easier than it was going in. The torrential winds and frigid temperatures weren't present in Cloud Kingdom, and as such, once they saw the swirling blue vortex, it was simple enough for them to shoot their way through it. Only a few handlebar grippening shakes followed as the dragon simply soared its way along the winds away from the mountaintops, soon descending in height and flying off towards the distance.

"So… uh, Lloyd," Lulloyd turned his head away from the controls for a moment, "Who, was that?"

"That was Fenwick," Lloyd stated solemnly, "You know how Ronin said that Morro was possessed by Soul Archer? Well… back in my world, I was possessed by Morro, Soul Archer was just one of his lackeys that Morro brought in to help. The others mastered Airjitzu so they could get into Cloud Kingdom through the Blind Man's Eye, but Bansha used Fenwick… somehow to get in instead. I don't really remember, Morro blacked out a lot of it for me. But, when I managed to come back to, I had just enough time to force myself to give Kai the Sword of Sanctuary before he blacked me out againi."

"So, he's a bad guy?" Lulloyd asked quietly. Lloyd hesitated at first.

"He's not a good guy," Lloyd sighed, "He let Morro into Cloud Kingdom, then locked the Ninja inside a room with a feral monster that tried to kill them. I don't know how but the Ninja said that the monster suddenly turned and started chasing Fenwick. So I'm trying to figure out how he's still around in this universe."

"Regardless of who he is," Harumi cut in, "I think it's more important we talk about the fact he was predicting that if either us or the Time Twins stay in this place long enough, it could puncture holes in the fabric of reality."

"Only if we start altering destinies drastically, I think," Lloyd paused, "I think, if we keep our interference to a minimum, maybe the world would be okay?"

"I, uhm, kinda took that as us just _being_ here is a problem," Lulloyd looked down, "I mean… you were only in my world for a few days, and we only were in Harumi's for about two, but we've already done a lot here in was less time. That, and the Time Twins have a head start on us too. So, we should probably think about getting to them fast."

Lulloyd returned to steering, pulling up a map from Harumi's watch to guide them back towards Stixx. At this point, Harumi reached out and took the Sword of Sanctuary's hilt. Lloyd let it go, allowing her to gaze into its golden sheen.

"Right now, we should assume the Time Twins are searching either for a source of power, or buying time to rebuild the Iron Doom," Harumi sighed, "Karlon basically crushed the entire thing's shell. Assuming that killed a bunch of those snakes, they would need at least a day to breed more, right?" She gave Lloyd a look.

"Uhm… well, we never really got information on how they were being bred, but they had enough to move that mech after only about a week since we saw our first Vermillion," Lloyd thought, "They also have the forward blade… so, they could just fast forward the amount of time it takes for them to mature. Assuming they need to make repairs, we could say about one day before they were back to normal."

"Which we already spent getting this," Harumi raised the sword, "So we should say that they're at full strength now."

"They might want to look for the Green Ninja…." Lulloyd spoke up. When the two looked to him, Lulloyd shrugged by lifting his arms up, "My dad always said that, a failed warrior will likely try the same tactic again. Like, anger breeds insanity or something like that. So, they might wanna try to get more energy for their mech."

"They have your power and Lulloyd's right?" Harumi asked. Lulloyd turned his head away and then nodded by leaning forward.

"Y-Yeah… and, the powers of my team…" Lulloyd groaned out, "I, don't even really need my power. It's, life. It doesn't let me, do anything like you two can do. But, I need to get back the powers of my team. I didn't stop them fast enough and, all of them were who suffered…" Lulloyd's eyes looked up slowly, "And, I can't let that stand. So… so I have to do this, for my team. That's not what a Warlord, or Ninja would do." His eyes burned for a brief moment with volcanic fire, the reflection of which made Harumi lean back.

"Are, you a Warlord of a Ninja, Lulloyd?" Harumi asked. At this, Lulloyd winced.

"...My dad always calls me General Number Son, uh… he keeps saying that being a Ninja is a bad profession. So he's trained me as a Warlord," Lulloyd paused, "I haven't, done any conquering though, or, defended territory. So, I'm kinda both?"

Harumi didn't respond to this, and instead just blinked at him. Lloyd quickly stepped in by taking the Sword from Harumi and laying it over his lap again.

"We should just get this back to Monty as soon as possible," Lloyd looked down at the weapon, "If the Time Twins are looking for Lloyd, then we're ahead of them. We give the Sword of Sanctuary to Monty-"

"Can we uh, call it SoS?" Lulloyd asked, saying each letter out loud, "It's, a little awkward to say 'Sword of Sanctuary' everytime we refer to it."

"Uh… sure," Lloyd slowly blinked, "We give the SoS to Monty, we get the info, we get ahead of the Twins. How long until we reach Stixx?"

"With all these extra jets, about an hour,," Lulloyd pointed a the map, "I'm basically going in a straight line, but there are some mountains on the way there so, gotta avoid them."

"Then we should get some rest," Harumi slowly reached down, pulling her legs up until her feet were pressed together in front of her hips, "Next time we travel like this, we'll take my dragon so you can rest, Lulloyd."

Lloyd watched in curiosity as Harumi slowly braced her back against the wall behind her, rotating herself so that her back was slightly at an angle with the ground. Her hands were hooked into her knees, supporting her so her back wouldn't slide to the floor. Her eyes slowly closed, her breath shortening down to a few small whisps.

"If you encounter something, let us know," Lloyd told Lulloyd. After he gave a small confirmation, Lloyd slowly turned and leaned himself against the corner of the ship, using his arm to rest his head enough for him to start to drift into a little nap.

When Lloyd next opened his eyes, it was when the dragon gave a small lurch. He lifted his head up, looking outside the glass cockpit to see a thin haze of rain pouring down against it. Harumi was alright sitting upright, having pulled up with her hands when the dragon jerked and unfolding her body and brought her hands up in front of her. The two looked to one another, then down to the sword.

Having returned the robes to Fenwick, the three drew their hoods up over their heads, then Lulloyd opened the cockpit. The three were behind a series of rocks that lead to the main bridge to Stixx, allowing for Lulloyd to turn his Mechdragon back to a brick out of sight. As the rain poured over them, Lulloyd strapped the massive brick to his back and stumbled forward a step. Harumi looked at him for a moment, which made Lulloyd just take another step forward with a grimace.

The three made their way down the bridge, taking care not to slip into the ocean beneath them. The rain meant few people were on the prowl aside from those standing under building covers or inside of alleyways. The three once more drew gazes, yet none of them made any passes towards Harumi or Lulloyd's haul. The glittering sword that Lloyd held was of more interest to those passing by, but upon Lloyd partially drawing it on his back when a man made a motion for him, the three were swiftly left alone.

A long walk across slippery boardwalks brought the three to the dim light of Ronin's rebuilt shop. Without hesitating, Lloyd walked forward and threw the doors open to the shop. The three dripping Ninja stood on a small cheesy welcoming mat, and across the room stood Monty. The ghost was watching the window idly, turning his head up towards them. Once he did, he raised his right hand and suddenly unleashed a massive gust of wind that struck the three head on. Lulloyd fell over while Harumi and Lloyd stood upright by bracing themselves just in time.

"What was that about?!" Harumi hissed at Monty. The ghost frowned.

"Maybe you don't know much about ghosts, but if I get wet, I'm dead," Monty stated coldly from the counter, "So any guest that comes in today gets a free air dry courtesy of me." His eyes moved from Harumi down to Lloyd. As soon as he saw what they were carrying, he sat up.

"So you see we have the Sword of Sanctuary," Lloyd raised it up in his hand, "If you want to verify it's real, then you can test it out on me."

Monty slowly eyed the blade, a hungry look in his eyes, "I think I'll let you verify it. I'll throw an attack at you, dodge it using that sword there. Alright?"

"Alright," Lloyd gestured for Harumi and Lulloyd to step back. As he stepped forward, Monty remained still, his hands on the table. Lloyd focused on him for a few moments, holding the blade up in front of him in both hands. He trained one eye on Monty, and the other on the blade.

A flash in the blade's reflection in the dim synthetic light of the shop caught Lloyd's eye. Lloyd flung himself to the left just in time for him to avoid what looked like an electric disc firing from a small slot in Monty's right armguard. The disc hit the ground and fizzled for a moment, sparking widely before it shut down. Monty whistled and nodded his head.

"Well I guess that's the real deal then," Monty reached his hand out, "Give it to me."

Lloyd stepped forward, extending the sword in his hand. As he tilted the blade to place it in Monty's open hand, suddenly another flash in the blade made him tense. He swung his body to the left using his left food, narrowly avoiding a fist right into his gut. As he looked up to Monty, the ghost remained with a neutral face as he took the blade from Lloyd.

"And that was to test to make sure you weren't just lucky with that first test," Monty's green aura enveloped the SoS as he took hold of it, letting it rest on the table in front of him. From under the desk, he dug up a few tools, which he quickly moved and dragged along the blade. Like a collector inspecting a find, he tested its hardness, sheen, weight, and then flicked a lamp on beside him to peer into the blade's gleam. He could see Lloyd placing his hands on the table, followed by Lloyd doing just that a moment later.

"This is definitely what I sent you guys out for…" Monty looked up, "How'd you get all the way to Cloud Kingdom and back so fast?"

"How we got it doesn't matter," Lloyd stated firmly, "We brought you what you wanted. Now tell us what happened to Lloyd like you promised."

Monty didn't say anything. Instead, he stood up and walked over towards a curtain that lead to the back section, disappearing. Lloyd narrowed his gaze at the curtain, watching it for a few the curtain opened, Monty had returned. The sword was now sheathed on his back, and parted slightly to the right was a long thin yellow and crimson cape that flapped with each step that he took. Lloyd gave him a glare; Monty just went back to the table and looked forward.

"Well, I guess you did what I told you to do… so whatever, I'll tell you," Monty leaned forward, putting his chin in his hand, "Lloyd is dead."

Had this been before he went into Harumi's universe, Lloyd would likely have reacted to this news with more shock. While his eyes did widen, he didn't immediately withdraw. Instead, he leaned forward towards Monty, putting their faces close together before speaking up.

"What do you mean he's dead?" Lloyd asked, "How, when?"

"I don't know exactly how long ago," Monty shrugged, "All I know is I met him in the Cursed Realm. He was a ghost, and said that he wasn't supposed to be there. I hadn't been in the Cursed Realm that long, so the other ghosts captured the two of us and forced up into a massive duel with all the other ghosts for fun. During that fight, a portal opened up to Ninjago at the edge of the arena. We made a dash for it; Lloyd pushed me through at the last minute so I could get out. I was the only one that got out. And now that the Cursed Realm is gone, Lloyd is too."

Monty reached up to his back, drawing the sword. Feeling it get caught on the cape, he grumbled and began adjusting his cape and the scabbard respectively. Said cape was a completely different one, this one filled with holes and tattered at the edges worn down the whole back. Upon him not speaking any further besides his silent curses, Harumi stepped forward with her face twisted up in confused anger.

"That's… that's it?" Harumi blinked, "How did Lloyd get into the Cursed Realm?! How the portal open?! Why did they capture you two, why did you escape and not him?! How are you sure that he didn't make it out when the Preeminent emerged?!"

Monty stayed silent for a moment. He gave a hard yank, forcing the scabbard to move. With a swift motion, he sheathed the SoS and drew it once more. The action caused his cape to flap out behind him, and he gave a tiny grin of appreciation at the feat. Once the SoS was sheathed, he turned to Harumi and then shrugged his shoulders.

"I just told you. He was already in the Cursed Realm when I got there. And we met in the middle of us being captured, you know," Monty hissed out, clearly aggravated by the spite in his words, "If I knew anything else, I'd tell you. We didn't exactly get a lot of time to talk about each other while were fighting for our lives. Ghosts can hurt and even kill other ghosts, you know."

When Monty tried to go back to what he was doing again, Lulloyd stepped forward, "Uh… how did, you, get into the Cursed Realm, Monty..?"

"Me?" Monty looked up at the ceiling, "Well I don't like to count the years, whatever Ronin said and add like, three was when I kicked it. So… twenty years ago? I was a dumb kid trying to prove myself to everyone. Went out in the woods and challenged a few too many creatures. Got clawed to death and wound up in the Cursed Realm. From what I gathered, you usually go there if you get sentenced there by someone cursing you with strong enough magic. Guessed I pissed someone off."

"And, after you escaped you… left, Lloyd in there?" Lulloyd continued, "You're… you're sure he's gone? Dead and gone?"

"Ronin and I specifically hunted down all leads on any ghosts that got out of there. We even stopped a guy trying to use some dumb lamp," Monty shook his head, "If you want Lloyd, you're too late. He's gone. And nobody gets back from the Departed Realm."

"Keep telling yourself that…" Lloyd muttered.

"What was that?" Monty leaned forward, "Was that a 'Thank you, Monty, you told us everything we wanted to know'? Because if it wasn't, then our little transaction has been finished."

Lloyd's fists started to curl up. He was starting to understand why Monty was getting on Harumi's nerves so much. He stared into Monty's eyes for a moment, seeing if he could spot any deception. Anything that would tell him that Monty was lying to him. Yet Monty's entire body was casually focused on his blade. Not a single twitch, stammer, glint in his gaze, shift in his posture, nothing. Nothing indicated that he was lying. Monty didn't even bother to look at him for long, instead drawing the SoS and polishing it with a rag taken from a shelf behind him.

"Uh… I have one question!" Lulloyd thought quickly, "How, uh, did Morro become the Green Ninja?"

Monty paused in his polishing, "What do you mean? He was chosen by destiny to become the Green Ninja. I don't know how it works. Go ask Wu or whatever. Maybe you should ask Kai, you're pretty good about getting them to do whatever they want."

"We… uh, heard that Lloyd was the Green Ninja before Morro!" Lulloyd lied, "So, we were wondering, how Morro became the Green Ninja?"

Monty looked to Lloyd. His icy stare almost made Lulloyd want to back away. Despite that, Lulloyd slowly inhaled and walked a step forward. He forced his arms to remain at his sides and spoke up again with a slightly more definitive voice.

"Monty, if you met Lloyd, then did Lloyd tell you how Morro became the Green Ninja?" Lulloyd asked again.

Monty didn't move from where he stood. Instead, he met Lulloyd's gaze with a sudden bored and exasperated sigh. He leaned forward on the desk again and waved his hand.

"You guys went to Cloud Kingdom, ask them about it. I hear they deal with all that destiny stuff," Monty shrugged, "I'm sure if something happened to Lloyd they maybe changed something. Why not go back and ask about it?"

"I'm pretty sure we're not wanted there anymore," Lloyd stated solemely, "Right now we're asking you about this, Monty. You're sure that Lloyd didn't say anything in the Cursed Realm?"

"He told me his name, that he died recently, and that he didn't want to die again," Monty groaned out, looking down at the table, "That's all he could say before the ghosts were launching arrows at us. Soul Archer was the one we were fighting when the portal opened. Lloyd got shot in the back when he went to escape with me. I tried to drag him out, he told me to go. And he shoved me out. There, is that enough for you?"

Lloyd started to ask for more, but Lulloyd's hand on his shoulder stopped him. Harumi gave Monty an angry glare, then turned away from him. Slowly, Lloyd took a step back from Monty, realizing that getting this information was pointless. Instead, Lloyd looked to Lulloyd and then back to Monty.

"Do you know of any hotels in Stixx that are cheap?" Lloyd turned to the others, "We need to get a place settled before we go and get moving again."

"Cheap? You're in Stixx. Nothing is cheap," Monty scoffed at him, "I gave you your payment for the other day. Trust me, Ronin would never pay you anymo-"

"So, you got the kid what he wanted? Great!"

The quartet turned around to see Ronin walking in from the rain. In his hands he carried a box full of swords of various shapes, colors and sizes. His arms were wobbling slightly from the weight of the box, and he looked over to Lulloyd with a cheeky smirk.

"Heya, mind helping me with this?" Ronin huffed out, "Bit heavier than I thought it would be!"

Lulloyd sighed for a moment then raced forward, placing his hands under the box. Ronin leaned slightly upward, letting the two carry it back towards the counter. Monty looked towards Ronin, who just smirked at him as he jostled the box.

"Guess who got those brothers to finally part with all these?" Ronin let go of a corner to point at himself, "Get some of those old scrolls and that Stone Army guy we dug up, we're shipping those out for them once the rain stops. You get the Sword you wanted?"

"Yeah," Monty grumbled, "Somehow they did. It's the real deal."

"You guys went all the way to the Cloud Kingdom?" Ronin looked across his box at Lulloyd, "Great! How much would it be for you guys to give me a detailed map of where you went and how you got in?"

Lulloyd, who by this point was starting to pant from holding up the box, whimpered out: "M-Maybe enough t-to get a place to stay for the night and… and some meals?!"

"A place to stay?" Ronin paused, "Well, I got some room upstairs in a spare place. It's not much but hey, might be enough for your guys. And tell you what, I like what I see from that map, and I'll even go take you guys out for dinner again!"

"Don't be more noodles…" Monty groaned.

"How about some more noodles?" Ronin grinned. A second later, he turned to Monty with a scowl, "Kid, I'm pretty sure ghosts don't even need to eat. Why are you complaining?" He tilted the box upwards, causing Lulloyd to gasp.

"Because eating is still something I can do, you know, and when I do eat I prefer I put things in my mouth I actually enjoy!" Monty retorted, "You just want to eat noodles."

"Well I can't eat them with you around!" Ronin shot back, "I'm just trying to use a chance to treat people who don't get to eat there often!" The box tilted even further up, making Lulloyd lean backwards just to stay upright.

"I actually ate there a lot," Lloyd spoke up.

"Not now," Ronin said without even turning his head, "Kid I'm willing to put up with a lot but you need to start expanding your horizons a bit. I'm sure you'll find a lot if you go out and try things!"

"If I'm trying them with you," Monty spat, "Maybe I shouldn't bother."

The two stared at each other in silence, only broken by Lulloyd's huffs at holding up such a heavy box. After a few moments, their expressions softed somewhat and Monty slowly shrugged his shoulders.

"Take them to Skylar's if you want to," Monty grumbled, "I'll tag along if you do."

"Gotcha," Ronin turned, "Here, I'll call REX and then we can be on our way."

"Uh, we would prefer to eat someplace closer than that!" Lloyd interjected, "We just need a place to stay for the night and some food, we need to be leaving as soon as possible."

Monty gave Lloyd an angry glance. Lloyd tried to ignore it even as Ronin adjusted the box in his hands. This caused Lulloyd to stagger backwards, his back hitting the wall and his legs giving out on him, causing the box to slide into his waist and various swords to spill onto his face.

"Hey!" Ronin frowned, moving forward and rapidly beginning to collect up the swords, "Next time tell me if you're going to drop things! I paid good enough money for these!"

Monty rolled his eyes, reaching his hand out and releasing three small beams of wind. The wind curled up around the swords, lifting them up off of a panting Lulloyd and back into the box. As soon as Ronin went to pick it up again, Monty's wind formed a pocket under it to lift it up in the air. He gave Ronin a cheeky half-smirk as he levitated the box back beyond the curtain to the back of the shop.

"Should have just asked me to do that in the first place," Monty rolled his eyes, "You know I'm stronger than you."

"Being strong ain't everything, and besides," Ronin adjusted his hat, "If I did ask for your help I'd have to put up with that great attitude you got there."

"Better you put up with me than break all those worthless swords you bought," Monty scoffed, "We're still trying to sell all those shortswords after you said we just had to grab them!"

"We found them in the ruins of that ancient Anacondrai temple!" Ronin waved his hand, "How was I supposed to know they weren't ancient?"

"I can possess anything and tell you everything you need to know about it," Monty sat up, "Hey, Ronin, how about I show them what I mean so they know I'm not bluffing?"

"Kid, you know the max you can get with me is three seconds now!" Ronin leaned against the wall, "You used that trick a few too many times."

"Well thanks to me, Soul Archer couldn't possess you longer than that stupid message he made you send," Monty waved his hand, "But I guess I don't get thanks for that, now do I?"

As Ronin and Monty sniped back and forth at one another, Lulloyd slowly got back up to his feet and moved back over to Lloyd and Harumi. The three watched for a few more seconds, letting both of them go on until Harumi's eyebrow was violently twitching. Harumi raised her right foot up and brought it down hard on the floor, smacking the table in front of Monty at the same time. The two loud noises swiftly preceded Harumi's raised voice.

"How about we focus on getting dinner right now?" Harumi's voice boomed throughout the small shop, "I for one say we get take out and bring it here so we can draw you that map, Ronin!"

Lloyd and Lulloyd were left relatively silent. Monty and Ronin shared another look, then both of them turned away from one another. Ronin crossed his arms and nodded his head, while Monty used a hand to play with his cape.

"Sure," Ronin gestured to the table, "You guys write down what you want, I can be here and back in REX in a half hour. Monty, show them to that spare room and give them some paper to draw that map. Think it can be done by the time I get back?"

"Of course," Harumi's voice lowered but didn't lose its tone, "Lloyd, get that paper so we can write it all down. Lulloyd, go with Monty to the room, we'll be up shortly."

Monty gave Harumi a scathing look of anger, yet Harumi's expression didn't budge. Instead, he thrust a hand out, blowing the curtain open with a gust of elemental power, then looked at Lulloyd and nodded his head to him. Lulloyd slowly followed Monty past the curtain, leaving the three in shop.

Before Lloyd could even go to follow Harumi's orders, Ronin produced the paper from the table. Harumi wrote down everything the three had eaten down upon it, labeling each with a name. She handed it off to Ronin, who smirked at her as he pocketed it.

"Thanks," Ronin turned, "Well then, I'm off. Tell Monty he's watching the store until I get back."

"I think he already knows," Harumi responded dryly. Ronin grew a smile on his face in response.

"Oh he does, but he'll close the shop early if I don't remind him," Ronin called out as he opened the door into the rain, "Don't let him forget to get those scrolls and that Stone Army Guy, he knows what that means!"

Once the doors were shut, a few moments later the sound of REX flying away from outside the shop filled the air. As soon as Ronin left, Lloyd moved a hand up to his chin in thought.

"I, don't remember Ronin being this trusting…" Lloyd remarked, "Seems a little odd."

"He's not trusting us," Harumi remarked, "He left Monty here to watch over us. We fought for him against the ninja, so he's seeing how far he can trust us. I know people who try to do that."

With that said, Harumi moved and briskly walked back behind the curtain to the rest of the store. That 'rest' of the store was a small narrow hallway that had one door to the left and two to the right. On the furthest right door was a cape that had the word "MONTY" printed upon it, while the closest one had one of Ronin's hats hung on a hook. The door to the left had five different padlocks placed upon it, which Lloyd could guess led to storage. At the end of the hall was a tiny set of stairs that spiraled up to lead to an even smaller second floor containing only two rooms both on the right. One looked to be a bathroom, and the other Monty stood outside of with a scowl on his face.

"Here," Monty pointed inside, "We usually use this place for storage, but lucky for you we're still rebuilding our stock. I gave your friend some stuff to draw that map with. Make sure it's good."

"We will," Harumi stated, ignoring him otherwise as she stepped into the room. Lloyd followed suit after her.

Said room was relatively small, with only one small bed and the entire right wall cluttered up with various boxes. A small window cast blue light into the room, broken up by white flashes of lightning outside. Lulloyd sat on the bed, holding a piece of paper and looking to the two and holding it out as they entered. Harumi took the paper, then turned and handed it off to Lloyd, gesturing towards a box in the corner just large enough to use as a seat.

"Draw the map," Harumi ordered, "I'm going to try to search for anything on the Time Twins."

Lloyd was silenced from speaking by a look from Lulloyd. Lloyd took the paper unceremoniously and sat down on the little lip, using a nearby box lid for a surface. It had been awhile since he'd made a physical map, yet Wu was nothing if not a thorough teacher. Basic calligraphy and map making were skills he'd taught them after the incident with Chen's Island, mainly so that if they were to explore other parts of Ninjago, they could be recorded. So he sketched away, even as Harumi's critical eye drifted from watch to his work occasionally.

Lulloyd and Harumi looked at Harumi's watch, with Harumi typing in words incredibly fast. Lulloyd himself wasn't able to keep up, but he didn't have much else to do. The thought crossed his mind as to possibly polish his blade or work on his mechdragon outside, yet those options rapidly became impractical as more time went on.

"There's nothing!" Harumi pulled up a video of Gale Gossip reporting on a new animal sanctuary in Ninjago City, "Nothing in the news or any reports of something like the Iron Doom! I don't understand, where are they hiding a massive mech like that?!"

"I, think they're laying low so that they don't get our attention right now?" Lulloyd shook his head, "My dad did this training exercise once where every hour we didn't attack him, he'd get another blade. And, well, we at first thought it was smart to take him out early when he had nothing. But, we soon realized that if we waited him out, we would figure out he was making this kinda pattern of what blades he was using and where he was going. So, we waited for hours and…. Uhm…" Lulloyd trailed off as Harumi's gaze turned to him.

"Lulloyd, I don't think your weird dad's training is applicable here," Harumi looked down, "They've clearly already got a pattern on their hands. They show up, attack, and try to get what they want. The only reason that they didn't do so with your universe is because your dad was just too tough to beat straight up. Isn't that why they tried to ambush you guys?"

"They, did, successfully, but they did the same thing with your world, you know…" Lulloyd pointed out gently, "Like, I think they lured everyone out so they could take out all the most powerful beings really easily…"

Harumi's gaze had gone to the point Lulloyd felt like it was melting holes in his head. He was forced to look away. Harumi went back to her watch, tapping away and smacking it with her hand occasionally in anger. Lulloyd pulled his sword out and worked on twisting the tassel piece to be in line with the blade, then intentionally misaligning it just to do so again. Lloyd's pen continued to paint the map over the sheet of paper.

"You're not noting guard positions and areas of interest," Harumi muttered as she looked over her watch at Lloyd.

"What?" Lloyd looked down, "It's a map, Ronin just wants a map. Why would I give him that sort of thing?"

"Because whether or not we like Ronin or that partner of his, he won't let us stay if we don't give him what he wants," Harumi lowered her watch, "You're not even drawing it elevational changes. Just give me the map."

"It's not done yet, Harumi," Lloyd stated firmly, "I'm still placing everything I remember. We were kinda rushing to get the sword, remember?"

"I do remember, everything actually!" Harumi scoffed back, "My father taught me to memorize my surroundings at all times. How many doors total are these in Ronin's house, Lloyd?"

"It doesn't matter how many doors there are total, it matters how many escape routes there are!" Lloyd put the map aside, "You told me to work on the map, Harumi, so let me make the map!"

"If you don't make it right, what's the point?" Harumi seethed, "Give me the map and I'll fix it so we don't have to spend the night in the pouring rain!"

"Guys?" Lulloyd blinked, "Guys we really need to calm down…"

"I'm not useless, you know!" Lloyd gestured to himself, "I've done this sort of thing before. You know how many times my team and I flew around Ninjago and had to mark down where we went? We didn't always have the Bounty on us! You need to have a pretty good sense of the area you're in while you're flying on your dragons!"

"Which you can't do right now, can you?" Harumi crossed her arms, "Because someone let the Time Twins steal his power away and dragged us all into this mess!"

"Which I'm trying to fix right now!" Lloyd growled, "Why else would I be in a completely different Ninjago with two people I only met over the course of a few days trying to stop the Time Twins?!"

"Guys!" Lulloyd raised his voice, "We need to be finding Krux and Acronix!"

"You couldn't stop them, just like you couldn't stop the Overlord!" Harumi hissed, "Isn't that why you had that whole Golden Master thing? Give me the map so we can get to stopping the Time Twins before someone like Zane or Olive has to sacrifice themselves again!"

Something inside of Lloyd began to boil over, and he stood up to meet her energy. Mentioning Zane was enough to get him angry, and with that in mind, he felt his anger taking over. The last time he'd been this angry, it'd been with another Harumi. It seemed she really was Harumi's daughter. Harumi stared back at him, the tension in the air thickening until it could be cut by a sword.

"GUYS!" Lulloyd's sword did indeed cut through the tension, mainly by striking the floor to produce a massive bang that reverberated through the room. Lulloyd slowly pulled his sword up from the floor, sheathed it, and then looked to the two of them.

"Harumi, I don't know what's gotten you so, upset right now, but stop taking it out on Lloyd!" Lulloyd's voice had lost its stutter and spoke smooth and firmly, "We don't have time right now to start getting on each other! You said it yourself, we need to find the Time Twins! Lloyd can handle just, making a map!"

Before Lloyd could respond, Lulloyd turned to him, "Lloyd, you can't just fight with her! Even if you don't think she's being fair, at the very least you don't have to play into it! It doesn't matter if they started it, if you go along with it you're just as bad as they are! You can't let them get to you! Okay?!"

The two were left somewhat stunned by Lulloyd's sudden declaration, but both of them shared a small glance before Lulloyd's striking his sword on the floor again made them back off. The two slowly retreated to their previous seats, at which point Lulloyd sighed.

"What are you guys doing in there?!" The temporary peace was cut through by Monty's angered shout coming from behind the door, "If you break anything in there, you're paying for it!"

"We're fine!" Lulloyd called out, his nervous tone returning, "Just, uhm, moving some stuff around is all!"

"I know everything in that room, I stole most of it!" Monty fired back, "Don't think you can get away with breaking anything by moving it around!"

"We won't touch any of your stuff, Monty!" Harumi shouted loud enough to make Lulloyd and Lloyd flinch, "Just leave us alone!"

There was no further response from Monty, only the door suddenly rattling as though it had been struck by a massive force. From the cold air that floated into the room, the three could assume Monty had struck it with wind. From the way that Harumi's eye twitched, Lulloyd could piece together where her anger was coming from.

"...What if the Time Twins aren't in this universe anymore?" Lulloyd mused out loud, "Is, there a way for us to check?"

Lloyd slowly reached into his pocket, producing the Realm Crystal. Slowly, he closed his eyes and focused the rest of his power into the gemstone, exhaling as the green surface pulsed. After a few moments, he felt nothing, resulting in him slowly shaking his head.

"I'm not being pulled anywhere when I use this, so… I don't think so," Lloyd slid the artifact back into his gi, "But I also couldn't sense them."

"We already knew it isn't that simple,," Harumi shook her head, "I just don't get it! How do two megalomaniacal power mad freaks hide a mech the size of a building like this? If they landed where we did… what are they doing?!"

"Right now, I bet they're planning something," Lloyd sighed, "When we fought them, they basically only ever popped up when there was a time blade to get. And even then, we only fought the Vermillion. They just hid in a swamp until they needed to get what they needed. That was it. I guess they tried to attack outright twice, and now they're holding off."

"Then… what should we do?" Lulloyd asked, "I mean, we have to do something, right?"

"What can we do?" Lloyd pointed out, "Right now, we have to wait for them to reveal themselves. We don't know where to start looking with them. Did you look for anything with snakes, Harumi?"

"Tried that, also tried mech, twins, even green capes, nothing!" Harumi grumbled, "This time is so low-tech, there isn't even any streaming databases for me to find anything in! I can't even pull up any social media images and cross reference known images of Krux and Acronix! What is this time period?!"

"Like I said, we were that technologically advanced, then the Golden Master happened," Lloyd pointed out, "We're stuck here now. You know how many years it took for them to let Borg even sell his watches?"

"This Borg guy is… interesting?" Lulloyd asked, "Uh, my Borg is like, an eccentric video game maker. He tried to make this full dive Virtual Reality game call Swords Studs Online, and then like, something went wrong, people got stuck, now he like, is trying to make another one, but this time with fairies and, guns, it's kinda weird…"

A creak emanated from the ceiling. The three went silent, looking up towards the roof over them. After a few seconds of waiting, another creak came. Lloyd looked to the others silently, and they looked back just as much so. Slowly, the three reached up and drew their hoods over their heads.

The rain from the outside poured against the window to Ronin's room. The room was only lit by a single bulb overhead, meaning that the ceiling was mostly shrouded in dark. They could see the rafters above them, but not what lay above them. Without a proper ceiling and instead just a high roof, the three were on alert from two unlikely coincidental creaks.

Silence filled the room. Lulloyd and Lloyd both reached to grab for their weapons, while Harumi slowly put her hands together and formed a Rhotatae disc in hand. The three awaited anymore noises for a few moments, each with bated breath. When nothing came, the three relented.

The sound of a wolf roaring brought the three to their feet, weapons ready. The door to the hallway broke apart, and in its place, a massive white wolf marked by gray lines across its head and back stood. It was no taller than their waists, but with massive teeth barred at them, it wasn't to be trifled with. As the wolf stalked forward, a chill filled the air. Harumi fired the disc in hand at the floor in front of it, stopping its motion.

A second later, Lulloyd felt something at his throat. The ninja gasped out as he looked down to see a shuriken sharpened and pressed against his shoulders. Zane stood behind him, his black deepstone armor blending in to the air around him. His other hand gripped Lulloyd's right arm, causing it to begin to encase in ice.

Lloyd and Harumi turned to Lulloyd, but it was too late. A second later, two other figures had leapt into the room. One of them was Nya, shown by her bright maroon robes. The other was Jay, his hands spinning a nunchuck around. The two stood on either side of the wolf, glaring at the two.

"We don't want to hurt you," Zane stated calmly, "Give us the Realm Crystal and we'll let you go."

"The Realm Crystal?" Harumi hissed, "What makes you think we have it?"

"That's not for you to know, sister!" Nya spat back, "Give us the Crystal, now!"

Lloyd stood with his swords in hand. His mind was racing with many things. From the way the wolf stood, pointed directly at Lulloyd, as well as the chill, he guessed that was Zane's chi animal. He gave Lulloyd a glare, who was still holding onto his own blade despite his neck -or lack there of- held up. Harumi had formed two tiny discs in her hand, pointing one at Nya and the other at Jay.

"We don't have your Realm Crystal!" Lloyd shouted, "Let him go, Zane."

"We're not leaving without the Realm Crystal!" Jay shouted, "Just, give it to us! Please?"

"We can't give you what we don't have," Harumi looked to Zane, "Why are you here?"

The three didn't respond. None of them made any moves, however. Lloyd had just enough time to wonder why it was that Zane was holding Lulloyd up before he heard the sound of the floor clicking, and his eyes looked down to see that Lulloyd had kicked the floor he and Zane stood on, causing it to turn into bricks and sending the two through it.

Almost instantly, the wolf ran forward, barring its fangs at Lulloyd. He had enough time to grab a tile and knock it aside before his arm was bitten into. The wolf, however, changed its direction midair, and leapt right into Zane. Zane's entire body glowed a bright white for a brief moment, then the two struck the room below them.

Lulloyd slowly stood up, dizzy from tumbling through the air. He looked around, his vision slowly forming to see Monty standing in front of a massive mirror beside a wardrobe. He was staring at himself in the mirror, with a massive vampire-inspired cape on. He had his head lowered and his mouth open, hissing at the glass like a creature of the night would. When Lulloyd looked again, Monty had turned around with a look of horror on his face.

"W-What are you doing in here?!" Monty shouted, "Get out, get o-"

Before Monty could react, Zane stood up, his hands outstretched. Monty raised his own hands, his massive blast of wind meeting Zane's ice. Zane's speed, however, sent Monty flying back into the wardrobe. While him striking the wardrobe did nothing, his hands had still been releasing wind, causing the wardrobe to spin and fall onto its side.

Lulloyd blinked in confusion as capes flew out throughout the room. Capes of all sizes, all colors, and even styles. Monty emerged from the wall hovering above the ground, and upon seeing Lulloyd picking up the side cape that he'd been wearing earlier, Monty's expression went livid.

"Let go of that cape right now!" Monty shouted at Lulloyd, "And YOU!" Monty turned to Zane, "You touch any of these capes and I'll personally teach you the meaning of suffocation!"

"I'm not currently capable of suffocating, but I understand the sentiment," Zane stated, looking around the room at the capes splayed over the floor.

"Do… all these capes belong to you?" Lulloyd asked curiously as he used his sword to pull himself upright.

"That's not for you to know!" Monty spat, his expression fuming with an anger the apathetic ghost hadn't displayed yet to Lulloyd, "Get out of my room!"

"Not until we have the Realm Crystal," Zane shot back, "If you have its location, tell us now and we will leave you be."

Right as Zane finished his sentence, Monty had thrown his hands behind him and used his wind to thrust him forward. He raised his left arm up into the air, surrounding it in a massive swirl of wind and bringing it directly into Zane's face. The funnel exploded on impact, sending Zane flying backwards and into Monty's bed.. Splintered wood filled the air as he crashed against the headboard, his systems scrambled. The aura faded from his body.

"You didn't hear me, did you tin can?" Monty growled, "That wasn't a request," He reached down, drawing a small pistol from his hip and pointing it right at Zane.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Monty."

Monty suddenly froze. His entire body stiffened, and the gun in his hand shook. Monty swung the gun around until it landed on a figure just in front of the curtain to the front of the shop. An aging man with a long white beard and large bow staff stood there, his expression focused right onto the ghost. As soon as he made eye contact with him, Monty's nostrils flared.

"Master Wu…" Monty hissed, "What are you doing here?"

"We've come to get back what you're stolen," Wu stated calmly, "And without any further violence if we can manage that."

"No further violence?" Monty held the glittering golden blade up in front of him, "Sure, get out of my shop."

"I cannot do that, Monty," Wu slammed his staff into the ground, "My ninja and I are here to get back what you stole. Give it to us, and this can end."

"I never give back what I take," Monty raised the gun and aimed it right at Wu, "But let's make this quick then. I have a lot of cleaning up to do after this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy late holidays Ninjaverse Readers!
> 
> Thank you all for reading this far in the story. We're about to go into the first battle that I actually ever planned in Ninjaverse. I spent a long time reworking the flow and structure of how Monty's world would go, and it took me a very, very long time to decide how I would structure it. Originally, I had this upcoming section before them getting the sword, but going from one fight to another felt wrong. I decided to trust my gut and organize it this way, mainly so I could conserve a feeling of tension in this world.
> 
> A quick note on how chi works: When a chi animal is summoned, elemental powers can still be used, but not as strong as without them. During fusion, access to powers is completely removed. It's a small detail I couldn't really fit anywhere else in the story, so I wanted to address it!
> 
> Enjoy the story!


	14. Chapter 14

The first thing that Harumi felt was a slight sting on her eyes. The more she thought of that odd sting, the more it slowly dawned on her something was pressing down on her eyes. That feeling of pressure was, in fact, all around her. Her body had a pressure on it she normally didnt' feel. And it was with that sensation she realized she was underwater.

A sudden shot of awareness went through her. Her hands lit up with green energy, expanding outwards until the two orbs met at her chest. From there, the energy expanded to form a sphere around her, one that pushed the water away from her body. This allowed her to cough, expelling water that she'd nearly swallowed when she must have first hit the water. Doing so allowed her to orient her body upwards so she could look around.

The water around her was murky. A deep green tinted blue surrounded her in all directions. As she looked down, she could watch the blue slowly become darker and darker, until looking straight down showed almost no light at all piercing what was under her. Directly behind her, however, she could see something. A vertical slice of black piercing the water's homogeny.

Harumi let her bubble around herself vanish, the water rushing back in. Her energy fired out of her hands, propelling her through the water like jets. A few seconds of this soon brought her towards the strange shape, which revealed itself to be wooden. Behind it, she could see other stripes that became murkier with distance. Were these… pilings?

A building pressure in her chest reminded her of the fact she couldn't stay underwater. She needed air. Her right hand used her elemental power again to force herself upwards, the other hand holding the piling to ensure she was moving up. It took several seconds, but soon her head breached the surface of the water, allowing her to take in a massive gasp. From the shadow over her head, she looked up to see she was underneath one of the many walkways of Stixx. She could hear rain from above her. Waves were rolling fiercely around her, but the dock broke most of their speed.

She took a few moments to breathe, coughing up water to focus. She… she'd been thrust out of the building? Was… who was it that did it? The ninja. Or, her father's ninja, in this universe. They'd attacked them. She swam her way towards the edge of the dock, the waves violently rocking her body. Had she been swept all the way out from Ronin's place?

The water around Harumi began to rapidly swirl around her. The unnatural movement pressed against her chest, and she yelled out as it did so. She brought her fist up and smashed down into the water with a blast of green energy, yet the water only dispersed for a moment before it wrapped around her chest like a band of iron, yanking her out from underneath the dock.

Pouring rain rapidly began to smack against her head as the storm above her raged on. The water around her began to twist into a cone, pulling her upwards from the water level. As soon as her waist was at the level of the docks, she looked forward to see a face that was familiar to her, and yet radically different.

"You said your name was Harumi, right?" Nya shouted over the storm around them, "I would really hate to have to hurt another gal like me. Give us the Realm Crystal and we'll leave you alone!"

"We… we don't have your… Realm Crystal!" Harumi got out between her coughs, her eyes worryingly looking to the water still twisting around her chest and encompassing her body, "We don't! You don't have any reason to fight us!"

Nya's eyes narrowed. Harumi looked to her hopefully, but then Nya's hand wound backwards, sending her body flinging towards the ocean once more. Right before she was dunked back into the waves, her body was lifted right back up. Nya's other hand extended, manipulating the water around her to squeeze Harumi tightly.

"I'm not playing games with you!" Nya shouted again, "Just give us the Realm Crystal! That's it! Do you really want to fight me here?"

Harumi didn't respond immediately. Instead she focused, wiggling her right hand upwards until her palm was facing Nya. A small flash of white-green pulsed as a Rhotatae disc formed within it. Nya managed to dodge it only on reflex as it cut through the water and arced straight towards her right hand. The brief dodge was enough to disrupt Nya's control, as Harumi had hoped. This was Nya right after her True Potential, if she recalled, afer all. At first, she formed green energy in her hands, but quickly snuffed it out and instead simply climbed back up the dock instead.

"I really don't want to fight you, Nya!" Harumi reached up to drag her soaking wet hood over her face, "But if you insist on attacking me, I'm going to defend myself! We don't have the Realm Crystal to give you!"

Nya leaned back, her right hand behind her and pointed towards the water level. She pointed her other hand with Harumi, her palm opened. Harumi narrowed her eyes, watching as water from the crashing waves was pulled up in a large cylindrical tube. The water shot through her right hand and wrapped around her back to her left hand before firing straight at Harumi. In a flash, Harumi formed a Rhotatae disc in her hands and held it vertically, thrusting her arms forward so the spinning disc struck the water head on. The stream was cut in half and passed around her harmlessly.

"Tell me why you even need the Realm Crystal!" Harumi shouted to be heard over the roaring wind and water.

Nya didn't respond. Instead, she thrust both of her hands forward, causing the spray from both sides of the dock to swell upwards and crash against Harumi. She had only enough time to brace herself by releasing a small burst of green power from her hands, preventing her from being crushed between them. Despite this, the force on her legs knocked her over, sending her to the dock with a hard thud. Thankfully, it seemed Nya didn't see the energy she produced yet.

"Had enough yet?" Nya shouted out to Harumi, "I can keep going if you need some more convincing that you're no match for me."

Harumi responded by her feet slamming together and forming a Rhotatae disc. She fired it but held it between her feet for a brief moment, causing her to slide backwards once she released it. The disc was easily swatted aside by Nya, but it slid Harumi far enough away she could get to her feet again.

"Why won't you listen to me?!" Harumi's tone was tinged with impatience, "I don't want to fight you, Nya, I just want to talk!"

"If you won't give up the Realm Crystal…" Nya inhaled, then shut her eyes, "I'm done talking."

Rather than risk to see what Nya was about to do, Harumi shot her head behind her to look. She didn't know Stiix well, but from what she saw, she could make out Ronin's shop in the distance. She indeed must have gotten knocked into the ocean and swept down here. Running along the dock would take too long. She had to get there quickly. Praying the storm would hide her element, she turned her back to Nya, ran and jumped over the edge of hte dock. Green energy formed under her until her dragon soared into the sky. The rain for a brief moment passed through the dragon's scales, then the dragon bellowed as it raised its wings to scatter the rain in every direction. Harumi gripped the reins as soon as they formed, thrusting them towards Ronin's shop.

No more than ten seconds after her dragon formed, however, Harumi felt something stalling her. She looked behind her, only to see Nya atop her own light aqua dragon. Harumi could see that her dragon's back leg was caught within the jaws of Nya's dragon, and with a violent crack of its neck, Nya's dragon sent Harumi's dragon towards the piers once more. Harumi brought her hands together and fired a Rhotatae disc in front of her before leaping from her dragon onto it. Her dragon faded from existence as the disc carried Harumi into another painful drop onto her face against the wooden planks.

"I don't know how you can make a dragon like that," Nya responded as she dismounted her own dragon to stand beside Harumi, "It almost looked elemental. That is some impressive chi. But tricks like that won't get past me."

Harumi whipped around onto her back, her right hand forming a rhotate disc that shot out into Nya's chest. The projectile carried Nya backwards away from her, allowing Harumi to stand back up and ready her fists. She lunged forward with her left foot, sending her fist right into Nya's left shoulder. The impact sent her falling backwards, which Harumi followed up with by bringing her right hand down to strike the wood beside where Nya's head hit.

When had Nya gotten so much control over her water powers? If her timeline was correct, wouldn't she have just learned them? Even if she hit her true potential, this was at the level of a seasoned master. Something was wrong here. A little pressure could figure that out.

"I've been trained in hand-to-hand combat since I was five," Harumi called out, "And that's only because I begged him to teach me so early. I can defend myself, Nya. Now, will you listen to me?"

Nya brought her right arm up, trying to hit the side of Harumi's head. Harumi pulled her arm up, using her forearm to block the blow and instead grabbed Nya's outstretched arm with her other hand, pulling Nya's arm across her body. Harumi's foot came to press down on Nya's other arm.

"Now you can't attack me," Harumi stated calmly, "I want to help you, Nya. Why are you after us?"

"Can it, sister, you think I can't attack like this?" Nya growled back at Harumi, her hands tightening into fists. The pier underneath them rumbled for a moment, then between the slats of wood, water sprayed upwards in jets. Harumi felt a jet directly strike her in the jaw, disorienting her for a moment. That was all Nya needed to strike.

Nya rolled her body onto its side, lightening the tension Harumi still had on her arm. Her foot came out to strike Harumi's leg, further disorienting her. With Nya now on her stomach, she closed her eyes to let another stream strike her in her own chest, propelling her body upwards directly into Harumi. Harumi was knocked onto her back, only for a gush of water from the side of the pier to send her flying over the edge.

"I'm in my element," Nya smirked, but her frown slowly lowered when she saw Harumi gripping the edge of the pier against the waves, "Give up the Realm Crystal. You can't win."

"No!" Harumi shouted even as the waves buffeted her body back and forth while she desparately clung on, "I don't have it!"

Nya looked down to Harumi, then her body began to glow with aura. Flashbacks to Kai's attack appeared in Harumi's head, and she let go of the pier with her right hand to gather her energy up into a ball to strike at Nya. The second she did so, however, a sharp searing pain in her shoulder made her shriek out. She had just enough time to see what looked like a blue fin before her body was propelled into the water.

Harumi took in a breath the second she hit the water out of shock, one she was thankful for as soon as the waves submerged her. On pure instinct, she rapidly formed green spheres around her hands and grew them to fully envelop her body, forcing the water away from her. She outstretched her arms to maintain her elemental shield, then looked to her shoulder.

What she saw made her grimace. A large circular set of bites were torn into the fabric, perfectly showing the line of pain that was firing through her shoulder. Now her outfit had two areas she had to patch up. Whatever had attacked her was gone, but the pain lingered long enough to tell her that whatever happened was real.

A bit of motion caught her eye. Her head snapped to the side just in time to see a light blue colored creature darting through the water. From its speed, she couldn't make it out. Her eyes tracked it for a second before it was out of her field of view. She snapped her body to follow it, but it disappeared into the black depths below her. She silently cursed the storm for making it impossible to see anymore than a few meters below her.

The same pain suddenly blossomed forth in her foot. Harumi shot her head down, only to see something clinging to her. It was a shark, perhaps as long as she was tail, pulsing with that same aqua coloration Nya had. Its eyes looked lifeless, but its body was thrashing with it. The shark had hold of her foot, its teeth wrapped around it, and its body jerked as it started to drag her down.

With her elemental shield around her, Harumi couldn't manifest another elemental strike. Instead, she brought her other foot up and began to strike the forehead of the shark, her heel driving into the space between its eyes. After nearly seven kicks, the shark let go and disappeared back down into the ocean, leaving her with a foot and shoulder both seething in pain.

Another flash of motion caught Harumi's eye, but this time it wasn't the shark. She turned around to see Nya floating in the water, her arms crossed in front of her. A sudden flash of fear when through her mind. Nya was watching her use the Green Power, and this time the storm wasn't hiding it! For a moment, Harumi considered dropping her shield… but she knew the damage was done, if any at all. Instead, she focused on Nya. Her expression wasn't smiling; instead, it was filled with an annoyance, impatience and… was that hesitation?

Harumi didn't get time to ponder that last bit. The shark had come up on her again, this time from behind. The corner of her eye caught sight of the flash, and she instinctively hardened the shield behind her. The shark, however, passed through it, its nose striking her back and sending her forward, nearly falling head over heels as her shield tried to roll about in response to the sudden shift in forces.

_How did it get through my shield?! _Harumi thought furiously, _That shark must be Nya's chi! Are chi not affected by…?! _Had Ronin mentioned that or not? She didn't remember.

With the shark gone, now Harumi was on edge. Falling into the water was a problem. Her chest as already tightening with the lack of air, and she guessed Nya could freely control that shark in the water. Nya herself wasn't moving in to attack her; did that mean she was confident her shark could wear her down?

Another bite to her other foot caused Harumi to gasp out, losing her air as she felt the shark trying to drag her down once again. This time, rather than try to kick it off, Harumi withdrew her shield, causing the water to rush back to surround her, but allowing her hands to move down and fire a massive blast directly into the shark's head of green power. Just as she feared, the shark didn't even react to the energy that passed through it harmlessly. To follow up, Harumi formed a Rhotatate disc in hand that indeed buried itself into the shark's head, causing it to withdraw with what sounded like a cry.

Instantly, Harumi scrambled her way to the surface, using her energy blasts to propel her upwards. As soon as she broke the surface, she desperately gasped in air, only for her face to crash into a wave. Her sense of direction spiraled into nothingness as she was forced back down under the water.

Harumi thrashed about, seeing the surface rapidly becoming darker and darker while a force yanked her away from it. A jerk of her head let her see the shark had hold of the back of her gi. She thrust her arms backwards, but the angle made it impossible to grab. Her hands came together to form a disc, only for a massive jerk to her right arm to break her concentration. The shark had whipped its tail around to break her Rhotatae form!

The surface was rapidly fading from sight. The shark was dragging her down fast, faster than she would have expected something of its size to do. She turned her head to see Nya still hovering in the water, having moved slightly near the surface. Did she need to breathe down here?

The shark wasn't letting go. Was Nya trying to drown her? The thought sent a massive burst of alarm throughout her head. She was thinking of this Nya like her own, the one that had taught her how to hold a spear, how to think quickly… the one that would have ended any fight face to face. Was this the same Nya? The shark was still making her sink… she had to act.

Elemental powers didn't work on chi. Harumi felt her chest tightening again as the pressure on her head started to increase. She didn't have long left. She thrust her hands out to her sides, closing her eyes as her hands cupped. Two small glistening white discs formed and launched from the, firing off into the ocean on either side. Nya turned to look at the discs, then looked away. The second she did, Harumi stared directly at Nya as the two discs turned in the water and sped directly towards the swimming ninja. Just as Nya turned to see them, the two arced around and flew around to strike her directly at the base of her neck.

Just as Harumi hoped, the shark immediately let go and vanished as soon as the sudden shock washed over Nya. Harumi didn't waste time. Her hands extended and once more she used her elemental power to jet herself from the water level. Her speed, however, was nothing compared to Nya's reaction time. Nya twisted in the water as her shark formed in front of her and sped towards her in the span of a second. Just as she was about to reach the surface, the shark once more took hold of her clothes. At that second, Harumi's hands broke the surface and formed two elemental orbs of energy.

This time, Harumi knew what to do. She aligned her feet together and focused, forming a disc between the curves they created. When she fired, the force sent her spinning, just fast enough to dislodge the shark from the centripetal acceleration. As soon as it was gone, she yanked the two massive balls of energy around her hands down into the water and brought them together, extending them into her shield once more. Just as she had hoped, the two bubbles had captured air inside of them, allowing her to slightly exhale and inhale again.

Harumi brought her hands in front of her and aimed forward with a massive disc at the ready in her hands. Already she felt a wave of exhaustion creeping over her from forming so many discs all at once. The discs were made of her own energy, and even charging one took effort. Combined with her constant thrashing and she already felt her body quivering. The air she'd trapped in her bubble was finite, however; she had to conserve strength.

Nya was gone. It took her a few seconds to realize that she was, but the second she had, Harumi felt a twinge of fear. The murky waters let little light in past the first few meters, but even then she'd seen Nya before. How had she disappeared in the time it took her to form her shield?

A massive force crashed into Harumi's shield from under her feet. A strain formed on her as she forced her shield to hold from such a massive strike, pushing her in the water due to the force. She snapped her head around, but whatever had hit her was gone.

No more than ten seconds had passed before another strike sent her soaring in the water. Harumi felt it in front of her legs, but could only see a flash in the water before it was gone. She thrust her head around to try to look for what attacked her, but it wasn't there. Even if it was, the blackness of the water would make seeing it near impossible.

Another strike, this time behind her back. Harumi nearly fell forward in her shield, only managing to stay upright by bracing her leg against it. The impact caused her lungs, already beginning to burn from holding her breath, to exhale hard and take in another long gulp. She silently berated herself for that. She only had maybe two or three of those left!

She had to see what was attacking her. Harumi focused. The previous attacks had all come from areas she couldn't see. She'd just gotten attacked from behind, lowering the chance of that happening again. Whatever was attacking her was trying to break her shield most likely. Meaning that it was most likely to come from a spot she wouldn't be expecting…

Just then, Harumi saw it. Right behind her head, a flash of blue. Instantly, she spun around and fired the disc in her hand. It passed through her shield, charging with the green power it came into contact with, then flew directly towards what was attacking her. The creature in the water spun its body, taking the disc bursting onto its side. The brief hesitation in its movements allowed Harumi to commit it to memory.

Nya shot her gaze towards Harumi with a gaze that betrayed both shock and praise. Nya's entire body was pulsing with the blue aura the shark had been covered with, notably on her arms, legs and back. Her hips had sprouted a shark's tail that thrashed in the water behind her, allowing her to change direction quickly. Fins had colheased on her elbows, cutting through the water with ease. Her hood was gone, and her hair floated around her. Her eyes had taken on a blue glow to them, and Harumi swore her teeth looked far more shark-like than before. With a rapid flick of her tail, Nya swam far faster than any human could hope to match, disappearing into the darkness below.

Harumi was putting the pieces together. When Kai had fused with his chi, it had given him that strange skin. Nya must have fused with her shark, giving her the attributes of a shark. On land that might not have been useful, but underwater? Harumi felt her mood sinking with the advantages this gave Nya. If water breathing was on the list of those attributes, her hope of perhaps waiting Nya out for air was moot. She'd swam fast enough to strike her shield with an incredible force as well, only sinking her hopes even further.

Another strike, this time in front of her, startled her train of thought. This time she was unable to stay upright and fell backwards, her back pressing into the energy wall. Before she could even get up, Nya struck where her back was, jostling her around further. By some miracle, Harumi kept her mouth shut.

If Nya was trying to break her shield, it wouldn't take long before lack of air and energy would get to Harumi. Her limbs were trembling from overuse of Rhotatae and maintaining the shield. If Nya was going to wear her down, it was working.

Another strike came, but this time, Harumi felt it above her. She shot her head upwards, only to see Nya pressing down on the shield with all her strength. Her shield began to rapidly descend down into the darkness, and the increased pressure made Harumi's arms feel weak from maintaining the force to match it. Harumi gasped out for air one more time even as the light from her shield was soon swallowed up by the blackness of the water around her.

* * *

There were many times in Lulloyd's life that he questioned how it had ended up this way. When he was first inside of the Temple of Fragile Foundations had been one of them. The time with the Giant Jellyfish. Being thrown overboard into shark infested waters and having to wrestle each shark individually to get out. Being forced to master-build a bridge to span the entirety of one of the docks, and being made to defend it against mutant flying piranhas while also managing each ship coming into the harbour so he had enough fish to stop the piranhas from attacking the pet shops placed for some reason right by the docks.

The point was, Lulloyd was one that knew how to react to odd situations without most people's normal hesitation as to what was going on. Thus, he was able to push aside Wu swinging his staff at his head while Zane's hand waved, causing his wolf to disappear and ice to form in his palm instead.

Lulloyd leapt off his back foot, sending his body up into the air. Once his back was horizontal, he felt the tiny breeze caused by Wu's staff nearly connecting with him. After a flip in the air to land on all fours, his head rotated to see a mass of white coming straight for him. His hand moved to his sword, spinning his hand so the sword hit the ground and pushed him just out of the way as the whiteness passed him by. Ice struck the wall behind him, growing into a massive outcropping of icy crystals.

"Your reflexes are above average," Zane's robotic tone came from the ruins of what was once Monty's bed, "I would advise you not to retaliate against us, however. This will only go badly for you."

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE!" Monty shouted, still standing in the middle of his ruined room.

"I, uh, was trying to dodge getting hit here?" Lulloyd defended. Monty's furious gaze snapped to him, making Lulloyd realize he shouldn't have spoken. Monty's eyes shut tightly.

"I wasn't talking to you LULLOYD!" Monty punctuated his statement by thrusting his hands out, two miniature vortexes forming and firing out to wrap around Lulloyd and Zane, "Just GET OUT!" Monty's hands shut, causing the wind to wrap around the two. With a snarl, Monty's eyes shot open and his hands flung towards the hallway, sending both of them out through the doorway and into the wall opposite the door.

Lulloyd would have liked to say that hurt, but he'd seen the business end of a Warlord Staff too many times for a simple toss into a wall to do much to him. Unfortunately for him, his reaction time was slightly slower than the android that didn't process pain, meaning Zane already was to his feet when Lulloyd got to his.

Lulloyd raised his sword just in time to bat away a pair of metal shurikens. Lulloyd let the impact of the shurikens push him backwards so he could get a running start, spinning his curved blade towards Zane. The Nindroid swerved to the right, then left as Lulloyd's swipes came down with robotic precision. When Lulloyd geared up for a third, Zane slid a shuriken out of his arm and into his hand to block the blow overhead.

"The hallway is a very poor space for battle," Zane's other hand began to crackle with ice, "Perhaps we should take this to another room?"

Before Lulloyd could stop him, the entire floor had become a sheet of ice. Lulloyd lost his footing and disconnected blades with Zane to flatten his back to the wall. It was at this moment that Lulloyd saw Zane begin to gather what he suspected was aura. Zane threw his shuriken into the ice below, and the aura poured into it to form a creature that leapt forward into Lulloyd.

With a snarl, the wolf yanked him forward and sent him sliding across the ice past Zane. He came to a stop with a crash into the counter of Ronin's shop, sending a burst of pain through his head. From this position, he could see Monty had far more than just guns hidden under the counter. Lulloyd groaned and rolled himself over to begin climbing steadily to his feet.

"Strange," Zane spoke as he stepped through the doorway, "My sensors indicate that hit should have caused minor damage. Yet your arms appear to have a much higher pressure threshold. After the battle, I would appreciate it if you would allow me to analyze your body."

"Yeah… definitely not the Zane I know…" Lulloyd forced his vision to stop spinning and gripped his sword tightly,, "And… what makes you so sure you can beat me?"

"I would prefer to keep that information to myself," Zane paused, "PIXAL, run battle analysis."

Lulloyd half expected to hear PIXAL's voice, but nothing came of it. Instead, Lulloyd gripped the counter and rotated his arms back to his sides, sliding up onto the surface. He slid across it and further into the store's interior, his sword drawn. He needed distance between him and Zane to be able to make any sort of battle plan.

Already he could hear his father's advice firing off in his head. His eyes roamed around to take in his surroundings. The room wasn't very large. Behind the counter were two windows rain was beating against; to the left of that counter and one of the windows was the doorway Zane was in. To his sides were various sheets draped over boxes and boxes filled with weaponry of all sorts. He had to make use of all of this, or else he'd be at a disadvantage. As if to emphasize his position, Zane extended his arm. The wolf from earlier ran towards him, circling around Zane and taking stance directly underneath it. It bared its fangs towards Lulloyd.

"If you would like to run, I will not pursue you," Zane shook his head, "However, I will advise you that the rest of my allies are waiting at the entrance to Stiix for you. If you relinquish the Realm Crystal, I will let you go without capture."

"Why would you guys even want the Realm Crystal?" Lulloyd asked curiously, " I mean, you can't even use it! I mean… uh, I mean you can but… we don't even have your Crystal!"

"It is not my place to tell you why we require it," Zane shook his head, "Give it to us, and we can avoid this needless battle."

"We can't," Lulloyd shook his head, "Because, we don't have it!"

"I… don't want to fight you," Zane's voice dropped a pitch, "We both know that you have it. It would make this easier for all of us if you give it to us. We need it. Please… it will make everything that is about to happen much easier for you."

Lulloyd felt this grip on his sword twitch. What was Zane talking about? The way he was talking wasn't anything like what Zane talked like. Something was up, something was wrong. He wasn't sure what, but he already heard his father's advice echoing in his head.

_An unsure enemy, that's one that you can take down no matter how strong they are, Lulloyd. _Lulloyd focused his gaze on Zane and the wolf. His fear of having to fight the Ninja was one he had to get over. Zane and the others were here for something, and right now everything was going sideways. Harumi had been blasted out into the rain by Nya, and Lloyd was upstairs with Jay. He had to defeat Zane so he could help them!

"If you think that I'm lying, then!" Lulloyd forced a smile, "Come and make me tell the truth."

Zane gave Lulloyd a curios glance, one that Lulloyd couldn't fault. Garmadon had been teaching him how to act in battle, namely getting rid of his nerves. Forcing such a direct line wasn't Lulloyd's usual leading move, but he had to get Zane's attention. To his relief and fear, Zane seemed to take him up on that offer.

"If you are challenging me, then I believe I must accept," Zane leaned back on his right leg and slid out another pair of shurikens, "However, I am not responsible for what is about to happen here." To emphasize his point, the wolf let out a growl that pierced the room.

Lulloyd likewise braced himself. He focused his thoughts on Zane. What he knew about Zane came to his forefront. He could use ice, which seemed to work the same way that it did in his world. He had that strange wolf, which he knew little about. He seemed to have a good number of shurikens inside his body, which meant disarming him would take awhile. He'd have to either trap Zane, or knock him out. Given that he looked to be made of steel, he doubted that he could do the latter. But, could he even trap a literal robot?

Zane attacked first. The wolf leapt forward over the counter and straight for Lulloyd. He sidestepped the creature and struck the ground with his foot, turning it into tiles. He kicked each tile up into the air, using his foot to rapidly kick each tile towards Zane. After kicking four, he landed on the ground and saw the wolf skidding and turning around to launch another attack at him. It crashed into his chest, causing him to drop his sword and go flying back. When he stopped sliding and looked up, the wolf was already rushing him down again.

Lulloyd thought fast. He was near the front door. He turned to the side and saw a massive map on the wall, supported by a large rod. He reached up and grabbed the rod, then heaved it over his shoulder in front of him. The impact caused the rod to snap, but managed to knock the wolf backwards. Chi animals were solid, it seemed. The wolf disappeared on impact with the floor. Lulloyd wasted no time and dove to his right, grabbing a wooden staff out of a barrel in one hand and a hockey stick from another. Brandishing the two, he looked to Zane and ran forward.

Zane launched a flurry of icy blasts from his hands, ones which Lulloyd crossed his weapons across his body to take on. As soon as they were frozen in ice, he leapt hard towards Zane, his body blurring as he moved as quickly as he could. The two weapons turned into clubs with the ice's added weight, both of which came down to strike the doorframe. Zane looked to Lulloyd in confusion, but Lulloyd, still holding onto his weapons, hooked his foot around Zane to sling him into the store's interior. Zane stumbled a few feet, but Lulloyd now was between him and the door.

_Cut off your enemy's escape! _Garmadon's words came in his head again, _Force him to fight on your turf! Oh, and make sure that turf has shark cannons everywhere, trust me it'll make fighting way easier! _Lulloyd ignored that last bit.

Zane didn't take his new positioning lightly. He put his hands together again, forming aura. His wolf leapt up from his shoulders and landed by his side, then slowly began to stalk around him. Lulloyd watched it with trepidation. Something about it was making him nervous, and it wasn't just that he had no idea how it worked.

Lulloyd let go of the weapons he'd been holding, leaving them behind him. Instead, he kicked the counter and caused it to flip up two swords for him to grab. He was thankful Monty kept so much stuff under the counter. Or was it Ronin? Both of them, he settled for both of them.

The wolf once more attacked first. Lulloyd watched it leap forward, land, and change direction to lunge for his right. Just as he turned his body to defend, Zane had launched another shuriken towards him. Lulloyd leapt into his air, his body turning into a rectangular blur as he somersaulted to land on the other side of the weapon. His foot extended and kicked the wolf away, following up with a swipe of his blade to send it back. Zane grabbed the frozen staff and readied to trow, trying to track him, but Lulloyd dodged back and forth with his master-builder enhanced speed.

Zane's chi tried once more to attack by launching at him, but Lulloyd kicked the base of the counter, causing it to turn into bricks. He waited for the last second the wolf would hit him, then grabbed its head and leapt over him in a maneuver Garmadon had taught him for mounting sharks. Rather than ride the shark -or, wolf, Lulloyd supposed- he landed behind it and kicked the counter again, causing it to entirely break apart. He rapidly put pieces together, forming a crude statue of a man with a massive hammer. By kicking the arm, the hammer hinged down, smashing in front of the doorway to fully cover it. The wolf leapt out of its path at the last second.

Lulloyd landed and kicked the remaining bricks he hadn't built towards Zane, each one ending up knocked aside. Lulloyd saw the wolf gearing up for another strike, but instead he brandished his sword at it. Zane looked to the wolf, then made a whistle. The wolf growled and slowly backed away from Lulloyd, landing in front of Zane and stalking in a circle around him once more.

"You're fast," Zane raised a shuriken to his chin, "Far faster than my records indicate one should be able to move. Your strange ability to rebuild matter is also something I have never encountered before. Tell me, where does your speed and power come from?"

_NEVER reveal your abilities to your enemies, Lulloyd. Anyone that says it's the honorable thing to do has already lost! And don't spend three minutes explaining something you just did, that's just wasting time you could use to do it AGAIN! _ Lulloyd shook his head, "I don't have any reason to tell you that."

"Your general demeanor has changed since the battle has begun," Zane stood upright, straightening his posture, "You are far more serious than in our last bout. Perhaps I have not been serious about fighting you. I will rectify this mistake on my part."

Lulloyd's pupils narrowed in confusion. Zane stepped back, his wolf stopping and remaining a few paces ahead of him. Zane thrust his left arm out, causing his wolf to snarl and leapt straight towards it. Rather than bite him, however, the wolf seemed to be sucked into the open palm, disappearing with a flash of white. The white aura around Zane seemed to grow in thickness and then shrink drastically. Zane opened his eyes, revealing they now longer had pupils and were now a strange pure white. Atop Zane's head, a pair of wolf ears formed, an organic feature standing out starkly against his metallic body. A tail likewise formed from his waist, thrashing for a moment before it straightened out behind him. The features somehow looked alien and completely natural to Lulloyd at the same time.

"I believe now I have evened the playing field, so to speak," Zane's voice had a strange reverb to it. Then, with a single crouch, he vanished.

Lulloyd blinked, and in that single moment he felt something behind his back. He turned around to see Zane had landed behind him, crouched over as though almost on all four. Lulloyd leapt away fast, conviently landing by his own sword. Before he could grab it, however, he saw a flash of silver as Zane's shuriken nearly caught his hand. As Lulloyd leapt away, the shuriken flew straight as his head, and he ducked to the ground to avoid it. Even that action was followed by him flipping onto his side to avoid a kick from Zane's foot.

Trying to regain his ground, Lulloyd looked to his right to see a crate filled with what looked to be three-pronged weapons. He ran towards it, his hand outstretched to grab one from the top. The box, however, suddenly went flying across the room, scattering the blades in its wake. Lulloyd whipped his head to the source of the blow, only to feel a fist connect right into his gut.

Gasping, Lulloyd stumbled backwards into the center of the store. Zane stood in front of him, his still glowing eyes narrowed at him. Lulloyd rotated his right arm out of socket to grip his left arm. Zane looked to him for a few seconds, then nodded.

"It appears I have been able to match your speed utilizing my chi abilities," Zane looked to Lulloyd, "Now we can see which one of us can utilize that speed to its fullest extent."

Lulloyd watched as Zane disappeared again. He turned around, but Zane wasn't there. Instead, the kick came to his left side. Lulloyd hissed out in pain once the strike came, but managed to stay afoot. His right hand shot forward to grab at Zane's leg, but it wasn't there when he twisted his hand to grab it. Instead, Zane had leapt backwards and grabbed Lulloyd's arm to throw him forward. Lulloyd shouted in shock as he hit the ground, groaning out in pain before he blearily looked around for something to use.

His sword was a few feet away. Lulloyd took his gaze off of it, however. He had to make it seem like he wasn't going for it. Instead, he turned his eyes to the strange three-pronged blades he'd seen earlier. He leapt up to his feet and shot out for them, his right hand reaching out for them.

Surely enough, Zane appeared right between him and the blade. Lulloyd, however, was ready. He flung his body to that his shoulder struck Zane. Despite the pain that caused him, it meant his momentum was halted for him to then kick off Zane to change direction. His left hand grabbed his sword from the floor when he reached it, and he rolled around back to his feet holding his weapon.

Lulloyd resisted to urge to say something, however. Just as he thought, Zane wasn't giving him any time to rest. Instead, Zane was already coming at him. He twisted his body around to intercept the attack, one which Zane ended up having to dodge instead. Lulloyd used the distraction to leap away and put distance between him and Zane. This time, however, he was leaping to put his back against a wall. Once he managed to get close to a wall adjacent to the counter, he gulped in some desparately needed air.

Zane was… fast. Too fast. Kai had somehow gotten that armored skin, perhaps this super speed was something Zane got as a result of this chi fusion thing? If it was, then he would either have to wait until Zane unfused, or deal with it. Given he couldn't remember how long the former would take, he had to defeat Zane with his new abilities.

How could he deal with that speed? He had to think. Garmadon's advice started to go through his head. Half of it was completely unusable. The other half seemed to be inapplicable to the situation. He was thinking as fast as he could, as Zane would attack any second.

_Okay, Wu used to say this one. Ahem. If you can't deal with your enemy, deal with yourself. _For some reason, that was what Lulloyd thought of. Deal with himself though? What did that mean? He wanted to take more time, but Zane was on him again.

With his back to the wall, Lulloyd could deal with Zane's attack with far more accuracy. His sword classed against shuriken once, thrice, seven times, no it was ten times when Zane finally backed off. Lulloyd felt his body starting to shake. He was using up so much energy, he might soon collapse just from running so fast. He had to defeat Zane soon.

"If you surrender now, I will cease our fighting," Zane stopped in front of Lulloyd, still hunched over slightly ready to pounce, "As you can see, the difference in our abilities is slight but significant."

"I-I won't let you defeat me!" Lulloyd shook his head, "I can't let you defeat me! I don't have your Crystal, I'm only defending, myself!"

Zane's eyes slowly narrowed, then he sighed, "If that is your decision, then I will do my best not to have reservations about our battle."

With that Zane disappeared, and once more, Lulloyd began to frantically wonder what to do even as his eyes were glued to the seemingly disappearing Ninja in front of him. Garmadon had prepared him for many things, but not this. Zane struck once more, sending a shot of pain through his left arm. Perhaps his father hadn't prepared him for anything at all.

* * *

"Realm Crystal, now!" Jay shouted.

Lloyd stared at the hole that Nya had blasted behind Lloyd. The floor in front of him also had a massive hole from Lulloyd, making this room far more open then it should've been. His instincts were telling him to go after Harumi, but a massive wasp nearly as large as his torso stood between him and the outside. It seemed to stand sentry between the hole and rain, while Jay covered the hallway.

"Is that thing your chi?" Lloyd asked pointedly. Jay blinked and cocked his head.

"Uh… yeah, what else would it be?" Jay pointed his nunchucks at Lloyd, "The real question is where is _your_ chi? Shouldn't you, you know, have it out by now?"

"I… don't like revealing it so early," Lloyd improvised, "You know, I like to challenge myself!"

"Really?" Jay shook his head, "That's a weird challenge if you ask me!"

"Yeah, it's, something that I was always taught to do," Lloyd shook his head, "Trust me, you wouldn't understand."

"You're right, I wouldn't!" Jay spun his nunchucks in the air, "But if that's the type of fight you want, then that's the one you're gonna get!"

Lloyd's eyes turned as something flashed behind him. The wasp behind him began to rapidly emanate electricity, striking the ground and sizzling as the sparks dispersed into the wood. Lloyd blinked, but suddenly what looked like a spear shot up from the ground where the spark stopped right in front of him. As he stepped back, another one shot up, just barely missing him. The wasp continued to eminate sparks, pouring into the wood and launching the strange spears at him.

Lloyd looked to Jay, who was still spinning his nunchucks. Lloyd backed up towards the edge of the hole, trying to leap his way over towards Jay. Without warning, sparks suddenly moved up into the wall and then shot spears out straight from it, causing Lloyd to yell out in surprise and throw his body back closer towards the wasp. The wasp simply buzzed at him.

"I'm not gonna let you get close to me!" Jay declared, "You'll have to handle my chi!"

Lloyd groaned, then turned his body towards the wasp. He planted his feet into the ground, readying himself. Just as he suspected, more spears shot up from the ground right under him. Lloyd immediately ran forward as soon as they appeared and grabbed and swung his fists towards the wasp, ready to breaka it. As soon as he did, however, the wasp disappeared.

Lloyd blinked, stunned as it seemed simply gone. He heard too late Jay's charged up nunchucks already discharging a blue bolt right for him. Lloyd saw it too late, the impact causing a thunderclap that sent him out through the hole in the building. He grabbed the edge of the hole at the last minute, preventing him from being flung out.

"Bullseye! Alright, tell us where the Realm Crystal is… hey wait!" Jay blinked in confusion as Lloyd easily climbed back up and stood up with only a small shake of his shoulders, "I'm sure I put a lot into that shock!"

"Yeah… I've gotten shocked a lot. And burned. Crushed. Oh, and frozen. Also…" Lloyd's hands began to glow with green energy, "You might say that lightning is apart of who I am."

"Nu-uh!" Jay frowned, "I'm the Master of Lightning, I'm the most lightning thing you could ever be! I won't let you just steal my thunder like that!"

Lloyd rolled his eyes at Jay's pun. Jay began to spin up another strike, but suddenly stopped. Instead, he let his nunchucks drop and his wasp appeared beside him. As it began to eminate sparks, Lloyd noticed that all those sparks were coming right from its stinger.

"You checking out my chi?" Jay asked while the sparks began to travel for Lloyd, "You should! Trust me, you do _not_ want to get stung by that!"

"So… your primary attack with it is stinging someone?" Lloyd asked. Jay's hand stopped for a moment.

"Yeah, what else would a wasp do?" Jay shook his head, "Why does everyone think chi can't be literal? It's an animal and ohmygosh!"

In the span Jay had begun to talk, Lloyd had slung a massive green energy ball towards Jay. The ninja dodged, his wasp disappearing as his concentration was broken. Jay countered by letting his nunchucks send a burst of lightning throughout the room. Lloyd countered in turn by forming another energy ball and catching the lightning full on. The ball turned a hard blue and began to crackle before he lobbed it right back at Jay, who had only enough time to have his eyes widen before it collided with his face.

Jay shouted as his body convulsed with the electricity sent right back into his body. Lloyd watched him go down and shook his head, "Didn't Wu teach you talking during fights is your biggest weakness?" Lloyd looked around, then settled on using the bedsheets to tie Jay's arms behind his back, "I guess Morro never taught you that green power can reflect and absorb your guys' power, huh?"

Jay let out a little whine in response. Normally, Lloyd would have reservations about using the green power, but with Harumi having gone into the ocean, his mind wasn't thinking about it. Instead, he needed to get out there fast. Lloyd dragged Jay over and hooked the makeshift rope to the bedposts, then rushed quickly towards the massive hole in the wall where Harumi had gone flying. Looking back at Jay, Lloyd shook his head and leapt out into the rain with a cry of 'NINJAGO!' as he spun into his Spinjitzu to the pier below.

* * *

Monty stared Wu down with eyes that could freeze something colder than Zane's ice. The ghost had produced a katana from behind his bed, the pistol still in hand. The SoS shown as lightning outside lit the room up with a sudden flash, still sheathed. A twirl of his hand holding the firearm collected the capes scattered across the room with a breeze and violently stuffed them back into the large wardrobe. Just to make sure they didn't come out, Monty used his wind to rotate the wardrobe so the opening doors faced the wall.

"Your control over wind has grown considerably, Monty," Wu spun his staff and pointed it towards Monty, "You've become a true master of your element."

"Can it, Wu, I don't know why you're here but I'm not having any of this," Monty snarled, "Get. Out. Of. My. Shop."

"Ronin owns this particular establishment, doesn't he?" Wu's lips betrayed a grin, "That would mean you cannot tell me to leave."

"Oh, is that how you're going to play this one?" Monty spat, "Then let's go ahead and-"

Monty didn't even finish his statement. His gun fired three times in rapid succession, his hand not even flinching with the knockback. Wu crouched and slid to the floor, avoiding his head being shot off. His free hand shot out and grabbed a piece of broken wood, throwing it perfectly so it knocked the gun from Monty's hand.

The ghost raced forward, bringing his sword down towards Wu's left shoulder. Wu rotated his staff up to intercept it, then followed with a kick to Monty's abdomen. The ghost just looked down at the foot passing through him and solidified his right hand to jab towards Wu's chin.

Wu responded by breaking their sword lock with a cry of 'hhooyah!' as his fist struck his own staff. The force rattled Monty, unsteadying him for a few precious moments. Wu followed up with planting his staff into the ground and swinging his body horizontally, kicking right at Monty's sword. The force sent the blade off into the wall. Monty retaliated by his other hand creating a vacumn that sucked the gun back to him, cocking, and aiming for Wu's chest.

This time, Wu didn't have time to dodge. Wu was knocked backwards as the bullet embedded in his staff, having barely moved the staff into place in time. He didn't get time to recover as Monty unloaded the remaining two shots at him again, making Wu once more have to gain two new bullets in the wood of his father's staff.

Instead of reloading his gun, Monty drew his hand holding the gun back and threw the firearm, adding some wind to increase its speed. Wu reached up and caught the gun in his free hand, only to have it shot away as Monty had another pistol in hand.

Another shot forced Wu to dodge down and to his left. He weaved back upwards, jumping forward even as Monty fired another shot. The bullet made Wu bob down and weave around again. Monty leapt backwards, giving him more room to fire two more shots, both of which were right in the middle of Wu's path. Wu responded by using his staff to anchor himself and leaping up into the air, somersaulting, and landing in front of Monty.

Too close for him to fire, Monty forewent the gun and instead opened his mouth, blowing out with the force hard enough to Wu back. The Master leapt away instead, but Monty used the space to draw the gun up again and fire the remaining two shots before Wu had even hit the ground. Wu once more used his staff to intercept the blows.

Monty planted his back foot, only to hiss in pain. He turned around to see the back of his foot had splashed a tiny bit of water that was leaking from the floor above him. The leak was towards the exterior wall, but cut off his space to work with. He once more tossed the gun aside and sent a burst of wind out of his left foot to hit a floorboard, causing two semi-automatic rifles to launch into the air. He darted forward and caught them, slammed them against his momentarily solid sides to jam the clips in, then held them both at slight angles and fired them rapidly.

Without true mass to steady the guns, Monty released a tiny stream of air from his hands to hold the guns steady. The spray struck the wall to Wu's left and tracked the fleeing Master until he moved in front of Monty's dresser. Monty responded by pulling his guns in closer, forming a perfect V that closed in on Wu's feet. Wu leapt off the ground and kicked off the wardrobe to jump forward, then rolled as he hit the ground and leapt up again for Monty.

Monty raised one rifle up fired hard at Wu, the muzzle flashing which every bullet that came out. As the gun clicked, Wu brought his staff down. Monty lowered the empty gun and raised the still filled one, firing hard into Wu's staff. Wu gripped his weapon to remain holding it, but the force made his momentum slow and land further in front of Monty. Monty threw his two guns up in the air and brought his left foot out in a kick, hitting Wu in his hip. Wu slid backwards from the force, and once the guns came back down, Monty caught them and opened fire with what was left in one of them, while his other hand worked quickly to reload the other.

Wu moved fast, his staff seemingly taking each bullet head on. Once his other gun was out, Monty tossed it aside and put both hands on his other gun. His shots went right for Wu's feet, making him either back up or weave to avoid the gunfire. Monty took a few steps forward to distance himself from the water still dripping in from the ceiling.

Once Monty's gun clicked again, the ghost groaned in anger and tossed the gun aside. He stared at Wu, looking for any sign of damage he'd inflicted on the Master. Aside from seeing Wu's breath coming with a bit of a labored pace, he saw nothing. The ghost started to frown, then he instead chuckled.

"Wow, you're just as fast as I remember you being," Monty drew a taser from inside his plate armor, "Your attacks are weak though. I thought you could outsmart anything."

"I never knew you had fallen so far, you would resort to such petty weapons for your battles," Wu gestured to the guns strewn around the floor, "That is not the path of a ninja."

"You're right," Monty shrugged, "I'm not a ninja. I'm a ghost. No need to worry about honor when you're already dead, you know."

"I would prefer not to fight you any further, Monty," Wu sighed, "Seeing this only reminds me of the potential that you had. To see how far you have truly fallen… it pains me to think this is what your life truly is. Running errands with a thief is not what you were meant for."

"I'm getting tired of talking," Monty laughed, "So how about I go ahead and take you out already?"

Monty punctuated his statement by firing his taser, the two prongs launching out for Wu. They were far too slow for them to even think of hitting home, but Wu had no sooner dove to his right before Monty was atop of him, bringing a massive punch right into his face. Wu took the blow, his head twisting the opposite direction. Monty grabbed Wu's back and slammed his knee right into Wu's torso, then brought his elbow down on the back of Wu's head. He finished his assault by kicking Wu in the chin, sending him onto his back.

Wu opened his eyes to see a glimmer of gold coming for his head. He rolled to his left, but once more Monty was atop of him, this time with his taser ready. Monty jammed the weapon right into Wu's right arm and activated it, sending the volts into Wu's body. Wu's eyes narrowed in pain, his lips curling into a grimace. His other hand fought through the shock and knocked the taser aside. Monty brought his foot down on Wu's tased arm just to follow up before Wu managed to slide away.

Monty held the SoS in hand, its surface glimmering off the dull gray light in the room. He wore a small tiny grin on his face. Wu slowly got up to his feet, using the hand that Monty had just tased and stomped on to wipe his face and pick his staff up from the ground. Monty's eyes betrayed a bit of surprise Wu had barely taken any damage from his assault.

"So… not only do you resort to weapons of a coward, but you will abuse the powers of that sword you should not have to defeat me?" Wu leaned forward on his staff, "Is that truly even a victory, Monty?"

"Any victory is a victory," Monty shook his head, "Anyone that tries to claim winning honorably is the way to go are the ones that end up on the pile first. Now…" Monty hovered the blade in front of his face, nodding his head, "Maybe I can get you out of my shop when I know your every move!"

Monty thrust his other hand forward, sending a massive vortex out towards Wu. Wu thrust his staff out in front of him to intercept it, pressing him hard against the wall. Monty thrust the SoS into the air, slicing with it three times, each one sending a small slice of compressed air at Wu. Wu, still pressed into the wall, slid down the wall and slid from side to side as each slice hit the wall. Wu narrowed his eyes, only to feel his left foot being knocked out from under him as he was staggered. Monty followed up by rotating the SoS in hand, then using its hilt to drive a massive uppercut into Wu's chin.

Monty looked to Wu again, expecting him to fall to the ground. Wu, however, instead simply looked down at Monty with eyes laced with anger. Monty just scoffed and punched Wu directly in the gut, making Wu's anger only seem to grow. Wu lashed out with his hand, gripping Monty's wrist where he knew Monty would have corporeal and shoved Monty away.

"You cannot beat me with dirty tricks, Monty," Wu hissed, "I have fought in wars, I have faced down hundreds of foes at once, and have defended Ninjago for years. Give us the Realm Crystal."

"Firstly, I don't have it. Secondly, even if I did have it, I would have sold it to you, though right now the price for buying it is GET OUT OF MY STORE!"

"Such anger," Wu shook his head, "An unstable mind will lead to an unsteady blade."

"Still trying that?" Monty growled, "You must be a really sore loser."

"This is a fight I will not lose," Wu struck the ground with his staff, "This is your last chance, Monty. My ninja are taking care of your allies. If you hid it with them, then it will swiftly be ours."

"Allies? Those guys are just here to help Ronin," Monty shook his head, "I couldn't care less what happens to them. In fact, let your ninja get them out of here, it's a lot quieter without them."

"Then this shall be a swift conclusion," Wu chuckled, "A team with no loyalty i-"

Wu ducked to the side as a bullet flew by. Monty held another pistol up, bracing his arm with the flat end of the SoS. His eye twitched as he fired off another three shots, each one making his body quiver.

"If I hear one more stupid lesson from you, I'll take you head off!" Monty spat.

"Hmmph, I believe you have seen how that will go by now, Monty." Wu straightened himself up and shook his head.

Monty didn't even take another moment. Surrounding the SoS's blade with a column of compressed air, he shouted as he swung himself back into the fray of battle. As blade and staff clashed, the room was filled with the sound of metal, gunfire, and the rattling of the walls with the full force of the ghost's element.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, we get into the fight that I spent the most time on. I love anime, if my subtle (cough) references haven’t shown that already. One thing I love about anime are Shonuen titles, or battle anime. A lot of how I write action is inspired by watching those fights, and thus, when I wrote these chapters, I decided to write four at once and then impose them on one another. 
> 
> A lot of how I write Monty’s fighting is based off of the scene where Morro burns his hands on the Realm Crystal. My theory is this: ghosts have to focus to solidify parts of their body to interact with the world. When they do, those parts will act like normal humans. If a sword cuts them, they won’t loose the arm unless it’s made of deepstone/vengestone, but they’ll feel the pain of it. To fire a fun, Monty has to keep his hands solid to actually pull the trigger. There will be more explinations as to his mechanics later, but this is one I wanted to get out. 
> 
> Happy first Ninjaverse of 2020!


	15. Chapter 15

If there was something Harumi hated, it was being beaten. Nobdy liked to lose. If they were showboating, then perhaps they deserved to lose, but being bested in combat was another feeling altogether. So, as another strike from Nya sent her smacking her face into her own shield, Harumi had to hold herself back from wearing it down further by punching it in anger, as hard as that was becoming.

"Are you just going to hide in that thing until you run out of air?" Nya's distorted voice filled Harumi's ears, "I don't have to breathe right now."

Harumi slowly picked herself up. At the very least Nya had confirmed that her backup plan of trying to wait Nya out was pointless. That left her with her first plan, which currently she was still working out. As she got to her knees, she could barely see anything. Nya had pushed her down far enough that the limited light of the storm was no longer reaching down, and the pressure was building against her. No sooner had she gotten to her feet, she was jostled forward by another strike from Nya beneath her. She slammed back down again, groaning in pain. Harumi tried to bite her lip, to keep from shouting, but her lungs were already too strained for that anyways.

At the moment Harumi wasn't keeping track of time. She opened her mouth to exhale, the sound harsh and raspy as she pulled another breath up into her lungs. The air already tasted stale, which only reminded her time was limited. The surface above had long since drifted away, with Nya's strikes dragging her further and further into the water. Even had it not been storming outside, seeing around her would likely still be impossible.

"Now that you aren't fighting back,," Nya's voice rang out, "I wasn't sure about it until now but… that's green power, isn't it?"

Harumi looked around to try to see where Nya was. The ninja wasn't anywhere to be found, making trying to answer her a massive difficulty. Instead, she just closed her eyes, trying not to focus on her as she wracked her brain for a way out of this. At the very least Nya had finally realized she was using it after however long they'd been fighting; she was beginning to wonder if this said anything about her dad's team as a whole.

"How do you have that?" Nya's voice came out slightly more accusatory, "Morro is the Green Ninja…" Nya paused, making Harumi for a moment think that perhaps she wanted her to respond. Harumi steadied herself as best she could, hoping perhaps this revelation would bring about some chances to actually talk!

Then a strike from behind sent her again her shield again. Harumi raised her fist to hit something in exasperation, her hand only stayed by her will. She turned around to see Nya with her hands gripping the shield. The fact she was actually touching her power now meant when fused chi no longer ignored her elemental powers. Yes, the repeated strikes had already proven that, but it was nice to see. Thankfully, it only made her situation a little less hopeless.

"This is definitely Morro's power…" Nya's eyes opened wide, "Now I see… alright, how about you and I make a little deal here?" Nya leaned against the shield as though it was some sort of wall, "Tell me how you have this power, and we'll see about letting you go!"

Harumi slowly moved her hand up to point to her mouth and waved to the space around her. Nya let go of the shield and drifted back a few feet in the water. Just that distance alone made seeing her already incredibly difficult.

"I know you can talk just fine in there," Nya shook her head, "Tell me how you got this power and we can work something out!"

"Fine," Harumi replied, the air in her lungs berating her for it, "I tell you that, you tell me why you want the Realm Crystal."

"...No," Nya sighed, "I.. .can't tell you that."

"Then there's no deal," Harumi bit her lip as her lungs seemingly tightened.

Seeing Nya's face made it clear that the deal on the table was one Nya clearly wanted to take. Harumi, however, noted that Nya's chi wasn't disipatting. Something was preventing Nya from talking about that, and Harumi's mind was racing with ideas. Even if it was, however, she'd only used up time talking, and her hopes of this being the end of their fight were dwindling.

Nya sped back into the inky depths, leaving Harumi floating in the water alone once more. Harumi weighed her options; she could make a dash for the surface, but that was a risk. For one, she'd have to drop her shield to propel herself upwards, and Nya was far too fast for her to do that effectively. Nya's strikes meant she was bobbing around in the water without much ability to move herself otherwise. She had maybe one more breath in her air supply before she had surface. But she had to do something! She had to hit Nya. She couldn't sit here and let Nya wail away at her shield until it broke.

Her hands came together to form a Rhotatae disc. Rhotate drew upon energy that wasn't linked to elemental, and likewise she could draw it from anywhere in her body. If she parsed out her shots, she had at least twenty before the need for air would overtake her. She closed her eyes, waiting for the moment. She had no idea where Nya was, and the only time she did was, sadly, when she was struck. There wasn't enough light penetrating this far down to let her see anything, So she would have to wait. If she could hit Nya, then she could get the advantage.

She felt a strike to her left. Once her body jostled to the right, she whipped around and fired her disc. The white disc turned a crackling green once it passed through her shield, and when Harumi opened her eyes she saw Nya pushed away from her. A burst of concentration filled her body as she focused on holding her disc directly against Nya. For a moment, she felt a surge of triumph.

Nya thrashed around in the water for a few moments, her movements going wild. Harumi's eyes narrowed as she tried to track Nya, still trying to hold the spinning disc against her. Nya thrashed around animalistically, finally managing to twist her chest to send the disc flying off into the unknown. Before she could redirect it, Nya had vanished into the depths.

_NO! _Harumi cursed to herself, dissipating the disc, _Great, great! Now she's going to expect that! She got too far away! _Like any projectile, the further away that one went the longer it took to change the arc of its trajectory. If Nya could just swim away, eventually she couldn't correct for even small motions.

"Nice trick," Nya's voice rang out again, "Not that it'll work again. If you give up now, I won't have to make you suffocate. You seem like a good fighter, I respect that. Don't make me end this fight in a lame way like that!"

Harumi couldn't tell if Nya was taunting her or giving her a compliment. Either way, she knew that she couldn't stand up to Nya right now. In maybe the next twenty seconds, she'd have to use the rest of her air. Nya kept talking.

"I know you're in that little air bubble. I don't know how much longer you got left, but I've done that whole can't-breathe-underwater thing. Drowning really sucks. Just, drop your shield, and I'll pull you to the surface. And then you can give me the Realm Crystal and we'll be done."

Harumi thought about that. She could very well trick Nya by doing that… but Nya would expect that. Nya was trying to figure her out, and that meant obvious tricks wouldn't work. Nya already had gotten hit by her Rhotatae and gotten away, so it wasn't as if she was in the dark as to her abilities.

"Five seconds. Drop your shield, and I'll take you up. No drowning. Please, Harumi. I just, I just need the Realm Crystal. Please…"

Nya's tone. It wasn't angry. It was… was that desperation? That wasn't anything like the Nya that Harumi knew. The Nya she knew wouldn't ever do anything to jeopardize her mission like this. Harumi's mind was racing. Could she trust Nya here..? She… no, no she couldn't. It didn't matter the situation. Something with Nya and the others was wrong. Her father's friends would never have ambushed them like this. She couldn't sit back and pray Nya would help her.

She had to think of a way to beat Nya. If Nya caught her, then that would stack the numbers against the others. Kai, Cole and Morro weren't here, meaning right now they were balanced if she, reluctantly, counted Monty. But… without her, Lloyd and Lulloyd would be at risk.

She let the five seconds pass. Nya's voice didn't come right away, and when it did it was a simple exasperated 'Fine.' Harumi didn't see her swimming off, but she had an idea. She'd have to wait though. She opened her mouth, exhaled, and took in the remaining air she had in the bubble. It wasn't much, but it would be enough.

The shield was struck. Then again. And again. Nya was taking short, quick strikes now as opposed to building up momentum through long dashes. With her stamina already so low, it wouldn't take that long. Harumi gave her a commendation that Nya was a tactical thinker. But that praise was lost amongst the battering making her body jostle, thrust and roll around inside of her shield, each strike sending a small pain she was sure would bruise.

The impacts kept coming. Her shield began to shrink in size. She pulled in its diameter so as to increase its density, even if that meant she was being hit with what felt like harder force. Her lungs were starting to burn. Her eyes were watering, so she shut them. Nya kept coming. The sound of energy cracking with every hit blended together as Nya wailed away. Harumi held on.

Soon her shield was only as wide as her arm span. Nya gave three last hard strikes before she backed away. Harumi winced, figuring now Nya was going back to hard rams after softening her up. Indeed, a few seconds later she felt a hard strike that seemed to go right up her right leg all the way to her neck. Just as she expected, Nya soon disappeared. Her body was starting to quake. She was running out of air. She forced the need down as best she could. She had to last.

Two more strikes. She counted. Seven seconds. Seven seconds before each impact. Harumi shrunk her shield so she had to crouch to be inside of it. Easier to maintain. Her nostrils tried to take in some air, but there wasn't anything meaningful left inside of the bubble. Her face was starting to go blue. Dizzy, she was starting to get dizzy. She stopped focusing on everything but the shield. The shield, and her thoughts.

One more strike. Harumi exhaled hard. Nya was gearing up for another. She counted. When she got to six, she opened her eyes and dropped her shield. Water rushed in and struck her from all sides. She looked around until she saw Nya coming from behind her. Nya's pace had slowed in response to seeing her drop her shield. Harumi smirked, then thrust her hands forward right up into Nya's chest.

Harumi unleashed a Rhotatae with all the remaining energy she had left. The glowing disc fired up into Nya and pushed her up. With one hand, Harumi held the disc against Nya, the other gripping Nya's shoulder. The force stored in the disc shot Nya through the water like a life vest, and with Harumi holding on, she was being carried up with Nya. The shock was enough that Nya didn't begin to thrash until several seconds after the strike.

Even as Nya thrashed, Harumi held on. She was putting all she had into this. Her lungs had long since dulled in pain, and she knew if she shut her eyes now, it'd be over. She focused. The darkness around them vanished rapidly, turning into the muted light above. Nya tried to kick, punch, anything to her, but Harumi's grip was a death one. The surface rocketed faster towards them.

Then Harumi felt it. Air. The spray of the waves and the water from the ocean above hit her face, and once it did, she gasped desperately. Her lungs burned as she forced the air into them. She held the disc on for a few more seconds until finally she could no longer compete with gravity. The two hit the top of their arc several feet above the waves.

Harumi looked to Nya. The water ninja was gasping for air. Her theory had been correct: her chi changed her ability to breathe air into that of water. Harumi turned and grabbed Nya's shoulders with both hands, pulling her in close. Nya was too starved of her own air to fight back.

Soon they were falling. Harumi took in another hard breath and formed a massive shield around the two of them. They hit the surface of the water, but this time the shield rocked in the waves rather than submerging. Rain poured against the sides and waves buffeted it up and down. Harumi looked down and then relaxed her body, letting it fall through her own shield. Nya was left inside. Harumi gripped the massive energy ball with both hands to prevent the waves from taking her under.

Inside of the shield, Nya gasped for breath. Without water inside, Nya was now in Harumi's previous exact situation. Nya struck the side of the shield with her hand, trying to break it. With air on her side, however, Harumi had to hold on. Her body and shield were rolled about in the waves, but Harumi held on.

Nya struck. She struck again. And again. Each time, now she was trying to break out of it. Harumi held on. The waves would bob her head in and out of the surface, sending her rocking in the waves. She had to keep Nya inside. Nya's eyes turned towards her, a pleading look in them as she became a fish on dry land. Harumi held her gaze, her expression unchanging as she watched Nya thrash.

Finally, the ninja stopped moving. After a few seconds, aura formed around Nya once more, and all of her shark-like features vanished. Harumi watched Nya's shark materialize from her chest and separate, at which point Nya's chest faintly began to rise. The second it did, Harumi dropped her shield and grabbed Nya with one arm. With the waves crashing around them, she looked around frantically. Her eyes landed on a nearby pier.

Slowly, Harumi swam. Her body burned. Swimming right now was difficult, but while carrying Nya it was agonizing. She continued to paddle, paddle her way through the water. But as she began to swam, she realized somethign. She wasn't getting closer to the pier. She was being htrown around in the water, and the waves were carrying her instead.

"N-No…!" Harumi gasped. She didn't have the strength anymore. She'd used it all up trying to defeat Nya! She paddled again, but Nya's weight was too much. She couldn't make it with both of them. Panic shot through her as she realized she wasn't going to be able to get back. She'd beaten Nya, but…

"H-Help!" Harumi shouted, "Someone, help me!"

In response, Harumi heard something splash in front of her. It was a piece of wood, with a large rope tied around the center. Without questioning, she reached out, grabbing onto it with one hand and holding Nya in the other. The wood began to drag itself through the waves towards the pier. Harumi slowly gasped as she was pulled along, then up out of ther water still carrying the unconcious ninja.

When Harumi managed to throw Nya up over the pier, she looked up to see who had saved her. Lloyd was panting hard, the rope in his hands and rain having soaked through his clothes. He looked down to Harumi, who looked up to him with a mixture of anger, confusion, and a hint of gratitude breaking through her harsh eyes.

"Are you okay?" Lloyd asked as he reached down to pull Harumi up to her feet.

"I'm… I'm fine…" Harumi turned to Nya, "She'll be fine too. Let's go find a place to put her and… and get back to the shop."

"You got pushed pretty far…" Lloyd turned, directing Harumi's gaze to show they were indeed on the opposite side of Stixx, "But you're right. Can you walk?"

"I'm… I'm fine!" Harumi coughed out, hitting her chest several times, "Just, help me grab Nya and, we'll get going!"

Harumi turned her gaze away from Lloyd, who simply nodded and reached down to grab one of Nya's arms. As Harumi picked up the other, the two slowly carried the girl along to find a place to keep her safe and out of hte fight. As they walked, Harumi could only pray the other's fights were going better than her's had.

* * *

If there was one thing that Lulloyd had relied upon his entire life, it had been his speed. Chad trying to throw some can of paint on him? Dodge fast. The school bus trying to leave him behind again? Run fast and grab onto the back door. His dad trying to teach him how to fight? Get away as fast as possible and just wait until either his mother stepped in to stop or join to fight. The more he thought about it, being fast was his 'thing' on the team.

Being met with someone that could keep up with him was, in many ways, unnerving. Not even his dad at full sprint could reach Lulloyd. Zane, however, was just as fast if not slightly faster, given that Lulloyd had to constantly keep moving risk getting hit in the time it took to turn around and swing. He just prayed any merchandise the two were knocking over wasn't going to be held against him.

He had to turn around and do something. His eyes landed on a few boxes. Lulloyd spun himself in the air and struck the crates with both feet, fully halting his momentum. He landed on the ground, and not a second later his sword was rapidly spinning to reflect the strikes of Zane's shurikens. Sparks flew about the room as the two struck faster than the average swordsman. Lulloyd's body rapidly flew about, striking randomly from spot to spot to break Zane's defense, moving fast enough his body became a rectangular blur the harder he struck.

A flash of silver made Lulloyd break off his attack, kicking off Zane's chest just in time to avoid getting his head pummeled by Zane's fist. Time seemed to slow down as he drifted away from Zane, their eyes meeting. Zane had no pupils, only the hard blue glow that his wolf had shared.

Lulloyd hit the floor, letting himself go down to his back so he could slide away from Zane. Zane's sword struck true a moment later, hitting the wood where he had been. Lulloyd rotated his arm out and gripped the edge of a barrel of what looked like a stack of flagpoles, yanking it to the ground while he got to his feet.

Sheathing his sword, Lulloyd struck the poles, turning them into bricks. He saw a shelf on the wall and struck it, seeing it turn into side-mounted studs. He quickly plugged the staffs into the holes, then swung the entire thing out, the 'shelf' hooking around Zane's back. He gripped the large handles and yanked forward, sending his body sliding down them so his feet struck Zane's head. As Lulloyd landed, he saw Zane's arm had blocked his feet. The moment of pause was all he needed to take another shelf off the wall by backflipping and slide the bricks down the pole, connecting them with a tile to form a bind around Zane's torso.

Without a moment's pause, Lulloyd grabbed the two handles he'd created for himself, hitting the ground to give a stud for his foot to plug into. He spun his body rapidly around that stud, going until he felt ready to fly off. He let go of the contraption, sending a trapped Zane off into the wall. A large tapestry showing something Serpentine was torn in half as Zane landed. Lulloyd really hoped Ronin wouldn't notice.

Lulloyd drew his sword, anticipating Zane to not go action was what saved him from an instant loss, as Zane's shuriken had flown out of the rubble created. By now, at least, Zane was picking up his already thrown shurikens, meaning he didn't have a seemingly infinite stash of them! Lulloyd batted it away, then his eyes flashed. He leapt out quickly, grabbing the star and throwing it right back. Zane's glowing hand caught it, before Zane disappeared again.

It was time to run again. Lulloyd barely saved himself from another strike, being forced to run around the room once more, zipping from place to place with Zane on his tail. He didn't have time to look behind him and see if Zane was there, he could only keep running.

Running wasn't going to get him anywhere though. This was a situation he'd been in before actually. Garmadon had taken him and the team out into the jungle once more, and this time given them each a piece of a puzzle. They were given an hour to hide, then Garmadon would hunt them down. It seemed simple at the time, a training exercise that would end within the day.

Only it hadn't ended within the day. Three days was how long it took. Lulloyd had at first tried to run away on foot, but Garmadon never gave him rest. So he'd improvised, using whatever he could to get away. Nothing would get him ahead, however. It had only been him finding an old wrecked Shark Army vehicle he had been able to rebuild that let him escape. Even then, he'd run for far too long, being unable to sleep, lest the sight of his father with a look of madness crawling after him grace his sight.

Thus, it was not the situation that was throwing Lulloyd off; his speed had always been his strength. No, it was the fact that Zane wasn't falling off with his speed, not even slowing down with each passing second, that was getting to him. He could easily keep up this speed for another half hour if need be… but he was certain he didn't have that time.

Assuming Harumi and Lloyd were wrapped up in their battles, then Lulloyd didn't have much time. If one of them needed help, that would mean that others would be coming for him. He wasn't sure how long, but his father had always said if you were unsure, give it three minutes. Three minutes. That's how long he had to find a way to beat Zane.

He took his stock of his surroundings. He was in a store of things that Ronin had acquired. Artifacts. But he couldn't rely on those. A good number of things were already knocked over and unusable. He didn't know what they did, or if they were even real, which meant that he had to work with basically only normal materials around him. All while not even being able to land long enough to fully see it all!

Now Lulloyd was jumping up on the walls, rocking his hips back and then thrusting his legs vertical to launch away. An errant foothold cost him a second, and in that second Zane's fist had come at him again. Just his fist. As Lulloyd started running, he realized it.

Having an elemental power that didn't allow him to physically do anything, Lulloyd was used to everyone around him using it. Zane, however, hadn't even manifested a single bit of ice yet, not since that wolf leapt into him. Could it be that fusing locked away the ability to use elemental powers?

If that was the case, if Lulloyd caught Zane, then he was… trapped. Like, an animal! Maybe not that far, but Lulloyd started to think. He needed a trap that he could catch Zane in long enough to escape. A trap was a plan. And he had a plan, even if it was one that he didn't know would work.

"Hey, Zane!" Lulloyd shouted, "Is it cold being part wolf?"

"Cold?" Zane asked, still leaping off walls and floor alike, "I believe the correct term is 'cool,' to indicate a certain amount of fascination. That is what the others have said in the past."

"N-Nope!" Lulloyd shouted, "Cold, low temperatures, all that!"

"...Fusing does slightly lower my internal core temperature, but nothing that would compromise the overall integrity of my systems," Zane responded back calmly, "...Pixel, run core temperature diagnostics!" A few seconds later, Zane nodded his head while leaping forward, "Core temperature margin is within tolerance."

"That's… too bad!" Lulloyd shouted, "I was hoping that I could help you cool off after this battle!"

"If you are attempting to imply that you will be the winner, I believe the outcome to this fight is obvious," Zane called back, "However, I believe after you have returned our Realm Crystal, you will indeed let us 'cool off.'"

"W-Well I guess we'll have to see," Lulloyd shook his head, "Who's, gonna win!"

With that, Lulloyd flung his hood off ,causing it to flatten out and flap off towards Zane's head. Zane indeed was stunned, his vision cut off momentarily by the cloth. As he reached up to take it away, Lulloyd hit the ground and looked to the rafters, working a plan out that he would use. If he knew anything about buildings, it was that rafters were usually supported. And if those supports were what he thought they were...

He ran up the wall and hit the rafters, his eyes narrowing upon seeing just what he wanted: technic beams. His fists strucks each bit of the wall, revealing one spaced evenly along the spots. Ronin had really built this place sturdy, and Lulloyd would use that.

He didn't have much longer, however. Zane had thrown the hood aside and come at him again. Lulloyd only hit the ground and continued to dodge. He needed parts. Part he had to grab and work at with Zane seeing them. And he had to do it fast. He had ninety seconds left.

Whenever he'd hit the ceiling, he'd hit something else. Something else he needed. More pieces. He guessed he had maybe about thirty seconds after he hit something before it turned back to normal. He kept hitting. Kept punching. More things turned into bricks. More things for him to work with. More things he could use.

A stray punch allowed Zane's arm to grab his own, stunning him. Zane winded him up with robotic strength, slamming Lulloyd's back into the floor. He hit the floor hard, skidding across it and rolling until he landed on his side, then promptly fell onto his back.

"If you are planning something against me," Zane shook his head, "I have analyzed your strange ability, and Pixel has determined it cannot be a threat against me."

"It's not a threat…" Lulloyd sighed, "But you wanna know what… is a threat?"

"What would that be?" Zane shook his head, "I will let you know I have heard many one liners in the past, primarily from Kai."

"...Well I don't have one, but, think fast!" Lulloyd stated, then hit the floor under Zane with both hands, causing it to turn to tiles he rapidly disassembled.

Zane's foot was lost, sending him down onto all fours. Lulloyd quickly leapt up into the air, striking the pieces he'd formed and working fast. The rafter beams rotated down, one end of each still connected, meaning the four hung down in a near rectangular shape. Quickly, Lulloyd began to scavenge for all the pins he could find, plugging them in and using the floor tiles to form a 'wall' around Zane's sides. A few bent side connectors and he used plates to quickly form the two adjacent walls around Zane. Soon, Zane was trapped between the walls, going just above his head and down to his feet.

Lulloyd wouldn't stop there. Before Zane could attack the walls, Lulloyd had grabbed a set of chains from fishing hooks and a broken harpoon and began looping Zane's hands in them. Zane looked to Lulloyd, trying to yank free, but Lulloyd had already used a long plate to slide between the chain and rapidly built up studs until he topped it with another plate, forming a binder the chains were linked into. With a large kick, he sent the studs atop the binder into the inside wall of the cage, effectively plugging Zane's chains around his arms into a binder now attacked to the wall of his cell.

To finish off the cage, Lulloyd took a large plate from what used to be the desk he'd earlier turned into the device blocking the hallway, causing it to fall apart. As the desk reformed, he plugged the top of the cage with what was originally the desk's surface. Now Zane was trapped in the cage, unable to move his hands, and the entire cage built into the ceiling with the rafters still connected at the top.

There was one last thing. Earlier, when Lulloyd had knocked over Monty's tools, he'd seen something. Something that he now leapt back and grabbed. He'd left a single slot in the cage. One that he now stuck the taser through and pressed to Zane's trapped body. With a small wince, he shut his eyes and then turned it on.

Zane garbled out nonsense as his systems were shocked, scrambling all of his calculations. Lulloyd muttered out 'sorry, sorry, sorry!' over and over again as he held the taser to what was a version of his friend. He held it on until he saw the aura around Zane form again. When the aura did form, he heard the sound of a wolf's roaring before Zane slumped forward in the cage.

Lulloyd leapt backwards, holding the taser in one hand and his sword in the other. He wathced, waited for Zane to try to break out. He continued to watch, but

"Your ability to manipulate matter into a modular constructible form is very versatile, it seems," Zane's voice sounded almost dull, "You have bested me."

"...Oh my gosh it worked!" Lulloyd gasped out, "Okay… so it was just my dad's freaky strength and skills that got him out last time! That's, kinda good to know…." Lulloyd relaxed slightly, then looked over to the now open hallway entrance.

"I assume you will now go to help your allies," Zane sighed, "If you had given us the Realm Crystal, we could have avoided all this."

"Just, uh, between you and me, I literally had no idea it existed until a few days ago…" Lulloyd smiled, "But, I'm sure we can, find a compromise, after we've beaten you guys and shown you that we're the true… ninja... " He trailed off.

"...Please don't start sounding like my dad…" Lulloyd gulped to himself. With Zane trapped, he turned to the hallway.

* * *

If there was one thing Monty hated, it was something being repetitive.

Monty stood atop the ruins of his bed and room, the walls and floor riddled with bullet holes from his carefully planned sprays of weaponry. Wu had his staff locked with the SoS, just as the sword had predicted. Monty's right hand dipped beneath his cape to produce a flintlock pistol, firing right at Wu's unguarded chest. Wu spun his body out to the left to avoid it, letting Monty turn the pistol in hand and whip Wu straight up the chin with it.

Yet again, Wu seemed to take no damage. Monty felt his anger starting to boil once more. He spun the SoS in front of him to deflect another staff strike, once more stealing a glance into the blade. A second after he did so, Wu let out a battle cry once more and leapt into the air, bringing his staff down right for Monty's hand holding the sword. Monty let his arm turn incorporeal, the sword dropping from hand. Wu's blade fell through the arm, and Monty used his other arm to blast wind to push himself. His foot kicked the SoS right up into his hand again, creating a vacuum in his palm that drew it into his firm grasp.

"Am I the only one that remembers I'm a ghost?" Monty taunted, only to see Wu stand up without hesitation.

"I've seen through your strategy now, Monty," Wu reached up and straightened his neck, "Your stolen weapon will not work on me anymore."

"Oh really?" Monty casually dropped his old pistol and instead drew a far more sleek looking pistol from under his leg armor, "Well then maybe this one will."

Monty looked into his blade, then the pistol fired off shot after shot, each one making Wu dodge once more. The wall behind him splintered, leaving a large hole into the hallway. Monty fired off his twentieth shot, unloading its clip. He ran forward, swinging his blade towards Wu. Wu spun his staff upwards so it was pressed into his opposite shoulder, catching the blade tip just behind his head. Monty raised his gun up in a bluff, but suddenly the resistance on his sword was gone. Monty, having put force into the attack, bent forward.

The ghost shook it off, seeing that Wu had, of all things, simply let go of his staff, sending it rotating off onto the floor. Monty's gaze was drawn to it, just as Wu's foot kicked it up towards him. While it didn't hit his chin, it phased through his head and instead made him throw his sword arm backwards to avoid getting it knocked out of hand.

The ninja master jumped in the air over Monty, landing behind him and rolling to avoid Monty's swipe. Wu ran towards the water still leaking from the ceiling and drove his staff into it, swinging it out in a semicircle. Monty's eyes widened as he saw the lethal droplets. His hand holding his pistol dropped it to instead grab the sheet from the bed, flapping it out in front of him to catch them. The sheet was yanked out of his hands as Wu's staff rammed into it, wrapping around the hand holding the SoS.

Monty spat and tried to throw the sheet away, but the action made the sword only get wrapped further. Not willing to abandon his weapon, Monty reached for another gun, only to find he'd gone through all of them on his person. Hissing, Monty reached for a small piece of scrap metal on his belt, pulling it to reveal it was apart of a wire that ratcheted outwards from a small holster. He spun it overhead and threw it out at Wu, the whistling betray how sharp the wire was.

The piece stuck into the wall. Wu jumped into the air to avoid it, letting Monty give the wire three sharp tugs. His weightless body was rapidly pulled as the wire retracted into his holster at full speed, drawing him at Wu like a grappling hook. Monty solidified his feet and stuck Wu as he passed him, making him stumble. When Monty's feet hit the wall, he yanked the piece of shard from the wall to let it fully move back in.

"Hmpmh," Wu had his back to Monty as he shook his head, "Is this truly what the power of destiny is, Monty? A blade of no more use than one of your many tricks?"

Monty slid something back on his gauntlet, causing a spinning saw to fly at Wu. Wu didn't even turn around, instead whipping his staff up against his back to knock it away. The action gave Monty enough time to finally cut the sheet to pieces, tossing the scraps aside to have the blade in hand again.

"Well only one of us here has gotten hit more, and well," Monty lifted the sword in front of him, "Even if I count the times you 'hit' me, well. You all know how my body works now."

"You've made the best of the worst possible situation," Wu sighed, his head hanging, "It pains me more than you know to see how far you've fallen."

"Really gonna try that angle again?" Monty snarled, "Why not go ahead and apologize for what happened while you're at it? You know, like you never will."

Wu let his arm holding the staff drop, taking in a breath that made his shoulders raise. As he let it go, he turned towards Monty and looked to him with features filled with age. He planted his staff slowly into the ground, leaning on it while he brushed his long flowing beard aside.

"...I should have apologized a long time ago," Wu shook his head, "But my own mistakes are what led you to this point. If it means anything to you now… I am truly sorry."

Monty stared at Wu for a few moments with a look of complete confusion. Then his arms began to shake. His hand gripped the sword even tighter, and his head lowered so his eyes were covered in shadow. When he looked back up, they were filled with a hatred that could burn through someone. His free hand blasted a plank on the floor to send a boxes of ammo into the air. He slowly stalked over and picked up the semiauto rifle from before, reloading it. Once he had, he tossed it into the air and caught it so it was trained right on Wu.

"Sorry, Wu," Monty growled, "You're too late on that one."

The rifle fired. With only one hand holding it, it spun up into the air with the recoil. Monty simply let it spin and go through his arm, catching it again right as it rotated a full circle. He used the sword to cock it again and fire, this time the gun spiraling into the air. When Wu got close, Monty clashed blades with him, glimpsing into the blade. He saw Wu once more, and he smirked. His other hand reached up and caught the rifle by the stock, adding it behind the sword. He slid the rifle up the sword, once more cocking it. He fired, the bullet going up into the air, but the rifle sliding down towards the ground diagonally. Monty grabbed it by the still smoking barrel, then swung it like a club up towards Wu's back.

Wu, however, reached his foot out, catching the rifle mid-swing. Monty blinked, then looked into the sword again. The second he did, Wu leaned his head forward, head-butting Monty. Wu phased through him, but Monty's attention was drawn away from the sword, allowing Wu to break the lock with a spin.

Monty wasn't done yet. He blasted air off from a foot, sending his body spinning into the air. His gun rotated until it was ready and he once more fired. Wu slid to the side and caught Monty's sword coming down from the other hand with his staff. Monty knocked it away and pivoted into place and fired once more, which Wu countered by knocking the gun aside. Monty used wind to cock the gun for its final shot in the clip, firing it so it flew back through his body. The Sword of Sanctuary changed hands as the hand grabbed the gun's stock and flung it around again. Wu jumped away to avoid the swing.

"Even a power greater than all others can become as weak as nothing if used without care," Wu stated calmly, "Like I said, Monty. I now know your trick."

Monty reloaded his now empty rifle, cocked it, and swung it at Wu sideways. Wu knocked it away, and Monty let it spin in a full arc again until it was at Wu's opposite side. He fired it, making Wu dodge again. Monty looked into the sword, seeing Wu leaping backwards, then readying a punch. Monty shrugged internally and dropped the rifle, instead swinging his sword again. As the sword predicted, Wu leapt away. Monty tried to follow this up with another hard swing, but Wu had punched… behind him? Monty at first blinked, then his eyes widened as he saw Wu's fist in the leaking water.

It was now Monty's turn to leap backwards as Wu's fist attacked. Monty looked into the sword again, but before he could glimpse anything, Wu had drawn his fist down and up, sending a curved set of droplets at him. Monty leapt away, his breath coming a bit faster now.

"You're trying to kill me?" Monty groaned, hiding the tremble in his hand, "I thought a ninja never kills."

"Has that not been what you've been doing this entire battle?" Wu narrowed his eyes, "I will not kill you, Monty, but I will incapacitate you if I must…" Wu's eyes narrowed, "Guns are such dishonorable weapons for a ninja."

Monty didn't want to dignify him with a reply. He looked into the blade. There it was, Wu jumping off to the right. He gathered a cluster of wind in his right foot, then kicked the ground behind him. The force sent him flying at Wu, sword held out in front of him. Wu leapt to the right, and Monty gathered wind in the hand holding the gun to blast Wu. Wu's staff came down on Monty's hand. Monty was startled enough his hand took the hit. To avoid going into the water behind Wu, Monty thrust his free hand out and his wind carried him back through the air to safe ground.

"What's wrong, Monty?" Wu shook his head, "Are your predictions not accurate enough?"

Monty snarled. He looked again. Wu would jump into the air and leave his left side exposed. The ghost growled and ran forward again, this time bringing the sword down overhead. Wu brought his feet together and leapt up into the air to avoid it. Monty planned to use wind to do a backwards summersault to hit Wu with his legs, but as he moved his feet up to attack, Wu was gone. He let gravity take over to bring him back down, at which point Wu's staff was coming at his sword hand.

"Too slow," Wu chastised him.

Monty was getting to the point of snorting air in through his nose, even if he didn't need to. He yanked the blade up to his face, only for Wu's staff to knock into it and prevent him from seeing it. Wu's hand shot out and grabbed Monty's hand, pulling him in close and shoving him away. Monty was thrown away before his wind caught him. Wu, however, was on top of him again, making Monty raise his sword defensively again.

"Is this not enough for you?" Wu continued, "Can you not even best your old mentor when you hold the one means to do it in your grasp? Or is this the wisdom of the thief, stealing something without training to use it?"

"Shut up!" Monty snarled, knocking Wu away. Wu only attacked him again.

"Is this what I taught you?" Wu shouted, "Is this what you have learned instead? To lie, deceive, to become nothing more than a petty thief?"

"SHUT UP!" Monty shouted, his right fist filling with wind for Wu's head. Wu caught his fist without even flinching.

"You hold power, and yet you cannot use it. Just like back then. You're so eager for it, you grasped it before you were ready!" Wu sucked in a breath, his tone dropping, "...I shouldn't have ever shown you that scroll."

"SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! SHUT UP WU!" Monty shouted, a massive ball of air forming in his chest. The ball rapidly expanded, smashing against the walls and expanding hard enough the entire building shook. Wu brought his staff in front of him, weathering the blast even as he was pushed away. The intensity of his elemental outburst was enough that the only thing left still upright in the room was the wardrobe of capes, and even that nearly flew to the opposite wall had it not been so far from the epicenter.

When it was over, Monty felt drained. Such a release of elemental power took a toll on anyone, ghost, human or otherwise. Thus, when Monty looked up to see Wu, his staff glistening with water, he had only the energy to scowl at him.

"...I'm sorry, Monty…" Wu looked down, "I… I failed you. I failed you in so many ways. Give me what you stole, and I will be on my way."

"...After all that…" Monty tried to sit up, but Wu gripped his staff warningly, "You still want some dumb trinket that I don't even have?"

Wu's eyebrows twitched. He moved his staff up to Monty's chest. Water slid down, dropping onto him. It slid beneath his plate armor, producing a sizzle that made Monty's teeth set but his eyes remain dead set on Wu. Wu held it there, slowly exhaling.

"I should have known it wouldn't be even this easy," Wu brought his staff up, "I will get back what you stole, Monty… for your sake, and my students."

"NINJA-GO!"

Wu turned is head, only to see the door to the room, surprinsgly still on its hinges, burst open. Lloyd and Harumi thrust their hands forward, shouting as the two of let loose a torrent of green power. Lloyd's far smaller beam and Harumi's exhuasted beam joined together to fly straight towards Wu. He turned, blocking it with his staff. The action pushed him away from Monty's prone form.

As soon as Wu let out a cry of effort, the two canceled their beams and concentrated the beams into their hands. Wu leaned forward onto his staff, panting heavily as he looked to the two with eyes filled with confusion.

Harumi and Lloyd slowly shared a look, nodding their heads. Harumi moved to form a large Rhotate disc, while Lloyd leapt forward and twisted into his Spinjitzu. The tornado came flying towards Wu, striking him head on and sending him to the ground.

"The green power…" Wu coughed out, "How… how do you both possess it?"

"You could say that we learned it from someone like you," Lloyd shook his head, "But that's not important. Right now, we need to know why you want the Realm Crystal."

"Is that not obvious?" Wu shook his head, "It was stolen from us."

"Wrong," Harumi shouted out, making Lloyd turn to look at her, "Wrong. You're not looking for your Realm Crystal. You were sent here to take ours… weren't you?"

Wu's eyes flashed, making Lloyd's eyes widen. Lloyd took a step backwards, allowing Wu the chance to get up. In the corner of the room, Monty slowly got back to his feet, looking around. As it landed on his two saviors, his expression blanked.

"What are you talking about?" Monty spat, "There's only one Realm Crystal."

"No… right now there are two," Lloyd frowned, "And the only way that Wu could know that, is if someone told him that we're not from this universe. And if we didn't tell him… the only others that know are…"

Suddenly, Wu's staff moved out, striking Lloyd's face with blinding speed. Lloyd was stunned, giving Wu enough time to let his eyes glow golden. In a flash, a beautiful glistening serpent dragon had formed out of his body, wrapping around him and darting forward for the door. Harumi and Lloyd both stumbled out of its way, giving Wu enough time to follow it right out the door. Upon doing so, Wu saw Lulloyd standing guard in front of Zane's cage, who turned to Wu with a look of shock and rapidly drew his blade.

Wu's dragon hit Lulloyd's chest full on, sending him back into the wall for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Without a moment's hesitation, Wu's dragon launched out towards the cage, hitting with all its might. The force shook the bricks, loosening the tiles to fall to show Zane inside. Another strike to the bind holding Zane to the wall caused it to break apart, allowing Zane to free his arms. As soon as Zane was free, he stumbled forward and fell to his hands and knees, his systems still rebooting from the tase.

"MASTER WU!" Lulloyd groaned as he saw Jay rush down the stairs, his nunchucks still in hand, "Master Wu! You won't believe it! One of these guys has Morro's Green Power! Like, THE green power! I thought there was only… one… green… ninja…"

Jay was greeted by the sight of Lloyd, Harumi and Monty all staring at him through the doorway to Monty's ruined room. In the main room, Lulloyd got up with an expression that could only be described as barely restrained annoyance. Jay slowly lowered his nunchucks, looking out the entrance to the hallway and seeing Wu and Zane.

"...Uuhhh…. Truce?" Jay asked, smiling dumbly. Monty snarled at him, making Jay shriek and rush out towards Wu.

"My ninja and I are leaving," Wu stated calmly, "Zane, Jay, come. We will find Nya on our way out."

"I'm right here," Nya called out from the entrance. The soaking wet ninja clung to the doorframe, her body clearly tired from chi overuse. Wu shook his head, turning around and hitting his staff on the ground.

"Come, ninja!" Wu took a step forward, "We will be leaving this place, for good."

"Wait, but, what if we need to stealllllll-buy something from Ronin again?" Jay tensed, but Wu had already walked out. The three defeated ninja looked to the group of four now gathered in the shop, giving them almost humiliated looks as they began to stalk from the store.

Lloyd took a step towards them, but Harumi and Monty both raised an arm, stopping him both physically and in spirit. Lloyd looked to the two of them, but Monty shook his head. A few moments later, the four had left the shop, leaving the bricks that had formed Lulloyd's cage to revert into actual pieces, the support beams reverting back up to the ceiling while the various pieces he'd used turning back to the broken desk on the floor.

"... Why aren't we following them?" Lloyd asked, his voice twinged with concern.

"Because you don't follow someone right away," Monty spat, "We want them to at least think they have a head start on us before that."

"Well…" Lulloyd rotated his hands in a shrug, "That, is kinda what my dad always does. Though, uh, you kinda have to if you're using a shark tracker…"

"Well," Harumi put a hand on her hip, "This gives us time to ask Monty another important question."

"An important question?" Monty turned, crossing his arms after sheathing the SoS on his back, "Haven't you guys already asked and done enough?"

"No, because this one is rather simple," Harumi smirked, "I think I figured out who you really are, Monty."

Monty's expression didn't change. Lloyd and Lulloyd looked to her in confusion, making Harumi's smirk only grow wider.

"While you were fighting Wu, Lloyd and I were waiting for our ideal chance tos trike. We heard everything Wu said," Harumi nodded her head, "And he said something about you being his student once. And that reminded me of a story I heard, and then I realized what this place really was."

"You were waiting out there to help me the entire time?" Monty growled, "And you didn't step in, why?"

"Because you were shooting bullets through the wall at random," Lloyd crossed his arms.

"When Wu said he failed you, that was when it all made sense. You're Lloyd Garmadon, aren't you, Monty?" Harumi nodded her head, "That's your real name, Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon."

Lulloyd stepped towards, joing by Lloyd. The three now were in front of Monty, with Harumi at the center of it. She smirked harder and crossed her arms, gaining a confident stance as she nodded.

Monty looked to Harumi, his arms still crossed. After a moment, he let out a hollow chuckle, "What exactly gives you that idea? Lloyd is dead, gone in the departed realm now."

"I don't think so," Harumi shook her head to him, "In fact, I think I know exactly what happened to you."

"What happened to me?" Monty's tone lowered, "Aren't you smart then? Go on, Harumi," He spoke her name with venom.

"You were Master Wu's student," Harumi nodded her head, "And you were told that you would be given the power of the Green Ninja. Only you wanted it too quickly. And so you went out and tried to prove yourself. And you died for it. You got sent to the Cursed Realm, and while you were there, you stopped calling yourself Lloyd and started calling yourself Monty. You left Lloyd behind, your old life. And thus, Lloyd 'died' there. You managed to escape, and you joined Ronin after Wu rejected you. And now, you're here, hiding who you used to be because of everything that happened."

Lloyd's eyes widened. What Harumi said sounded outlandish… but so had the idea that he wasn't the gold ninja was equally as bizarre. This world, unlike Lulloyd's own, was very much so like his own. If in Harumi's world he'd switched places with the daughter he hadn't had yet, could that mean that he had done so in this world too?

"You really do like to go and make stories," Monty began to walk over towards the wall behind his broken desk, "I really don't know where you would even get that sort of thing."

"I heard him," Harumi nodded, "I heard Wu. He said he felt he failed you. In my world, there was a ghost named Morro that got out, who used to be Wu's student and died. I think this universe is so close to Lloyd's dimensional signature because this place is close to his. And if that's the case, then that means that we found you, Lloyd, all along."

Harumi smirked, placing her hand on her hip. Monty looked to Harumi, then he shrugged. He stood against the back wall of the shop, leaning against it casually. His expression hadn't changed since Harumi had started talking. For a few moments, he stayed silent. Then he nodded his head.

"Alright, you win," Monty sighed, "You're almost right. But don't call me Lloyd. I'm not that innocent naive kid anymore."

"Really?" Harumi blinked, "Then what are you?"

"This," Monty's arm suddenly struck a vertical slat of wood, causing something to come flying out. The 'something' was a strange golden handle with two strange black spikes curving away form each other on either end. As it spun around the room, a strange purple mist began to seep from it. The weapon spun beautifully in a full arc, trapping the three of them within a ring of purple mist. Monty caught the weapon as it returned to him, moving forward to slam it into the table in front of them.

"You guys know what this thing is?" Monty asked, "If you do, then I don't need to explain."

"That's… I…" Lloyd rubbed his head, "I… feel like I've seen it before but… I haven't? It's… the… the Obsidian.. Glave?"

"Correct, you get a star," Monty blew at him, smacking him in the face with a burst of wind, "This thing is pretty special. It has the ability to alter memories. Well, more specifically, to remove memories, and place others inside. And all I need to do to activate it is think of what I want taken out."

"It… it does what?!" Harumi shouted, turning to try to blast the mist away. A Rhotatae disc simply flew through it aimlessly.

"Don't even try it," Monty smirked, "Touch it, and well, you'll be wondering what your name is. You three know something about me, and frankly, I don't like anyone knowing that."

"H-Hey, I didn't say anything!" Lulloyd gasped out, "I-I would like to remember my name!"

"So, what?" Lloyd frowned, "You're just going to remove our memories, leave us not knowing anything?"

"On the contrary," Monty leaned forward on the blade, "I know Ronin likes you three. And you did just help me fight off those guys… even if you partially are to blame for it. So, I'm instead going to make you a deal, so I don't have to deal with Ronin on my back."

"A deal?" Lulloyd asked nervously, "...I-I don't like the sound of that."

"This Glave also can activate if I plant a condition inside you," Monty continued, "Right now, I've already put a condition in you," The three would see the mist having slid to their necks, seemingly fading into them, "It's simple. You tell anyone, either verbally, you hint it, write it, anything that would indicate to them you know my real identity, all the memories you have of me are going to be wiped. Gone. Completely. Just those memories. I think that's a fair condition."

"So… what's the deal?" Lloyd asked.

"Simple," Monty replied dryly, "Accept the condition or I wipe your memories of me right now."

The three shared a long look with one another. Harumi's eyes had gone from confident to enraged. Lulloyd was nervously eying the purple mist around him, terrified as to what it could do. Lloyd, feeling like he knew this somehow, was inclined to believe that this Glave was legit.

"...Fine," Lloyd nodded his head, "Fine. We'll accept this condition."

"Good," Monty pulled the Glave up from the counter, "And for being so easy this time, I'll tell you some more of what you wanna hear."

Monty turned the Glave sideways. The mist sucked straight back into the weapon, which he returned to the slot in the wall. Harumi stared at it, as though questioning him why it was right where customers could see it. Monty didn't respond.

"You're half right, Harumi," Monty's tone was completely neutral, one filled with neither anger nor happiness, "You want to know what happened to me? Misako was going to drop off Lloyd at Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys, but she realized he'd be better off with family. So Lloyd got dropped off with his Uncle Wu while she disappeared. Wu got curious one day, and decided he'd train Lloyd in basic ninja skills. Simple enough. Then, one day, he takes Lloyd in this room, and Lloyd inspects the Golden Weapons, and they start to glow green. Lloyd doesn't know what it means, and Wu says one day he's going to be the Green Ninja, the most powerful one of every ninja ever, and that he's going to save the world from darkness."

The three all took note at the way that Monty was referring to himself in the tale. Harumi even raised her eyebrow, but Monty didn't seem to acknowledge it. He continued.

"So Lloyd trains. All day, harder and harder. And he becomes a powerful ninja before he's even old enough to drive. But then, Lloyd gets hurt badly in a lesson on day, and so Wu says he's cutting the lessons off until he's older. Lloyd doesn't get why. So you know what he does? He goes out and trains. Everywhere. Doing everything he can. And he decides to pick a fight with the wrong creature. Actually, Lloyd was going to look for the legendary Serpentine Tombs, to prove that they existed and show Wu he had learned Ninjago. On the way to them, he gets tired. Been traveling way too long. And guess what? When something bigger than him comes to eat him… he dies."

Monty's tone deepened towards anger, "He thought it was it. That was the end of Lloyd Garmadon. But it wasn't. No, he wakes up in the Cursed realm. A ghost. And guess what? All that power he was training, that green power that he'd finally awoken? It was gone. Now it was wind. He gets caught by ghosts, and upon seeing who he really is, they make him fight in an arena for days on end. No sleep, no rest. Just fighting, fighting and fighting. The final fight he partakes in is with Soul Archer, of all ghosts, and he's facing down the business end of an arrow. Wondering if he'll die again."

"Then," Monty laughed hollowly, "A portal opens. Right by him. All the ghosts start rushing towards it, but Lloyd won't let that happen. So, Lloyd makes a decision, that he'll stay in the Cursed Realm. And so Lloyd stays, and splits. Lloyd stays behind, and I get out."

"Wait," Lulloyd blinked, "Like, you, literally split into two people?"

"Metaphorically," Monty growled, "So there I am, back in Ninjago. Only I'm a ghost now. And guess what? I do the only thing I can do. I go to Wu. Only Wu sees me, and you know what he does?" Monty's fist tightened, "He shuts the gates on me. Says he felt the shift in destiny or whatever, and that he couldn't bear what happened to me. He left me there, all alone, no idea what's happening to me."

"You're lying," Lloyd shook his head, "Wu would never do that. He would have tried to train you, or at least figure out what happened to you!"

"Apparently, I was just a reject of destiny at that point," Monty spat, "And I was just a bad omen. That was it. I was nothing to Wu anymore. And so, I was just cast away. I wandered all of Ninjago for years before Ronin tracked me down. Said he could use a partner that could do what a ghost could. Apparently people called me the 'Wandering Spirit' for how I just roamed around. And so Ronin did what Wu never did. He took me in, Taught me how to use my guns, how to use my body, how to be needed again. And that's my story. You three happy now?"

"...How did you defeat the Overlord?" Harumi asked quizzically.

"What?" Monty and Lloyd asked in tandem. Harumi shook her head.

"I'm building a theory here," Harumi followed up, "Did you defeat the Overlord, Monty?"

"Of course I didn't," Monty rolled his eyes, "Wu's perfect new replacement did. Morro… well, he went gold, poofed the Overlord. Apparently he came back, I wouldn't know. Ronin and I were off doing something at the time."

"You didn't have anything to do with it?" Harumi pressed. Monty shrugged.

"I was possessing him when Morro struck the final blow," Monty sighed, "Garmadon asked me to hold him in place for Morro. So I did. Thankfully I didn't go boom too."

"Then that settles it," Harumi turned to Lloyd, "I know how the Time Twins are being limited to selecting their universes!"

"We're… that's what you're thinking on right now?" Lloyd turned, "We just learned that Lloyd is… Monty, and that's what you're thinking of?"

"Think about it," Harumi turned, "All four of us here defeated the Overlord. Well… Lulloyd I'm still working out. But three of here were present and involved in the battle. I used the Golden Weapons to seal him away for good. You destroyed his body. And Monty here was inside of hte Overlord when he was destroyed."

"Uh… my dad used to call himself the Overlord of Ninjago… when he like, was conquering a lot?" Lulloyd half stated, half asked, "Is, that good enough?"

"I'm sure it is," Harumi nodded, "The Time Twins can only travel to universes were Lloyd or his descendant exists, and they defeated the Overlord. That's why they can't just go to a world where nothing is the same."

"...The Time Twins?" Monty blinked, "You're sounding crazy to me right now."

"Monty, we need to follow Wu!" Harumi declared, "I think we can show you everything you need to know if we do!"

"Sure," Monty shrugged, "I was going to anyway, assuming he isn't just sneaking around to get to-"

"Hey! Monty!"

"I TOLD YOU TO GET OUT OF MY SHOP, NINJA!" Monty shouted, grabbing the taser Lulloyd had dropped, firing it and striking the man entering the room head on.

Ronin looked down at the prongs sending arcs into his body. The man twitched, then looked up to Monty as he pulled the prongs out. He tossed them aside and slowly shook his head.

"I'm assuming that this has something to do with the Ninja I passed on the way in here?" Ronin smirked, "And I told you, tasers don't work on me anymore. I've gotten tased way more than enough times on dates f...for that… to…"

Ronin's eyes surveyed the state of the entire room. He slowly walked further into the building, stepping past the assembled group to look into the hallway riddled with bullet holes. Upon seeing the inside of Monty's room, the hole in the room above and the water pouring in from Harumi's exit as well, he turned and walked back into the main room with a smile on his face.

"You know what?" Ronin shook his head, "I'm going out drinking. You guys want to come with?"

"Uh… we're not old enough to, you know…" Lulloyd shook his head, "Uh, but uh… thanks?"

"I am, but alcohol isn't my thing," Harumi shook her head.

"We're going after the Ninja," Monty stated calmly, "We need REX."

"Nope," Ronin shook his head, "I'm taking REX out to go drinking. I'm going to the bar out in the fishing village."

"We need the tracking systems," Monty shook his head, "You can just get a ride."

"It's my ship, and my shop," Ronin smirked, "Unless you think I forgot about what you did to REX last heist."

"Will you just let that go?!" Monty spat, "It wasn't my fault, you wouldn't let me fly the ship! You jerking the control stick every which way doesn't make for a smooth flight!"

"Maybe possessing a ship doesn't feel right to me, hmm?" Ronin shook his head, "You possess it when I ask you to!"

"Oh, so you want to go out on your missions on your own now?" Monty hissed, "We both know how the faster shot is here."

"A fast shot means nothing if you can't even get to the battle," Ronin retorted.

The two stared each other down for a few moments. After a bit, their expressions softened. Monty leaned back as Ronin shrugged.

"Sorry kid, I need REX," Ronin turned, "I'm sure these guys got something. I mean, they got to Cloud Kingdom after all."

"True," Monty turned to the three, "You got rides?"

"We do," Harumi turned to Lulloyd, "He's got a mechanical dragon."

"...Yeah, we're taking that," Monty smirked, "Have fun in plain old REX, Ronin."

"Have fun chasing down the ninja again," Ronin chuckled, "We both know I'll be having a way more fun time."

"Oh screw you!" Monty spat. Ronin just laughed and made his way back out of his ruined shop.

The four sat in silence for a few more moments, the storm outside still raging. Monty looked to the three and then slowly sighed.

"This dragon have some sort of cockpit I can use?" Monty asked, earning a smile from Harumi and a small nod from Lulloyd, "Then let's go before those four remember to cover their tracks."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a lot of you actually did guess my twist here, and I'm gald that you all did! It means that I laid my groundwork for it very well. You now know about Monty!
> 
> Oh boy, this was a fight I reworked hard. The actual fights I didn't change much, but the structure of the overall chapter I altered a good deal. I'm still a little on the fence with it, but I feel this worked out way better than it initially was in the end!
> 
> I hope that you all enjoy!


	16. Chapter 16

The group had seen and been seen by Monty as many things since they'd met him. In terms of the latter, being annoyed seemed to be what Manty wished the primary response to talking to him was. For Harumi, Monty had pushed the others into seeing her in a far more aggressive anger than she'd been showing thus far. Monty let the others see him as apathetic, bored, ticked off, and apathetic. So, to see the ghost cowering inside of Lulloyd's cockpit, his eyes seemingly darting to every harsh smack of water against the glass, was somewhat triumphant feeling for the group. Harumi in particular, even if the other two didn't comment on it..

"…Fly faster," Monty stated firmly, his body jerking away from a large smack of rain that came down on the side of the cockpit's glass.

"What's wrong, Monty?" Harumi asked slyly, "Afraid of a little water? You live above an ocean."

"The Cursed Realm doesn't exist anymore," Monty hissed back at her, "So unlike all of you, I have an even bigger built in mortality check. And normally, I'm inside of a building. If I wasn't afraid of water, I'd be insane. Didn't Wu have some crap about fear making you stronger?"

"Uh… but like…" Lullyod made a motion with his hands, his dragon currently being flown by Lloyd, "Can't you, uh, surround yourself in wind?"

"That's what I normally do," Monty kept his eyes trained on the window, "Light rain won't kill me. It'd just put very, very painful holes in my body that take the better half of an hour to close them up. Harsh rains like this though?" Seeing the pattering rain made him grumble, "...I would be dead before I even felt the first drop. And I'm pretty sure none of you would like to see what it looks like to die a second time."

Lloyd turned his head slightly, "I've seen a ghost possess a mech and walk through snow, isn't snow just, condensed water?"

"If I took your hand, doused it in gas and lit a match, I'd melt your hand off," Monty explained curtly, "But a stovetop would just leave burn marks. Possessing something gives you an inherent resistance to water. The more water just makes it harder to stay attached to things. If I laid in snow it'd burn, but I wouldn't vanish. And I can eat and drink anything that's not entirely water based," Monty rolled his eyes, "I've gone drinking with Ronin before. Got any more questions, ghost expert?"

"How have you gone drinking?" Harumi narrowed her eyes, "You don't look old enough."

"Would you like to be the girl that cards a ghost?" Monty shot back, "If so, you'll also be the first one in history to shove that card right up your own-"

"Uh, guys let's change the subject!" Lulloyd quickly shouted, "We are on a mission, you know!"

Harumi grumbled and let it slide, instead looking at Lloyd at the controls. Lulloyd had at first insisted on driving, but Lloyd had countered that of the four of them, he had gone through the least punishment in his fight and he already knew how to use mechs. Harumi would normally have argued, but having gone through an endurance match and then blasting Wu with elemental power had left her in a state of exhaustion. She hadn't missed him eagerly eying them up like a long coveted dish at a restaurant. From Lloyd's expression, Harumi could gather he found it somewhat less exciting than it had initially appeared.

While Ronin hadn't lent them REX, he had pointed them in the general direction the ninja had come from. Given that they hadn't seen the Bounty, it was a safe assumption they were likely moving by ground. Sure enough, only a minute after taking flight through the city, they found tracks of bikes just outside of the entrance. From the tracks, it was clear to see they were heading almost due south.

"The only thing south of here is the Library of Domu," Monty had muttered dryly, "So they're in the middle of nowhere. All of this ain't like Wu. Something is up."

The three hadn't yet told Monty about the Time Twins. After seeing Wu's reaction, Harumi and Lloyd were almost certain that the Time Twins had something to do with them. The two had somehow figured out that the group was using the Realm Crystal to travel universes, and if they wanted it from them, they clearly wanted to try to stop the three from following them. The fact the Twins hadn't attacked them outright this time seemed proof they were plotting something.

"Lloyd!" Lulloyd shouted, causing Lloyd to yank hard up on the dragon's controls. Almost instantly, the dragon did a complete loop in the air, making Monty and Harumi's eyes widen. Harumi's hand gripped the edge of a plate creating the wall of the cockpit, while Monty slammed the butt of a rifle onto the floor and held on. Lloyd forced them back straight, making the dragon hover in the air. Upon seeing his sheepish smile, Harumi just gave him an angry glare.

"You, uh, put them straight when you want it to stop…" Lulloyd shook his head, "The tracks, they changed!"

"What?" Harumi turned her head out the cockpit, the rain having died down to let her see the nothingness of the landscape easily, "How can you tell?" She gestured to a set of two very clear sets of tracks in the path under them.

"Because it's too obvious," Monty cut in, "Clearly he actually has some tracking ability. Those tracks are too fresh since we can see them. Which means they made them intentionally to throw us off. It's stalking targets 101."

Lulloyd leaned forward, hitting a button on his dragon. From the mechdragon's stomach, two panels unfolded and a massive searchlight began to rotate about the ground underneath them. The harsh white circle of light looked around, searching for something. When he saw it, Lulloyd hit the button again, illuminating a path that went between two hills covered in brush. Monty rolled his eyes.

"That's… northwest though," Harumi shook her head, "Why would they go northwest?"

"If you're going due northwest from here, you'll cross the tip of the Sea of Sand and then you'll be into the frozen tundra…" Lloyd mumbled, "...The only thing in that direction I can think of is the Birchwood Forest?"

"Where the statue was?" Lulloyd blinked, "Uh… I don't get what's so special about that place."

"...The statue!" Harumi gasped, "We need to get there right away!"

"What?" Lloyd blinked, only for Harumi to open up her Borg Watch once more. She rapidly began to tap buttons into the interface, causing the mechdragon's screen to go static. She slid a small cable about of it and reached forward to tap her watch to the screen. The display suddenly shifted to mirror the watch. Another few buttons and the dragon had turned around, autopilot kicking in towards the destination.

"That statue could be key to us traveling universes!" Harumi shook her head, "Didn't you two appear in front of the statue of _my_ great grandfather when you got to my city?"

"Come to think of it, I appeared in front of one of a guy that looked like he was building stuff in Lulloyd's world…" Lloyd mumbled, "...And there was that statue of him in Ninjago City near the Titanium Ninja Memorial in my home too."

"You all going to explain what you're talking about?" Monty scoffed, "I get you all think you're from other universes, but you're taking this joke rather far."

"That might be a reference point!" Harumi exclaimed, "Remember how I said Borg has a dimensional signature reader built into this thing?" She raised her watch, "Well, think about it! All of us are completely different, our energies are like functions plotted all over a graph. We need an intersect that all worlds share if we want to jump from one world to another!" She paused, "Have you guys ever read a book where a character that teleports has to see where they're teleporting to, usually having to have been there before?"

"Yeah… a few," Lulloyd nodded his head, "So, you're saying that the statue is like, the thing we need to 'see' when we jump?"

"Unless you want to scout out another dimensional constant, that's exactly what we need!" Harumi frowned, "Lloyd, you set your point when you first jumped!"

"But, I was on the Bounty!" Lloyd blinked, "I mean, we might have been over the park, I didn't exactly look."

"When you first jumped universes, you were in closest proximity to that," Harumi nodded her head, "And think about it! The Time Twins appeared there too, didn't they?" Harumi gripped the seat in front of her, "Lloyd, if they destroy that statue, then we might not be able to jump out of this universe at all!"

"What?!" Lloyd turned in his chair now to fully face Harumi, ignoring the console as the dragon flew them at near full speed, "But, how?! How do you know this, Harumi?!"

"It's less that I know, and more that I'm not willing to jeopardize what we don't!," Harumi spoke over Monty attempting to butt in, "Right now, we can only go to universes where Lloyd exists, was involved in defeating the Overlord, and where we have something to get into the universe. We're using our energies to go from universe to universe, but we don't even know what all the rules are yet! Break one we already know, we might be stuck here!"

"Okay," Monty nodded his head, "That really does do it, all three of you are clearly insane. I'm in the middle of a mechanical dragon made of plastic with a trio of maniacs."

"So… do you think the Twins are trying to trap us here then..?" Lulloyd asked. Harumi paused and shook her head.

"Right now, I don't know," Harumi grimaced, "But the Time Twins have been quiet. They're planning something. My bet is they'll be using the statue as leverage on us to give them our Realm Crystal. But then again, that might mean they can't leave either. So… I don't know!"

"Well how about we worry about the details when we get there," Lloyd turned back around, "Right now, we need to stop the Twins before they try to ruin yet another universe!"

"Right," Monty nodded his head, "Well, just to tell all you guys, I'm going to punch Wu in the face a few times, so while you're doing that, I'll be seeing if that beard helps absorb blows or not. After our last fight, I think I need to see for myself.."

Lloyd gave Monty a harsh look, only earning him a small shrug from the ghost. The sound of thunder out in the distance, however, brought Monty's expression down to its normal bored expression instead as the dragon rattled.

"If you just want to punch Wu," Harumi gestured to Monty, "Why are you bringing all those guns?"

Monty looked down. Including the rifle he was still using to stabilize himself, he had a total of two more rifles, two semi-autos, ten pistols hidden within various points of his armor, and a shotgun, all of which were wrapped around the hilt of the SoS. He looked towards Harumi and scoffed.

"Why aren't you bringing anything?" Monty pointed to Harumi's lack of anything on her person, "Aside from that hole in your gi you seem to love toting around."

"My father died in this uniform," Harumi hissed, "And I think the snake design I put into this is a nice memorial. It's a reminder of my failure as a ninja in the past, and a promise to look towards the future."

"You could have still picked something that didn't show skin," Monty smirked, "Unless you're _trying_ to get noticed. If you are, I think that's going a little far."

"Monty," Lloyd hissed, "Don't antagonize Harumi, she saved your life back there."

"Wu's staff would have just gone right through me," Monty frowned, "I would have gotten out of that one alive."

"Let's, let's not start this, okay?" Lulloyd turned his head, "Listen, we're going into battle right now. We, we might be walking right into the Time Twins. We need to take our time and just, and just think! Can we do this without, attacking each other?"

Monty and Harumi shared another look, then both turned away from the other. Lulloyd sighed and leaned his head back, moving his hands up to his face to rub his eyes. Despite her desire at the moment to see if it was possible to smack a ghost with her Rhotate, Harumi reluctantly relaxed. This would be her second fight with the twins. Her second fight with them after… after Olive.

The thought made her hand start to tremble, and her expression turned towards Lloyd again. None of this would have happened if Lloyd had stopped the Twins in his own world. She'd be at home right now, likely seeing if Carnelian had any new moves to try out, or seeing what was new with Mizuno, or perhaps even just seeing how Forte's tour was going. Instead, she was stuck here, in a cramped cockpit with an alternate younger version of her dad, someone that looked more like a toy, and a ghost that seemed determined to be a wedge in the group. She could be teaching a class at Zane's academy, but instead, here she was, flying blindly into battle against the ones that had taken out Olive.

Olive. Harumi had put the thoughts out of her mind for now. She let her hand shift down to feel the chip that was still within the pocket of her uniform, the last thing that Olive gave her. In all the confusion, she hadn't even gotten the chance to see what it was. She… she hadn't even gotten the time to mourn her friend.

The silence was making it harder to push out her thoughts. Why was she here? Harumi felt her thoughts drifting towards that. Her decision to come with the two of them, it was sudden. She knew why Lulloyd was here, his powers were gone just like Lloyd. But she had no stake in this, aside from Olive. Had she truly come, simply out of a need for… vengeance?

She looked to Monty. Maybe it was him that was making her think about this. His fate, was in a sense almost tragic. Trapped in a state of being that left him unable to feel, to enjoy life in the same way, because of his own youthful ambition. Unlike what she knew about Morro, he'd simply been trying to show Wu how far he could go. He'd hadn't been rejected. And that, to her, made her think, think about everything that she'd done because her father had asked her to.

Those thoughts wrestled in her mind, leaving her unable to truly rest. But the trip would be at least a half hour, and she needed to rest. So she turned, resting her head on her shoulder and steadying her breathing. Withina minute, her forced rest had brought her to sleep.

* * *

"Hey, Lloyd?" Lulloyd spoke quietly as he saw Harumi beginning to rest.

"Hmm?" Lloyd turned in his seat, "Yeah, what's wrong, Lulloyd?"

"Nothing's wrong, but, uhm…" Lulloyd looked down, "Listen, I'm not saying this to make it sound like you're not a good fighter, and I really do mean to say this in the nicest way possible… do you have a plan to beat them this time?"

"A plan?" Lloyd blinked, turning back towards the controls, "Yeah, we get there and we beat the twins."

"That was our plan in Harumi's world…. And, we lost that one, badly," Lulloyd looked back towards Harumi, "If we'd won there, we wouldn't have had to drag her along with us, you know."

"I know," Lloyd grimaced, "And I'm working on making sure we don't drag anyone else into this. We get there, we use the dragon to get into the cockpit, and then we get out powers back and trap them here."

"Yeah but, my dragon can only go so fast, and that was our plan in _my_ home too," Lulloyd sighed, "I'm just saying that, look, my dad always said that a warrior without a plan is like a shark without a-"

"Do you have to talk about your dad so much?" Lloyd cut him off, "I know you're close to him but I know what I'm doing."

"...Uhm… sorry," Lulloyd gently shrank back, "I'll, let you handle the plan."

A few seconds in silence passed, the only sound made by Monty's shifting in his seat to cause his guns to rub against one another. Harumi made barely a sound as she slept, and the rain stopped, meaning there was nothing aside from the cloudy night sky above them to give them company.

"That, wasn't cool of me," Lloyd sighed, "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I just… my relationship with my father is way more complicated than yours and, I wish I had what you and your dad had."

"It wasn't always like that," Lulloyd shook his head, "Until these past few months… everyone hated me. My father was always attacking the city and I always had to defend it. Wu trained me to do it but, I had to do it in secret. So, in a way my dad made my life miserable. And when I actually got to know him at first… he annoyed me a lot. He still treats me a bit more like a general to teach more so than a son too, so, I don't think it's anything like you told us before but I think, I get what you're going through."

Lloyd paused to consider that. He didn't know that much about Lulloyd, or even that much about Harumi. He knew the basics, sure, but what did he really know about them as people? The more he thought about it, he knew more about Monty as a person than he did the others. And that alone made his stomach start to churn.

"You don't have to relate to me," Lloyd shook his head and forced a smile, "You have it good with your dad, you don't need to feel bad about that. I had a few months of him as a good guy, so I got to spend time with him then. I had my chance to learn what I could, and I didn't always take advantage of it. But that's what I have to worry about, not you."

"Uhm… okay then," Lulloyd nodded, "I don't want to come off like I don't care though."

"I know you care," Lloyd leaned over, putting his hand on Lulloyd's hard shoulder, "And that really means a lot to me. You don't have to wield a sword to be a warrior, you know."

"Wait, you Wu says that too?" Lulloyd blinked. Lloyd gave him a grin, and the two shared a small chuckle together.

"So…" Lloyd looked to the screen, they still had almost half and hour of flight before they arrived, "You uh, said you had Starfarer in your world too?"

"Yeah," Lulloyd perked up slightly, "I do trivia nights with Mother Doomsday. I actually, uh, have a replica of the blaster that Fritz modified from General Hypaxus 8's mothership. Won it in one of those big nights," He sighed, "It's, amazing how much time you have to do that sort of thing when you don't have friends to hang out with."

"Wait, really?" Lloyd leaned forward, "I just got caught up with it a few months back! Okay, wait, I have to see, has he already taken down the alien commanders from Mars?"

"They're not from Mars, they're from another planet and so happen to have been on Mars before we got there," Lulloyd twisted his head to shake it, "But yeah, actually that story just wrapped up. Have you gotten that far, I don't wanna, you know, spoil it."

"He modified one of the Alien Infiltrators to carry him off to the nearest spaceport after giving the Claw Tank driver his busted engine so they could fix it and get home. Did any of them have names in your comic?" Lloyd asked.

"No, actually… and yeah that sounds like ours, but uh, well he gave them the pieces for it in mine," Lulloyd chuckled, "Did uh, your comic have that one weird one where they crossed over with the Doctor?"

"Doctor who?" Lloyd questioned.

"Uh, you probably don't then," Lulloyd chuckled awkwardly, "But it's neat that we have the same comics."

"Yeah, kinda helps us sync up," Lloyd paused, thinking of something else, "So… you ever go to the Arcade?"

"Yeah, a lot actually," Lulloyd smiled, "Not to brag but, I hold the record on almost every machine there by a lot. I'm really good at some of them, but I mean, I've also been going since I was six, so I've had a lot of practice."

"Since you were six?" Lloyd shook his head, "I had to wait until I was old enough to go to there, but then again I kinda had to sneak out of school for that."

"I got pretty good at that," Lulloyd chuckled, "But Kai was the one that really got into parkour. Like, we had to talk him out of lining up cranes so he could climb up one, jump to the other as it swung, and then jump off to hit the top of a building and use the speed to jump across two more. He uh, well, thankfully Nya and Cole were able to get through to him."

"Kai always does manage to get himself in those types of situations, doesn't he?" Lloyd groaned, "This one time he managed to wreck a self driving car. A self driving car! Pixal still is secretly funneling money to pay for it."

"How do you manage to do that?" Lulloyd blinked, "The, car was driving itself."

"By jumping onto a tanker full of jet fuel," Lloyd stated with a frown, "And then throwing fire at it."

The two paused, then began to chortle. It brought their attentions away from the present for a moment, a moment of brevity that Lloyd felt his chest unwind upon feeling. Tension he hadn't even known was present seemed to melt away as the two settled back down into their seat, Lulloyd ensuring they hadn't woken Harumi.

"Actually…" Lloyd paused, "I think I have a plan now."

"Really?" Lulloyd turned in his seat, "What's the plan?"

"Monty," Lloyd turned around, "Can you possess the Iron Doom?"

Monty, who had taken his time to start disassembling his rifle with carefully rotating vortices in place of traditional tools, looked up from the deadly weapon with an expression that betrayed his previous concentration, "You two need me? Thought you two were gonna start telling bad jokes up there. A joke is bad if not all parties get it, you know."

"The Iron Doom," Lloyd repeated, "Can you possess it?"

"How big is it?" Monty raised an eyebrow.

"About as big as a building," Lulloyd answered, "Like, uh, I wanna say at least ten stories."

"Best I could do with that is hold it still," Monty shook his head, "Bigger the object the more time it takes to learn it. I can only do it with REX after years of practice."

"Can you get onboard it without being seen though?" Lloyd leaned forward, "I need you to get us two big green crystals."

"That's not specific at all!" Monty shook his head, "I'm sure I could get on there easily enough, but I'd need a distraction. If Wu and the others get there before us, they'll be expecting me, so they'll know to expect a ghost to get in."

"We'll handle that, and you'll see it when you get to them," Lloyd explained, "It's a huge green glowing crystal and a smaller one right beside it. Pull those out and get them to us and we win, the Twins can't escape without them."

"Okay, so your plan is for me to sneak onto a mech the size of a building, grab two random green crystals, get them to you, and then that's it? We win?" Monty raised his eyebrow, "You did say they were the _Time_ Twins, right? That mean anything?"

"They have four blades called the Time Blades," Lloyd nodded his head, "Well, three, I knocked one out when I first thought them. All you need to do is avoid letting them grab one. They're plugged into a huge dial on the front. Trust me, you won't miss them."

"Sounds like you got this all figured out then," Monty looked back down to his rifle, "I'm telling you now though, if I get caught in there I'm shooting my way out."

"It's a big empty mech with snakes in the walls," Lloyd countered, "Shouldn't be that hard for a ghost to get through."

"You're making this sound better and better, you know that?" Monty raised an eyebrow, "But fine, I'll do that little plan. I'm going to pretend I understand everything and just go along for the ride."

"That's all we're asking," Lloyd affirmed, "Trust me, I've worked with a ghost before."

"Well aren't you special," Monty muttered, once more applying his wind as he went back to carefully cleaning his firearms.

Lloyd rolled his eyes and leaned back on the controls. If this plan worked, he and Lulloyd would have their powers back and the Twins would be trapped in this world. Regardless of it the Twins knew about Monty, they couldn't know that Monty would be coming with them. This plan could work, simple as it was. If Monty was on their side, they had an advantage.

The remainder of the flight was spent in silence. Lulloyd idly tapped his hand against the side of the dragon while Lloyd tried to make it look like he was flying said dragon instead of an autopilot. Harumi slept, and Monty reassembled his rifle and began to work on a pistol produced from seemingly nowhere. The landscape turned snowy as, just as the path predicted, the trees soon turned to birch.

The moon had begun to kiss the horizon when the dragon emerged from between two large hills. Even in the low light the sight of the Iron Doom was unmistakable. The behemoth stood massive trees, framing its mass against nature itself. Behind the Iron Doom was the statue of the First Chi Master, almost tiny and insignificant by comparison. Parked nearby the machine's tail was the Destiny's Bounty, one of the massive swords of the Iron Doom planted firmly within its deck, pinning it to the ground. The sight of the ship skewered into the ground, however, was nothing compared to what they saw in front of it.

The Iron Doom had ripped up a massive clearing in front of itself, trees tossed casually aside like sticks. Standing in the middle of the clearing were the Twins. Nothing obscured them, nothing so much as hid them from the light breeze of snow blowing into them. Their hoods were drawn, one sitting on a tree stump and the other standing beside it. There was nothing so much else to suggest they were waiting with anything other than anticipation.

"Should we try to sneak up on them?" Lulloyd asked, reaching back to gently shake Harumi awake.

"They've likely already seen us," Lloyd paused, "Monty, we're going to make a pass and let you slip out before we land. Can you get onto that thing?"

Monty, sliding the pistol he'd finished with down underneath his armor, looked out towards the massive mech and then made the silent motion of cracking his neck, "Already said I would, honey, are you used to people backing out on you?" While Harumi fumed, he turned to Lloyd, "Just make it fast."

"Yep," Lloyd nodded, reaching out for the control stick, "Just make sure you get those crystals. And, Monty?"

"Yeah?" Monty asked, standing up and putting his hand on the SoS on his back.

"Stay safe, okay?" Lloyd asked, "We're counting on you."

Monty didn't respond. The ghost gave him a long look instead, then he turned towards the side and looked up out the window. Lloyd gently drew the Mechdragon in a small arc, letting it fly in a circle around the Iron Doom. As the group passed around it, the behemoth didn't so much as move. If they hadn't had any experience with it prior, it would be easy to assume it was a lifeless husk. Yet the thousands of serpents that lay within it, sleeping and writhing about, would soon activate, and Lloyd felt his hands grip tighter around the controls.

Now even closer, Lloyd saw snstead of the rebuilt Garmashark arm on the machine, in its place was an arm that carried with it the colors of multiple types of metal melted together and reformed, thus making both arms symmetrical in shape again. The entire apparatus had been repaired as well, leaving none of the gaps that the Garmashark had ripped into it. It looked battered, but no less imposing.

As soon as the group was behind the Iron Doom, Monty drew the SoS and hit the windscreen with the hilt, causing it to open briefly and for him to leap out. As soon as he was airborne, the ghost fired wind from his hand, allowing him to orient himself and blast towards the machine's back. Within seconds, he was gone from view.

The Mechdragon circled back in front of the Iron Doom, at which point its feet pointed horizontal and fired jets from them to gently bring it down to the ground. A massive puft of snow billowed up as it landed, only clearing once the jets had been turned off. Gently, Lulloyd stood up and pushed the cockpit windscreen fully open for them to stand up.

"Harumi, did you hear the plan?" Lloyd asked without looking back. Harumi gave a small murmur of affirmation.

"Good," Lloyd turned to Lulloyd, "Let's go get out powers back."

The three drew their hoods over their faces against the cold breeze. They leapt from the cockpit of the dragon, the dragon then rapidly reverting into a brick. Rather than take it, Lulloyd gripped it and planted it deep in the snow. He turned, drawing his sword from his back. Slowly, the three walked through the snowy drifts, weaving in and out of trees. In the distance, the cries of longhorns echoed over the wind. Lulloyd turned towards the noise, but quickly drew his gaze back to the Iron Doom. The walk for them was only a minute, but the time felt far longer. When they finally stood within the clearing, the Twins stirred.

Acrnoix, notable by his black eyebrows, sat against a tree stump, casually waving his forward blade about like a toy. Krux stood straight with his arms behind him and back impeccably straight, his own hands empty. His gray eyebrows withered with age betrayed his narrowed eyes as they came into light.

"Ah, ninja!" Krux shouted over the wind, "I'm so glad you could finally join us."

"Give it up, Krux," Lloyd spoke first, "You two don't have the skills or the power to take over another universe."

"Normally I'd try to say we don't have to fight," Harumi growled, "But you've already shown you only know how to,," Her hands gripped into fists, "So there isn't really a point to trying."

"Thanks to _him,_ girlie," Acronix pointed to Lloyd, "You're a tag along, just like your little blocky friend over there."

"We can end this right now," Lulloyd twisted his hips to step forward, "You give us back our powers, surrender, and we won't have to fight you. Neither of us want that."

"On the contrary, my many years of waiting in a museum for something to happen has left me weary for battle!" Krux laughed, "In fact, I feel as though I'm more ready for a fight now than ever before!"

"What good is fighting even going to do you?" Harumi continued, "Why not go to a universe where you don't exist and take over there? Why fight your way to the top?"

"Well, interdimensional travel doesn't work that way, girl-" Acronix began, but Krux cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"We are not here to weasel our way into power," Krux shook his head, "We are _owed_ power. And those that are owed things have a right to demonstrate it. It is our birthright as the Masters of Time. Tell me, do any of you know what happened during the wars that opened our eyes, the atrocities we watch be committed? Do you know anything about us, little ninjas?"

"We know all we need to know," Harumi growled, "You're murders, horrible people that want nothing more than to laugh over seeing your opponent stamped into the dirt. You're monsters."

Krux and Acronix said nothing. Instead, Acronix slid from his seat and stood beside his brother. The two looked back to the Iron Doom for a moment, then waved their hands. The Iron Doom shuddered, the snakes moving the arms to draw the massive copper blade from the destroyed Bounty with a loud splintering sound that pierced the wind itself. Where the ninja were on said ship was unaccounted for. The two swords raised into the air and plunged down, striking the ground beside the Twins. Neither of them flinched as the sheer force shook the ground, unsteadying the three.

"It was in this very woods that we had our eyes opened," Krux sighed, "In this very spot, in fact. When we watched the Master of Earth raise his powers against us. We watched a battle that should have won us the war turn into our greatest defeat. Do you know what happened to us that day? We retreated. And who was it that called that order to retreat? Wu, as the coward does."

"But not all of us made it," Acronix shook his head, "Of, for me the memories are still so fresh, brother. We were placed in chains, our powers sealed by the stone they were made from. We spent months within the Anacondrai camps. They tortured us, threatened us, each day our deaths were dangled in front of us. None of you could understand the pain of what those snakes did to us. We have the scars that not even time can take away."

"And do you know who never came for us?" Krux spat, "Take a guess, ninjas. I'm sure you already know."

"We escaped on our own," Acronix threw his arms into the air, "For weeks, we let our only thoughts be of escape. When they beat us, we were counting their blades. When they bled us, we were noting their positions. And when they tormented us, we were assessing every option to escape."

"Do not think it was easy!" Krux shook his head, "My brother broke nearly every bone in his hand to free himself from those infernal things, and then broke even more of mine to get us out. And even at our full might, we were facing an entire squadron of those things on our own…" Krux's tone faltered, "Some nights, I wondered if we died there."

"When we made it back to Wu, he smiled at us, and said he was happy to have his allies back…" Acronix gripped his fist, "His allies returned. Not that he was happy we were alive, or that we had any information on the snakes. No. All Wu cared about was that he had his numbers. We did what nobody else could, we fought past the things designed to do nothing more than fight us back!"

The twins took a step forward. Then another. The Iron Doom bent forward, lowering its head cast the red light upon them. Both brothers drew their hoods back, letting their hair blow in the snowy winds. The light behind them made their bodies appear like shadow, making their gazes even darker upon the group.

"We escaped, we fought past them all, and we survived!" Krux bellowed, "WE were the ones that kept those battles from turning into slaughters! WE kept those villages from burning under the snake's rule! And WE were the ones that at the war's end had the strength to carry on the duty to protect our lives! WE LIVED NINJA! WE, THE HANDS OF TIME!"

"Call us hypocrites!" Acronix laughed maniacally, "Call us fools even! You can deny our rights, and we will show you what we deserve! We deserve a kingdom of our own making, built from the ashes of the weak that couldn't fight for themselves! The Iron Doom stands tall above all, just like we should!"

"And if you cannot see that…" Krux hissed, "Then it is you who should fall."

Both twins brought their hands together. Lulloyd and Lloyd didn't react, but Harumi's eyes widened. Her own hands shot together, and mere inches from both of their faces, pairs of Rhotate discs exploded into light. Harumi managed to barely deflect the oncoming discs. Krux kicked the snow behind him, causing the reversal blade to fly up into the air and into his hand. Both twins took one step forward and pointed their blades at the group together.

"Y...You can learn…" Harumi's words were hollow with confusion, "How?!"

"Did you not see our aptitude in our last battle?" Krux grinned, "Our horde grants us the powers to learn things even your friends cannot!"

"This Rhotate is incredible, too!" Acronix smirked, "This is almost as useful as that Master Building!"

"Speaking of which…" Krux turned, "Are you think what I am thinking, brother?"

"Oh I most certainly am!" Acronix leaned forward, placing his hand on the ground, "Let's see what we can build!"

"Oh no you don't!" Lloyd shouted, "NINJA-GO!"

Lloyd leapt into the air, spinning into a green tornado that kicked up snow as it raced towards the twins. Acronix raised the green blade, firing a green stream directly at him. Lloyd broke his motions a mere second before it hit, causing his tornado to release and send him running along the ground past Acronix. Harumi leapt to her right, firing three discs that arced towards the twins. Krux simply blasted her with an orange light, reverting her and her discs to before they were fired. As he lunged to stab at her, Lulloyd shot in front of her and spun his sword, knocking Krux back.

The twins rushed forward towards Harumi and Lulloyd while Lloyd recovered. The two raised their respective arms, then both feinted to opposite sides. Acronix blasted them both with another burst of his blade, accelerating them to them both striking a birch tree. The tree flashed blue and revealed itself to be made of several brick cylinders stacked atop one another, alternating black and white. The twins paused for a brief moment, allowing the three to attack.

Lulloyd's speed allowed him to rush out and slice at Acronix's head, countered by the forward blade. Acronix thrust upwards with his knees, sending the sword back, but Lulloyd had already spun his body on one foot to begin attacking again. Acronix's time blade deflected each one as best he could, each attack making his footing more unsteady. Seeing this, Lulloyd leapt backwards and then jumped into the air, bringing his blade down for a jump strike.

Acronix suddenly smirked, flashing his body with the forward blade to disappear. Lulloyd's blade hit the tree, causing the bricks to separate from the sheer force. Acronix appeared behind Lulloyd and brought the blade down on his back, sending him into the ground. His hand grabbed Lulloyd's sword arm and spun him about, the two flashing green as Acronix sped up time to spin his faster. When he let go, Lulloyd was sent soaring through the air with a massive cry, his body hitting the tree Krux had punched and reducing it to bricks as well. Acronix raised his blade to attack, but then scoffed as he saw he'd used up his charges.

Harumi slung several discs out towards Krux to knock the reversal blade away, but Krux was faster than her discs. He and Acronix turned to one another and nodded, then began to build. Lloyd, who had finally rushed forward with his swords to attack, watched as they reconstructed the trees into something resembling a ballista. The Iron Doom suddenly stirred, shaking off the snow accumulated on it as it reached out, taking hold of the apparatus like a crossbow.. Snakes emerged out from between the mechs fingers, curling around each other to form a string for it to draw 's eyes widened as pieces that had formerly been tree trunks were launched down towards the ground. The impact of a piece was sent several feet into the ground less than a foot away. He sheathed his blades and ran, dodging the aim of the Iron Doom that tracked him as he ran.

Harumi, in the meanwhile, saw Krux racing towards her to stab her through with weapon. She fired a disc from her left hand on the ground, the force sending her body flipping around to her right. The action allowed her to dodge Krux's slice, and she followed up by twisting her body to raise her right hand to blast him in the back. Krux's leg, however, came to swipe her leg out from under her, sending her into the snow. As Krux brought his slice around to jab at her chest, her hands shot forward and fired a disc right towards him. Krux batted it away, giving time for her to get back up.

As Lloyd ran from the Iron Doom's strikes, Acronix was coming towards him. The warrior stopped and slice the snow upwards, forming a brief moment of obscurity for him to disappear. Lloyd jumped forward to avoid another piece nearly caving his head in, sliding into the snow. When he scrambled to his feet, Acronix was in front of him. As the two clashed blades, the green glow had faded from it.

Lloyd swung both katanas towards Acronix from his right. Acronix dodged by blocking one with the time blade and the other by grabbing Lloyd's wrist. Acronix twisted, straining his hand to try to make him drop the weapon. Lloyd grimaced through the pain and drew the clashing katna towards his chest, forcing Acronix forward. He was prepared to swing again to shove him back, but by attacking Acronix he'd forgotten the bigger issue. The sound of the Iron Doom firing at him once more made his eyes widen in fear.

The fired trunk, however, never hit him. The trunk instead crashed into the ground as a massive baseball bat of bricks sent it down into snow. Lulloyd shout hard and flung the bat like a javelin into the makeshift crossbow right after, shattering it both to pieces. Lloyd leapt backwards away from Acronix to see Lulloyd heaving and hand extended from the throw. He turned to Lloyd and gave him a nervous smile, showing he wasn't done yet.

The ninja raced forward, scaling up one tree and his breath heaving as he looked down at the branches. The Iron Doom reared its fist towards him, making Lulloyd jump fast to another tree. The machine struck the tree and felled it. As soon as its arm was extended, Lulloyd punched his tree, turning a fair bit into bricks he raced forward with, using the branches to act like bars of a cage. He raced from tree to tree to rapidly build them up until the arm was trapped with its hand stuck between bars supported by several trees. Lulloyd leapt down from the trees onto the ground with a hard thud, forcing the mech to yank backwards for several seconds before it broke free. The mech slid backwards from the force, staggering it.

Lloyd didn't have anymore time to appreciate this. Acronix's drew his hands back to his side, forming a Rhotate disc and thrusting it forward at Lloyd. The ninja brought his swords together in front of him, sending it awry. Acronix was soon on top of him again, trapping the two swords between the prongs of his time blade. Lloyd tried to circle his blades to send the time blade away, but Acronix was stronger.

Lulloyd shot forward, his sword swiping down to knock Acronix away. As Acronix withdrew, Lulloyd panted heavily, looking towards Lloyd as little sweat studs appeared on his face. He turned back to Acronix, blade raised in the air as Lloyd did the same. Acronix simply took a fighting stance with his time blade over his chest. Within seconds, the green glow had returned, causing him to grin.

A stray disc of Rhotate drew Lloyd's sight towards Harumi. Krux fiercely swiped and jabbed at her with his time blade, each one either knocked aside by Rhotate or dodged with a swift slide. Harumi was fully on the defensive, her own attacks being swiftly countered by the seasoned veteran. Krux's punches would frequently break apart her Rhotatae form, leaving her to use only a single hand to form small attacks.

Krux swung his time blade with the blunt edge, striking Harumi in the side of the head. She let out a cry of pain as she was flung to the ground, her vision dancing as her cheek chilled from the snow. Krux's foot struck her in the jaw, rolling her over with another bout of pain. His time blade raised up, reversing time to bring her back around to kick her again. The second kick rolled her twice as hard, and Krux laughed as his hand gripped her suit, dragging her to her feet and slamming her into a tree.

Harumi's world was spinning. Her reflexes were all that saved her as Krux tried to impale her right in the gut, using her foot to yank her body around the tree. She brought her hands up to shove Krux away, stumbling away and panting hard as she looked up towards him. Krux still refused to let up, firing another Rhotate at her that hit her dead on in the chest. It exploded on impact, sending her staggering about as pain lanced through her body. She looked up towards him again, forming a green energy shield to deflect the next few shots. The precious seconds she gained blocking his attacks allowed her to concentrate a beam of energy right at him, burning a hole in a tree beside him as he dodged.

"How… how did you learn?!" Harumi panted angrily, firing another beam towards him. Krux once more simply dodged to the side.

"The Vermillion were bred from the Great Devourer," Krux boasted, "Just as the Devourer grew in size from its appetite, the Vermillion grow in power! My brother and I discovered this while we were stranded in the Time Vortex! Anything that the Vermillion eat, the hive mind can obtain! Sadly, our snakes have barely begun to learn their new abilities, while we grow far quicker!"

"You're not Vermillion!" Harumi shouted, another beam arcing towards Krux like a laser, "How could you possibly learn?!"

"My brother and I have far more willpower than any of you," Krux narrowed his gaze, "Do you wish to see what it is that grants us this power? See what our strength has allowed us?"

Harumi didn't respond, instead she thrust her hands backwards, firing energy out to rocket towards Krux. The sudden motion caught him off guard, and Harumi formed a disc in front of her chest as she flew through the air. Krux twisted his body to try to jump away, but Harumi was far too quick for him. The disc arced forward, curving so it plunged straight into his back.

Krux let out little more than a groan as he staggered forward. Harumi landed behind him, bringing her hands up to strike him again. As he eyes landed on his back, however, her own hands were frozen. His clothes had been torn, revealing something attached to his back.

A Vermillion snake slithered against Krux's back, the red serpent looking almost like it had sank into it. It was not that, however, which made her pause. The snake had its fangs buried firmly in the back of Krux's head, veins spreading out angrily from the contact. The snake looked lodged in tightly, and from the discolored skin, the snake looked almost as though it had bitten right into…

"You… you're mad…" Harumi whispered, "I thought, I thought the Vermillion were a hive mind!"

"Oh… they are!" Krux turned around, straightening his neck, "Acronix and I have forced our wills upon the hundreds of serpents within that machine. Our wills are stronger than all of those snakes combined!" Krux grimaced, "We no longer need helmets to control our machine, just as we no longer are separate from our soldiers. We are as apart of the snakes now as they are us."

Harumi felt her stomach turning just at the sight of it. The snake's fangs, imbedded right into his head. The thought of what Krux was saying, it was all insane. The twins had forcibly impressed their will upon the entire hive, drowning out the snakes all to gain control. The agony that would be, she could only imagine. And that only made her stomach feel rockier as she thought as to what this meant.

"That… doesn't explain how you learned Rhotate!" Harumi shook her head, "Even if you learned it from… from something, you can't have mastered it!"

"The Vermillion obtain more than skills," Krux nodded his head, "They can absorb memories from the brain. Why, don't you remember when your friend was eaten?"

Harumi's entire body froze. Krux's lips curled into a wicked grin as Harumi's mind flashed to the sight of Olive, ripped into pieces in front of her as the snakes took her life. The very feeling of it made her body begin to quake.

"Oh, you do remember!" Krux laughed, "I thought your galavanting around in this world would have made you forget. I can even tell you the last thing she felt before her life was crushed out! Did you think it was a noble feeling of sacrifice?' His lips curled into a sadistic grin, "No. It was pure and utter fear. The only thing she felt in those final moments was terror as the life that her father had given back to her was snuffed out!"

Harumi's breath rasped as she seemed frozen to her spot, unable to process what she was hearing. Seeing her freeze, Lloyd tried to shout to her, but Acronix had already disappeared and forced him to thrust his head aside to look for him. Lulloyd was sent flying as Acronix struck him from behind, and Lloyd barely managed the same fate with a well timed slice.

"We can see her entire life, right in front of us," Krux smirked, "All those years of training to perfect Rhotate, now they are all ours. It is a shame that the Vermillion don't seem to absorb Elemental Power… the Masters of Time and Ice! Hah! It rhymes!" Krux turned his gaze to Harumi, "My, you look a little upset there. Have you realized your own weakness led to your friend's death?"

Harumi's body didn't move. Krux kept going, "This is just like with your father, wasn't it? You weren't strong enough to save him, nor your friend. You'll never be strong enough to win anything, won't you? Not without your friends having to die just so you can see the path to victory!"

"Stop it..." Harumi whispered. Krux shook his head.

"Come on, girl! Attack me!" Krux threw his arms wide, "Attack me and show me what you really know how to do!"

"Harumi!" Lloyd shouted. He knew of the Twins manipulations, and seeing her frozen only made his fear rise. Lloyd twisted his head in time to see Acronix on him again, his hand raised to make a shushing motion. Lulloyd dashed in from behind him, and Acronix ducked, forcing Lulloyd to skid to a stop to avoid hitting his ally. Acronix thrust his arms out to send them back as he disappeared again with his final charge.

"Weak," Krux threw his cape aside, "You're weak, Harumi! Come now, show me your true strength, show me what you really can do!" His eyes narrowed, "Or do we need to murder more of your friends to get you to truly fight?"

Harumi let out a scream. Tears streamed out of her eyes as her hands shot together, forming a Rhotatae disc. The disc sparked and crackled with green energy, violently trembling and shaking as she did. Yet unlike Krux's discs, something else was present, something foreign. Black lightning seemed to arc and burn from it, as if trying to escape. Harumi didn't notice and let it loose. The force of it firing pushed Harumi back into the snow. Her hands didn't let up, firing again, and again, again and again, each time getting slid back further and further still.

Krux simply laughed, sliding his body left and right, batting aside each disc or sidestepping them entirely. The discs flew off into the distance, leaving a harsh streak of light in their wake. Harumi fired her discs out in even more directions, each one going right for Krux. The man just laughed and batted them away.

"I think my brother was a bit preemptive in calling this Rhotate a powerful art! It's no better than Spinjitzu!" Krux smirked, "So simple it's nearly worthless! You can't even-"

Suddenly, Krux felt a warning from behind him. He gasped and slid his body to the side, but it was already too late. His left arm struck the side of a Rhotate disc that had arced around back towards him, cutting the fabric and dissipating as it struck him. Harumi dropped her arms.

"You insolent little!" Krux spat, his entire demeanor almost instantly shifting, "Such underhanded tricks show your true colors! Your fighting spirit isn't even…"

Krux paused. Something was on his face. Something, strange. He raised his hand up, blinking as he felt… tears? He looked to Harumi, and then to his wet hand. He was… crying. His lips quivered as he felt emotions begin to well up inside of him, feelings he could clearly distinguish. Sorrow, anguish, and… anger. Anger, that was not his own.

"What have you done to me?" Krux shouted, even as he continued to cry uncontrollably, "What sort of power have you been hiding?!"

Harumi screamed again. Her eyes shot up, and this time they weren't filled with determination. What Krux saw was eyes filled with rage, a form almost as pure as what he'd felt so long ago. Harumi ran forward, her body faster than he'd seen it as she formed another disc and violently swung it down towards his head. The disc cleaved straight through a tree beside him, causing the entire top portion to slide off.

"Harumi!" Lloyd shouted again, but Acronix wouldn't abandon his attempts. Lulloyd turned and began to run straight for the trees. The Iron Doom responded by raising its arm and bringing it straight down towards him. Lulloyd only continued running, assured he could make it well within time.

Lloyd threw Acronix away from a clash. Acronix, out of charges, was forced to instead leap at Lulloyd, swinging his blade at him. Lulloyd countered with his sword sliding off and stopping to trade blows. Acronix smiled and then disappeared again, leaving Lulloyd stunned. He looked up, however, to see the Iron Doom's arm was now far further along. Lloyd stopped and darting back, pushing Lulloyd back and out of the path of the arm as it crashed into the ground with slam that nearly threw them backwards.

Krux, meanwhile, was now on the defensive. Harumi's discs suddenly had turned from annoyances to a worry, and her movements had gone wild and almost feral. Her swipes with her discs were long and drawn out, filled with power behind them that sliced trees and cleaved ruts in the ground. Krux attempted to fire the reversal blade into her once again, but Harumi only responded by doing a side flip and bringing her foot down on it to knock his arm aside before firing another disc at him.

"Must you be so uncivilized?!" Krux shouted as Harumi shouted at him with rage again, forming a spinning disc in hand and swinging it in an uppercut at him. Krux barely slid his torso backwards from what would be a saw right through his abdomen.

Harumi's assault continued, forcing Krux back into the treeline. Lloyd and Lulloyd watched over the Iron Doom's arm as they disappeared into the treeline and out of sight. Lloyd twisted into Spinjitzu and used the momentum to try to soar over the Iron Doom's arm, but Acronix turned and his eyes focused on the arm. The massive metal arm shot upwards, striking Lloyd and sending him flying back down into the ground.

"Tssk, tssk…" Acronxi walked over, picking up one of Lloyd's fallen swords, "You opponent is me, Lloyd!"

While Lulloyd once more made a run for Acronix, Krux's back hit a tree. His head snapped back, but then he saw Harumi coming at him with a rapid charge. Thinking on his feet, he dropped down to his knees, letting her Rhotatae-enhanced palm strike into the tree. After a quick breath, Krux raised his time blade, blasting Harumi in the chest with its power. Harumi was sent backwards, and Krux watched her reverse to the start of her run.

When Harumi resumed her charge forward, this time Krux slid to the side and grabbed Harumi's arm, thrusting her into the tree beside him. Her eyes snapped open as the pain went straight through her torso. She looked towards Krux, who brought the blade right down onto her face. The pain sent her down into the ground, too stunned to move.

"Hah… hah… foolish…" Krux panted, his body quivering from such an intense brawl, "Your emotions… I'm shocked your father trained you to let them have so much sway over you. A warrior that cannot let his mind enter flow is nothing more than a dog with dull teeth…"

Krux stomped his foot into Harumi's back, holding her down. He raised the time blade above his shoulder, aiming it towards Harumi's back. With a smirk, he readied his shoulder.

"Any last words, girl?" Krux laughed, "I'll be sure to tell your friends back home when we go back and conquer them!"

Harumi didn't say anything, too dazed to do so. Krux shrugged, then brought his hand down.

Three loud bangs sounded off into the air right before three strikes hit the blade. Three bullets slammed into the time blade, causing it to go flying off with three perfectly vertical smoking dots across its surface. Krux's hand snapped back violently from the recoil, forcing him to let go as the reversal blade soared off into the snow.

At the edge of the treeline, barely visible to Krux, Monty stood with a pistol drawn, the barrel lightly smoking. He fired his gun three more times, aiming for Krux's chest and legs. Krux leapt off Harumi, scattering away without any defense. Monty continued to fire until his gun was empty, each shot making Krux dance backwards.

"Maybe next time you should leave the plan to me," Monty turned towards Lloyd and Lulloyd, "I'm the only one here that can survive a knife to the back."

Lloyd was about to speak, but Monty pointed his gun upwards. Lloyd looked up to see something that made his own eyes widen. Hovering high up in the air, suspended by wind, were three crystals. Two were glowing green, and the third a combination of other colors. All three were directly over the center of the battlefield. Monty opened his hand, and suddenly the crystals were in free fall.

Acronix's eyes shot open in shock as he raced straight towards the three falling objects. Monty threw his pistol aside and drew one of his rifles from his back and turned his body to the side, firing the gun with one hand. Acronix grunted as the bullet swept past him, making him skid to a stop. Monty twisted his body the other way, revealing another pistol he'd prepped in the time it took him to fire the first gun. Monty shot several more bullets, kicking up snow that blinded Acronix as he hissed and clutched at his eyes.

"Lloyd!" Lulloyd shouted, looking upwards. Lloyd nodded his head. Lloyd raced towards Lulloyd, who held his arms out as Lloyd jumped onto them. Lloyd was boosted up into the air, and as he did his body began to rapidly twist into the Airjitzu form. He turned his body towards the crystals, sending him soaring straight towards the three glowing gems.

Lulloyd looked on as Lloyd flew towards them as fast as he could. Lloyd focused, dropping his form and reaching out with his left hand. He turned his focused to the largest crystal, gathering up what little power he had left. With a shout, he sent a thin beam of green power straight into the crystal.

A brilliant flash of green light filled the air as the crystal shattered into shards that flew about the field. The green aura it gave off pulsed for a few brief seconds, then descended. Lloyd's body filled with green energy, freezing in the air as the raw energy forced itself back into him. His eyes glowed as green power raced back through him, flowing out through his hands and sending jolts of rejuvenating through his body. His hair momentarily rose up into the air as he found himself unable to contain a grin.

With a burst of green light, Lloyd's elemental dragon flapped in the air, thrusting itself into a spin and then twisting into a dive towards the two remaining crystals. The air rushed around him as he went into the dive, waiting for the last moment before the dragon flung its body vertical. The force of the dragon's body snapping sent Lloyd flying off, grabbing the two crystals and falling towards the ground. His dragon spun and soared under him, catching him in flight with a thud into the saddle. Looking down to Lulloyd, he picked up the remaining green crystal and sent it hurtling towards him.

Lulloyd caught the crystal, looking at it with widened eyes. Without another moment of hesitation, he sliced his sword straight through it, the green energy arcing out of it and soaring up into his body. He leapt into the air, spinning and kicking about rapidly as he felt it race back into his body. When he landed, Lloyd stood beside him, placing the third crystal into Lulloyd's hand. Lulloyd inhaled deeply before placing it in his suit.

Acronix was on the ground, finally able to open his red eyes to see what was happening. Monty paused in his shooting long enough to allow him to stand. Lloyd stood up on one foot and filled his fists with green power, striking a fighting stance. Lulloyd did the same, bent forward with legs spread apart and sword held across his body. The ghost slowly walked his way until he stood halfway between the Iron Doom and the treeline, one gun trained on Krux and the other Acronix.

"The plan worked!" Lloyd shouted, his voice filled with hope. He turned to Acronix, his tone dropping into a serious force, "You've lost, Acronix! We've taken away your ability to travel in universes! You will answer to us now!"

Acronix stared at them for a few moments. He looked to them both, leaning back on his ankles as he did so. He remained silent, his eyes training on Monty for a few moments. He looked to Monty, to the two of them, and to the Iron Doom. When he stopped looking, he nodded his head once.

Then Acronix began to laugh, bending forward and laughing hard. Lloyd and Lulloyd blinked in utter confusion as he reacted so strangely, his laughs filled with what sounded like genuine mirth. When he finally managed to stop, he looked to the two of them still hunched over.

"You ACTUALLY did it!?" Acronix howled, "You did the EXACT thing we thought you would?! We didn't expect you'd use the _ghost_ but WOW! I thought you would have at least some variety, I can't believe this! I seriously, cannot believe this! BROTHER! THEY DID IT!"

Krux smirked, turning towards Acronix. Steadily, Krux began to laugh as well, taking his attention off Harumi. Gathering up her strength, Harumi blasted the snow with both hands with Rhotate, launching herself away from him. Her eyes were no longer filled with rage, and instead they were trained upon the time blade now lying in the snow.

Krux, however, was faster. His hand struck a tree to reduce it to bricks, which he rapidly turned into stilts. A single massive kick was enough to force Harumi onto her guard, bringing her arms over her chest and being knocked away from her path. Monty drew the second rifle and fired it four times, breaking apart the stilts. Krux grabbed the pieces as they fell, building them into a simple wall on the ground as he landed. The cover gave him time to scramble and recover his time blade still pulsing in the snow. Monty traded the rifle for the shotgun, firing just as Krux flipped over the top of the wall. A single thrust of the time blade caught the pellets in time and reversed them back at Monty. The ghost simply stood still as they flew threw his body and struck the straps holding his guns on his back.

"Now… let us show them what has truly transpired here today!" Krux shouted, raising his blade and beating his chest with it a few moments.

Lloyd suddenly felt his back burning. He grunted and turned his head around, only for another burn to send im onto his knees. As he did, he noticed blue lines traveling on top of the snow he hadn't noticed. From those lines, strange blue sparks shot up from the ground, striking him until he was sent onto his back. Soon those blue lines traced around his body in a rectangle, pinning him in. Lloyd's eyes flashed with recognition as soon as he saw the lines up close.

Lulloyd wasn't given the same treatment. Instead, something smashed into the back of his head. Studs burst into his vision as he fell forward, the handle of Cole's scythe pressed into him. From the snow behind them, Zane's wolf leapt from the ground, snarling as it ran forward and disarmed the two. When the wolf stopped, it faded from view, and moments later balls of ice were around both Lulloyd and Lloyd's hands. Jay walked forward from behind a tree, his wasp floating beside him and extending those blue lines around Lulloyd as well. Both ninja had their hands frozen and were trapped inside the lines of Jay's chi.

Gunshots filled the air as Monty fired at something over Lloyd's head. Wu leapt from the snow behind the two fallen ninja, batting away his bullets. Monty scoffed and threw his pistol aside, giving Acronix time to blast him with the forward blade. Monty's entire motions accelerated until he had already fired his weapon, leaving him blinking as the gun was now empty but no bullets seemed to have come out.

Before Monty could do anything else, rings of water formed from the snow underneath him, rapidly encircling him and constricting in to force his arms down. Monty's eyes narrowed as Nya walked up from behind him, her eyes trained on him fiercely. As Monty tried to move his hand to blast wind, Nya tightened the water so it was like a sheen right over his body. Monty was forced to remain still or risk having it fully converge on him.

"Ah, nicely done Wu!" Acronix laughed, "Your little ninja do have a use, even in this world!"

"What are you doing?!" Lloyd shouted, thrusting against the ice, trying to draw his newly retaken powers to melt it. The rapid freezing in his nerves took that option away from him. In front of him, a staff planted firmly into the ground.

"...I am truly sorry," Wu's voice came from above Lloyd's line of sight, "...Know that I would not do this, if the circumstances were different."

"Yes, yes, you're honorable and we're not, now," Acronix held his hand out, "Give me their Realm Crystal."

"No!" Lloyd shouted, struggling even harder. Wu paused for a few moments, looking back towards Acronix. Krux walked over to join his brother, his blade pointing at Wu and waving at him. A smirk from both of them made Wu turn back around.

"Forgive me… please," Wu muttered, "I cannot lose another student."

Lloyd shouted, but Wu bent down, reaching into Lloyd's pocket. From it, the green Realm Crystal emerged. Wu held it in his hand, slowly turning it back and forth to see its full shape. Not a few seconds after he had it, however, he walked over and planted it firmly in Acronix's hands.

"So, our little theory was correct…" Acronix passed the Crystal to Krux, "You should really thank Harumi for her universe having such amazing resources for all sorts of questions. For example, 'how could one travel universes?' Speaking of her…"

From the treeline, multiple Rhotate fired off, but this time without the strange black lightning. Krux fired his reversal blade to negate them, then raised his arm. Harumi shot out from the treeline, green power sparking in her grasp. A shadow fell across her, however, as the arm of the Iron Doom slammed down. The fist snapped several trees apart, felling them right in her path. Harumi managed to fire a burst of green power to throw herself out of the way, but as soon as she landed, Zane had thrown a shuriken into the ground beside her hip, rapidly freezing her to the ground.

"Harumi!" Lloyd shouted, struggling once more. This only made the Twins laugh.

"Oh wait!" Acronix grinned, "We're not done yet!"

Krux moved his hand to reach into his own pocket. As soon as he did, he drew out something more. Another Realm Crystal sat in his hand, one that was blue. The elder twin held both crysatls in his hands, making sure all three of the travelers could see them. It had to be the crystal of this universe. Lloyd's blood ran cold as soon as he realized what that meant.

"Thank you for weakening the defenses at their vault… Monty, I believe it was. Now, Lloyd, perhaps you should see that your actions have consequences!" Krux raised the crystals overhead, kicking away snow until he saw dirt underneath "Consequences that affect more than you! Know that whatever happens here today is nothing compared to what will happen now that you have interfered! And it is not us who will not follow you, but you who will never see us again!'

With that, Krux threw the crystals down onto the ground. Both shattered on impact, releasing a massive burst of blue-green riddled energy that sparked out across the ground. Lloyd's eyes widened as it did so, the energy previously inside crackling and slowly fading away as the shards turned into nothing more than glass.

"NO!" Lloyd shouted, trying with all his power to worm his way free. Krux and Acornix simply smiled at them. Lloyd watched those little shards dance about on the snow, slowly mingling along with them just like his hope of ever getting home. Lulloyd's eyes were widened, his mouth hanging open as he processed what had just come to pass.

The sound of Wu's staff hitting the ground brought their attention back to the present, "You have what you came here for. Now, release Morro!"

"Morro?" Harumi shouted, barely hearing them over her shock, "What about Morro?!"

"Oh… you want your little student back?" Krux smirked, "Why, we'll go get him for you. Yes, in fact, we'll let them all see why you all have acted so out of character even!"

Both brothers signaled to the Iron Doom, which caused the snakes on their necks to writhe as the entire machine slowly bent forward. It seemed to lean forward on its own stomach, bringing the viewport down towards the ground. For a few moments, the viewport was nothing more than two chairs and a dark interior, framed by the broken shards still blowing in the snow in front of Lloyd and Lulloyd's faces.

Then, the plates in the floor began to slide apart. A mass of snakes, all slithering and floundering atop one another, began to rise from the floor. The mass dripped snakes onto the floor that would slowly rejoin the horde, making the pile appear bigger and bigger. Once it was several feet in the air, snakes in the front rapidly began to slither aside, and what it showed made Lloyd and Harumi gasp.

Morro, the green ninja, was currently suspended amongst the snakes. Snakes all along his body had their fangs sunk into him, leaving his clothing in taters. His eyes were shut and his body was limp, yet his hands were pulsing with green power. The energy seemed to flow like a conduit through the snakes, going deeper into the machine around him. Veins not unlike those the Twins sported on their necks were now crisscrossing whatever surface they could see.

"Morro…" Wu raised his staff, "Return him to me, return him at once!"

"Actually…" Krux snickered, "I think our deal has changed."

"There was no deal!" Wu shouted, "Morro was to be returned to us if we obtained you their Realm Crystal, and we have! There is no reason for him to die!"

"Oh, but you see… you did give us the Crystal, but our timetable has changed," Acronix continued, "You were a fool to think we would ever hold our end of the bargain."

The twins began to walk away. Panic shot through Lloyd's body. He turned his head, trying to see where Jay was behind wasn't paying attention, looking way in shame. That meant his chi wasn't on guard.. He barely managed to turn his head to Lulloyd, who had his gaze trained on the Iron Doom. The Twins climbed their way up into the viewport once more, turning back around to face those on the ground.

"KRUX!" Wu shouted, "You're no better than you were before! Give me back my student!"

"Oh… but you see, I think you're forgetting something, old man," Acronix slotted his forward blade back into the dial under the viewport, "What was it we used to say?"

"Control time, control everything?" Krux shook his head, "That's a bit too vague now, don't you think?"

"I think so, brother, I do," Acronix reached down, "I say… Control the Universe, Control Everything!"

With that, the dial spun and Acronix shot his hand down. A tinged blue glow shot from the Iron doom's dial, and suddenly the entire battlefield was enveloped within its blue blur. Wu's staff had barely begun to raise before it was reduced to a snail's pace, his body beginning to turn. Krux slid his forward blade back into its slot and climbed into his seat, gesturing for his brother to follow. Acronix slid into his seat, smirked and reached over, tapping Morro's chin.

"All good, battery?" Acronix smirked, reaching out to tap the panel in front of him, "Don't worry, we're keeping you alive and healthy. After all, elemental powers are at their strongest when you're at your peak!" Acronix raised his hand, "Not that you'll see it, though."

Acronix lowered his hand, and the entire mass of snakes dragged Morro's limp body back down into the Iron Doom. As soon as the tiles were back in place, a green glow emanated from between its cracks. The Iron Doom slowly bent forward, raising itself upright. The hand struck the area behind Harumi, breaking the ice and sending her into the bubble of slow-mo. As soon as she entered it, her body began to float through the air as though she was underwater slowly sinking to the bottom.

"Goodbye, ninja!" Krux sneered, "This world is similar enough to your own you should be happy here! So happy you'll never leave!" Large beams began to form around the Iron Doom and be sucked into the air, "Let us hope this is the last time we'll ever see each other again!"

As the Iron Doom rose up within the air, the blue bubble began to flicker and fade. Within seconds, the entire effect wore off as the Iron Doom was now fully airborne. Harumi completed her arc, rolling across the snow. She took one look at Jay, then the chi, and fired two bursts of green power into her hands. One struck Jay and the other Zane. Both ninja went onto theri backs as the lines faded. Lloyd concentrated, sending as much green power into his hands as he could. The power concentrated through the numbing hands until it burst, breaking apart the ice. Another burst of power from his broke apart Lulloyd's hands.

"I'm not letting you get away again!" Lloyd brought his hands together with a flash, his elemental dragon forming under him again. Lulloyd raced forward, leaping up onto it wordlessly. Harumi moved to form her own dragon, but Cole threw himself towards Lloyd to stop them. Harumi, thinking fast, tackled him to the ground.

The Iron Doom bellowed as its speed began to accelerate within the air. Lloyd's dragon flapped hard, bringing itself up into the skies to try to catch up to it. Once the Iron Doom was gone, they had no way of following it. Lloyd had to make it on now, he had to or else never make it on another place again. Harumi looked up towards them with fear in her eyes before Cole had pushed her off. As she landed, she tried to form her dragon, but her power was all but exhausted now.

The mechanical monstrosity looked down towards the dragon soaring towards it, raising its sword and sending it through the skies. Lloyd thrust his dragon to the side, the world spinning into a corkscrew as he barreled past it. A snap of his reins translated the momentum across the dragon's wings, making it shoot up into the sky above the blade. Lulloyd turned back towards the blade and eyed it nervously before the wind thrust him back into the saddle.

Lloyd leaned forward. The Iron Doom was rising. The portal was above it again and it was readying itself. They were hijacking this universe's green ninja to do so. His heart pounded. The sword from the Iron Doom raised again. Lloyd saw it too late, forcing him to arc away to avoid it. The lights around the Iron Doom were growing stronger. He had to get aboard.

"It's getting away!" Lulloyd shouted. Lloyd turned his dragon again. The Iron Doom had turned to face him, its eye glaring upon them. The mech began to glow. It was about to leave.

"NINJAGO!" Lloyd shouted, sending his dragon forward. The beast beat its wings as hard as it could, sending both of them flattened to its back simply to stay upon it. The massive swords came towards them once again, and the dragon snapped its body hard side to side to avoid tis strikes. The viewport came into view, and Lloyd leapt from his dragon, Lulloyd in hand.

The Iron Doom disappeared.

Within a second, the mech had vanished from the air. Lloyd's mind immediately panicked, sending him into a free fall still clinging to Lulloyd. His mind rapidly tried to form his dragon again, but the sudden lack of anything under him forced his entire body to panic. That panic prevented him from his dragon, and the ground under them began that much closer.

"AAAHHHHHHH!" Lulloyd twisted his head towards the trees, but they were coming in too fast. Both of them knew at this speed they would likely hurt themselves trying. Lloyd tried again to spark up his dragon. Nothing worked.

A roar suddenly caught their attention. A golden glow formed around their body as a long, serpentine golden dragon twisted around both of them. The beast was small compared to any dragon Lloyd had ever seen, and from the strange aura it gave off, he knew immediately it must be chi. His eyes shot down to see Wu with his staff pointed towards them and sweat at his brow. The chi dragon began to circle down towards the ground, carrying them to safety. Both green ninja landed upon their feet in the snow.

A burst of wind caused the group to look towards where Monty was pinned. Water had splattered out in all directions around him, and he had Nya pinned to the ground with one hand. He looked down at her with narrowed eyes before slowly sitting up, reaching out to draw the SoS and hold it to her chin. Nya raised her arms in surrender.

Harumi stumbled over towards the group. With her element, Rhotate and energy now depleted, she looked worse for wear. The other ninja slowly made their way towards Wu, who had his head bowed in shame. No one could speak, for no one had any words to say. Lloyd and Lulloyd looked at the snow with thousand yard stares for a long while.

"We… we're sorry for deceiving you," Zane finally attempted to speak, then turned his head in shame, "Our friend was in danger, and the Twins, they showed they could kill him without a single world. We… we had to do what they said."

"Where are they?" Kai followed up, "Where'd they go?"

"They… they left," Harumi groaned, taking another shaky step forward, "They're, gone. They're off to another universe."

"Another universe?" Monty stepped forward, his gaze focused half on Harumi and half on Nya, "You're serious?"

"Yeah…" Lloyd looked towards the glistening shards on the ground, "...and those crystals were the only way we could follow them…"

Lulloyd turned to him with a pleading and questioning gaze. Lloyd nodded his head, "It… it means we're trapped here. We're… stuck here, permanently."

The frigid winds of the Birchwood Forest chilled those that didn't feel the weight of his words. As the snow around them blew against them, so to did the dread of what Lloyd's words meant. The howling of the forest seemed to carry upon it the terror of his words, and the laughter of those that had left them behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter went through at least 7 hours of revisions. With it, we have reached the conclusion of the first arc of Ninjaverse! This is an important note, so PLEASE READ!
> 
> This marks the beginning of the First Hiatus of Ninjaverse. I write my chapters in their arcs; when I finish one arc, or get close enough to finishing it, I’ll post it. As of writing this, I am on Chapter 29. I post by getting a backlog of chapters, then editing them before doing a brief read over each week to post them. It allows me to be consistent, and have chapters to fall back on if I can’t write for a time. This hiatus was planned from the beginning of plotting out the story, and I will plan many more along the length. 
> 
> This doesn’t mean I won’t be posting Ninjaverse content! From the beginning, I have planned a side story called Enter the Ninjaverse: Universal Deviations! These will be chapters that focus on one of the leads of Ninjaverse: Lulloyd, Monty, Harumi, and others to come. They aren’t required reading, but are more so bits of their past I couldn’t fit into the main story in a natural way. The chapters take place before Ninjaverse timeline-wise and will get updated during the story hiatuses. If you want to read more Ninjaverse, that will be your place to do it! The first few chapters will begin going up next week.
> 
> I can’t say thank you enough to all my dedicated readers. Ninjaverse is a passion project of mine that I’ve worked on extensively. The fact that so many people continue to read it is a wonderful thing to see. I love reading the comments you all leave, and to everyone that has left a comment, kudo, review, or rating, thank you so much. I intend to keep this story going for a long time, and in that time, I hope all of you stick around to see where I take this story! Ninja-Go!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> Greetings Everyone! After a month long hiatus, Enter the Ninjaverse is back! This arc was perhaps the longest thing I've ever edited before. Originally, this was only 14 chapters, but after extensive editing, it's now grown to 18 chapters. There was so much for me to have in this one arc! I want to sincerely hope that you do indeed enjoy your time with it.
> 
> For those of you who aren't aware, Enter the Ninjaverse: Universal Deviations has been out for a few weeks! The fic will be a series of small, independant chapters of the main NV cast prior to the events of NV occuring. It's my way of showing small stories that I didn't have time for in the main fic! Please check it out at this link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22388815/chapters/53490415
> 
> Finally, the hiatus is now over! I will go back to posting weekly chapters. This new world is going to be a rather complex one… so you might want a map! (Imgur: /rioosqk)
> 
> Enjoy!

"Don't worry about a thing, son," Garmadon smiled warmly, "You've already brought them together. Just go out there and give the speech like we rehearsed."

"Yeah… I know, dad…" Lloyd sighed, "I'm… just worried, you know? This is important!"

"And the fact you know how important it is means you respect your position," Garmadon nodded his head, "Just go out and give your opening speech, I will handle the procedures from there."

"Yeah… yeah… gosh this was way easier on the battlefield…" Lloyd sucked in a breath, "Alright… alright, let's do this!"

With a small push, the two doors massive hall opened. Light poured around Lloyd, for a moment blinding him with its radiance. When it cleared, he found himself in the middle of a massive circular room. All at once, all of the leaders seated inside turned towards Lloyd. He smiled gently and adjusted his robes, the golden fabric shimmering in the lights floating along the ceiling. As he stepped forward into the room, the assembled leaders watched him with rapt attention.

"Members of the First Tribal Assembly!" Garmadon called out, "It is my honor to present your Founder and Dragon Lord, Lloyd Garmadon!"

The room erupted in applause as Lloyd stepped forward. The seats were situated around a massive round washer table. In the center of the washer housed a massive crystal placed within the middle of a ring of rocks, each the color of each tribe's element. The crystal cycled colors of each of the tribes, creating a warm and beautiful centerpiece for the room. Lloyd's chair was painted in gold, while each other was painted again with each tribal color. He stood in front of his chair, overlooking the room.

Yeah, this was definitely far easier to do when he was making a grand and booming statement across a battlefield. He forced his hands to calm down, clasping them in front of himself to do so. He shut his eyes, and when he opened them they shone a cyan. Calling upon the element of sound, he began to speak.

"Members of the Assembly!" Lloyd projected, "In the beginning, the First Elemental Master tamed the elemental magic of this world and shared that gift with the Firstbourne to drive the evils from this land for us to live in. Together, they turned this world into a space where we could live and prosper. He split that magic into the elements we use today, decided by the traits of the Firstbourne's first clutch. With these dragons for protection, he granted those in this world the power to wield those elements, and with it, the birth of the tribes. So we grew, we thrived, and we expanded, growing closer to our elements with each and every passing day. While we grew apart, in the places that the first clutch chose as their own, soon, we came to know one another once more. We populated the World, and slowly, we grew to see it as far more than each tribe alone.

"Two months ago, however, none of us would ever have imagined that we could meet in a place like this. We stood on the edge of destroying everything we had, all thanks to Chen. Chen turned us against one another, ready to kill one another for his own goals. Had it not been for all of you, working with me, to help tear down the fear that Chen instilled in us all, we might never have seen another day. Yet here we are, standing against everything Chen wanted, while we ready ourselves to have the first union of all the tribes!"

Lloyd inhaled slightly and gestured to a massive glowing core in the middle of the room, "This crystal was taken from the Firstbourne's nest. It represents the fact that we have come together. No longer will the tribes live apart and isolated. We are moving into a new life together, one where our unity will bring us closer than any war ever could. While many of you see me as the one that brought you together, it was each of you that allowed for this to happen. As we gather here, let this be a sign of our unity, our duties, and most importantly, the fact that nobody will ever be able to alter our destinies but ourselves!"

The room erupted into applause once more. Lloyd let the element of sound fade from his body. His eyes returned to normal, to which Garmadon gave him a subtle smile. Lloyd gave a long sigh of relief and slowly stepped backwards, allowing for his father to take the stage.

"With that address, I, Garmadon, the descendant of the First Elemental Master, father of the Dragon Lord, declare this Assembly open!" Garmadon raised his arm, and from it a small burst of purple soared forward to strike the crystal. The crystal shone for a few moments, then its surface was filled with the colors of every tribe present.

Garmadon stepped back, allowing Lloyd to take his seat. As he did so, he gently relaxed into the chair, placing his hands into his lap. The chair was incredibly large, with his head barely reaching halfway up the back. The wood was styled to resemble the horns of the Firstbourne, which currently was napping outside of the building. Lloyd had told her that it would take only a few hours. He hoped it was; he would have to do his best not to move.

"Why Dragon Lord not leading Assembly?" Karlof, leader of the Metal Tribe, stood up and shouted from his seat a good angle to Lloyd's left, "Dragon Lord won war! Dragon Lord lead tribes!"

"Well, thanks for thinking I could, Karlof!" Lloyd smiled gently, "But my dad and I agreed, I need a _lot_ more experience before I do that. So, for the first three months, Garmadon will lead the meetings, then we'll put it to a vote for three month cycles!"

"Mrr… Karlof accept this," Karlof slowly sat back in his chair, "Karlof mean no disrespect. Simply curious."

"We're all curious about things, Kar!" Lloyd nodded, "That's why we're holding this Assembly. We all want to discuss things and we all want answers. So ask any question that you like!"

"I have one," Chamille, Form Tribe leader, stood up, "Will the Amber Tribe have a seat here?" She turned towards an empty amber colored seat, "Shouldn't start this without her if she does."

"Skylar is currently working on restoring her own tribe in peace," Garmadon shook his head, "When she feels her efforts are ready, she will join us."

"On that subject," Neuro from the Mind Tribe stood up , "The subject of reparations was not fully completed at our initial gathering. I believe that is an important topic we must broach."

"I agree!" Griffin Turner, fast talking Speed Tribe master, stood up in the chair beside Neuro, "We agreed that the blame for the war won't be held against individual tribes, but some of us lost a lot of land during the conflict! Some of that land was very valuable."

"Any land that was taken was returned just as promised," Shadow Tribe Shade didn't bother standing up, crossing his arms and scoffing, "We did what we were told, that should be enough."

"Let us discuss this on a tribe-by-tribe basis," Garmadon declared, "We will move the topic of reparations up the list today. Let us begin with the tribes that submitted their pleas first, shall we?" With a small nod, an assistant brought in a large stack of papers up to Garmadon.

Lloyd, for his part, remained quiet. Lloyd had hoped he could just open this up and then leave, since he didn't really _do_ this stuff. He didn't understand everything they were talking about -the word 'reparations' made him think of repairing one of Firstbourne's scales- but he knew that the topic of war would have come up eventually. His dad insisted him being there was important for them to see that he wasn't going to abandon the world, and that in this room, no tribe was unequal.

Of course, that wasn't to say he didn't understand the feelings in the room. Even now, he remembered the Shadow Tribe's surprise assault upon the Form Tribe, nearly wiping out an entire city before he could arrive and end the conflict, or how the Water Tribe had broken an important dam to slow Iron Tribe soldiers, and his attempt to both rescue the soldiers while justifying himself to Nya. He knew why they all felt this way; those on both sides had been manipulated, and now even as they worked to peace unwind the twisted state of the world, it wouldn't be simple. Just like Chen, nothing was as simple as it seemed.

It was times like these that Lloyd felt a wave of admiration that Garmadon was there for him. Had his dad not agreed to lead the Tribal Assembly, he wasn't sure what he would have done. He knew any wrong words could complicate the situation, and right now, the last thing he ever wanted would be for this to end. His dad acting as his representative was the best decision.

The primary tribes that were looking for reparations were the expected ones: Iron, Shadow, Nature, Smoke, Form and Water. Those were the tribes that had seen the most casualties in the war, and with the establishment that no one tribe could be held accountable for the attacks, from what Lloyd was understanding every tribe was paying into something that would be given to tribes that needed it. Neuro and Shade were arguing they had no money left to pay anymore than given, which the Fire and Lightning Tribe argued that all tribes would pay to that amount, and then Gravis said something about crops… Lloyd stopped listening after a certain point. It was so much he couldn't take it all in anymore.

His thoughts drifted backwards. Almost two years ago, a man named Chen had appeared with his daughter, Skylar, and began traveling from tribe to tribe, secretly in some places and openly in others, turning leaders against one another. His silver tongue had split tribes with longstanding alliances apart, and soon the world had been drawn along clear divisions. Of course, Chen's motives had been far deeper than simply wanting the world to burn, but when the situation had shown signs of open war, Lloyd was told that he needed to use a unique gift he had that nobody else had: while he had no element of his own, he could use every single one.

It'd been… hard. Harder than he'd every thought. Chen claimed to be able to do what Lloyd could, making him worthy of listening to. He'd come to Lloyd's home once, and that's when his dad had met his daughter that traveled with him, Skylar. Lloyd didn't like thinking about the things he saw, trying to undo what Chen did. Just getting time to train while the world readied to throw itself to war… he knew nothing was simple. But it didn't matter. Chen was in prison now, and Skylar was working on fixing the fact she was the last of the forgotten Amber Tribe.

No use reliving the past! Instead, Lloyd's mind was drifting. The building had a curved sloping roof. If he were to use speed and then at the last minute gravity, could he travel straight away from the roof's edge? Was that how force worked? When Newto trained him, he explained some of that but, he didn't remember! Maybe if he instead used wind… but no, that would push him up instead! He wanted to go straight out, like if he hit a floor. Maybe if he made something with ice...

"...Then it is settled," Garmadon planted his hands on the table, startling Lloyd back into the present, "We will modify our current system to a monthly program instead of a four month period in order to allow for the payments to be made."

Lloyd held back a yawn. Just from how long it felt… It'd been at least three hours by now! Lloyd was surprised he'd let his mind drift for so long, but then again he was thankful that he hadn't had to listen to the conversations.

"Can we take a break?" Kai from the Fire Tribe called out, "I think we'd like some time to… think about this."

"I believe a break would be beneficial as well," Zane of the far colder Ice Tribe replied, "Perhaps we should put a vote to this?"

"Very well then," Garmadon looked around, "All in favor of a twenty minute recess, say aye."

All but Bolobo -Nature Tribe- and Gravis -Gravity Tribe- spoke. Garmadon nodded, "Majority holds the vote. This Assembly will be adjourned for twenty minutes."

With that, the leaders all stood up and began to exit the room. Lloyd held in his sigh of relief until he had exited the two large double doors, at which point he shivered and stretched his legs. Politics wasn't even going to be his thing it seemed… not that he cared too much. His dad was great at this, so he just had to be here to do other things!

But that said, he was hungry. Given that some leaders were staying here for several days, there was a place where food was being served. Lloyd was going to hunt that down! He smirked to himself as he began making his way through the halls, weaving his way towards the outside of the hall encapsulating the entrances to the Assembly room and towards one that led through a series of meeting rooms where leaders were working.

As Lloyd turned the corner, all of the doors were completely shut. As he passed by one, however, it slowly creaked open just enough to show the darkness inside. A pair of eyes painted green watched as the Dragon Lord passed, staring at him intently. Lloyd continued on, but the door slowly opened even further. From inside the darkness, a green crackle began to form, concentrating around one point. Lloyd was just about to exit the hallway when the green glow vanished.

Lloyd's senses burned as he suddenly ducked, allowing for a green glowing fist to swing overhead. Lloyd instantly thrust his left arm out, reaching up to grab at it. The green glow vanished again as his assailant was suddenly in front of him, bringing a foot down for his crouched head. Lloyd's eyes turned white and activated speed, sending him backwards to avoid the kick. His eyes then turned navy as his hands surrounded in water, bringing together to launch a blast of it towards his attacker.

Said attacker's hands turned blue, and the water slowed down in the air caught in its aura. Lloyd's eyes shifted to red as he blasted the water with a column of fire, causing it to vaporize and fill the air with steam. With his attacker now hidden in the cover, Lloyd brought his left arm up and focused. A clock formed over his arm, with four markings that small hands were pointed towards. The two hands rotated together to point down, and the clock turned green. Lloyd's eyes turned the same color as time around him accelerated, bringing him in front of his attacker before they could react. With a single fist, he sent the foe down to the ground.

"Acronix!" Lloyd shouted, pointing his hand towards him.

"Lloyd…" Acronix hissed, slowly reaching up to take off his helmet down to reveal his braided hair.

"...You didn't tell me that you'd be training me during this trip!" Lloyd smiled widely, the clock disappearing as he opened his fist to extend a hand to the fallen twin.

"It wouldn't be good training if you knew it was coming," Acronix gratefully took the hand and pulled himself up with it, "But you're learning the Time Matrix incredibly well. Using steam to cover which power you were picking was clever."

"I just thought of that in the moment," Lloyd moved his arm to the back of his head, rubbing it bashfully, "I'm still kinda relying on forward, you know."

"As you should be," Acronix frowned, "Time is a dangerous element. I have still not gotten to truly help you learn how to use Slow. And until I can convince the dragon to let me learn them, you are forbidden from ever touching Pause and Reverse."

"Yes sir!" Lloyd stretched his arm, "I can't even get Reverse to work. Pause I can do on rocks but, not much else. Time takes up so much focus! It's so much more complicated than the other elements!"

"Most elements don't have subsets in them,." Acronix reminded him, "Time is unique like that. I'm just glad that you're taking it seriously. You know what will happen if you lose control, right?"

"Then my entire existence could get split across time," Lloyd recited, "And I could end up screwing over the entire world."

"Good," Acronix sighed, "It relieves me to hear you say that. Where were you going?"

"To get food!" Lloyd spun on his heel towards the hallway exit, "Come on, let's see what they have! I haven't eaten since this morning, it was a long flight in!"

"At least you had a dragon to fly you here," Acronix pointed out as the two began to walk, "Taking the speed cars isn't very straightforward. I have heard that Nya has sent some of her builders to work with Turner to find ways to store speed inside of them to make them faster."

"Really? That's awesome!" Lloyd beamed, "I gotta ask her about that later!"

"You'll have time after the Assembly," Acronix nodded, "Now let's go get food."

The two made their way down the hallway, with Lloyd giving a quick burst of wind to help dispel the steam as they left. Once there, they found themselves in a large open room barren sans for a few rough seats. From there, they made their way to a door to their left, opening it to reveal what looked to be a large open seating area.

"By the way," Lloyd turned, "Is that a new outfit?"

"Hmm?" Acronix looked down. He was currently dressed in a set of deep forest-green leggings and a shirt, with a small piece of chest armor placed on painted the colors of green and light blue, with those same colors reflected in his gauntlets and his shin guards. The metal armoring was spaced around his arms and legs, both decorative and formal while providing mobility above pure defense. On his back, he had a massive decorative sword holster with strange symbols carved in it, all of them glowing light blue and reaching from his shoulder off past his left hip. The hilt that stuck out from the top glowed with that same aura. "Indeed it is. After my last set was destroyed I wanted to have something new. I'm just glad someone pointed it out, finally. I feel a little overdressed."

The two shared a small chuckle as they entered the seating area. The two were currently the only ones inside sans for a few representatives of the Fire Tribe all gathered around Kai. Lloyd waved to him, getting a flaming handwave back. Acronix gave Kai a small bow to his head, earning another wave in return. The two continued past Kai and towards a lone man behind a small cut in the wall. Upon seeing them, he eagerly gave them two plates.

"They serve meat here?" Lloyd looked to his dish of several types of meat plated around a bowl of rice.

"They've integrated an entire array of foods from all the tribes by now," Acronix shrugged his shoulders, "Some tribes have special accommodations. Namely the Nature Tribe."

"Ugh…" Lloyd grimaced, "They… really like those weird herbs. I know they give them energy but, it's like eating rotten food sometimes…"

Lloyd took a seat at a table, Acronix sitting down across from him. Lloyd was still shocked at how old Acronix looked, especially given that he was only seventeen. Acronix was only five years older than him, and already Acronix looked as though he was a fully grown adult. It only made it more confusing when Krux had been in the picture, given the two were nearly indistinguishable aside from their voices.

"Has everything been alright since the treaty?" Acronix asked as he began picking at his food, "I tried to contact you but, well, it's been busy."

"Hey, you're leading an entire Tribe by yourself now!" Lloyd beamed, "I wouldn't think it'd be that easy. But I've been doing okay! I mean, I have to fly around a lot and give speeches. I mean, I never thought that making peace would be this… busy? Like, the battle is over, do I really have to go and talk to everyone again?"

"If it were that easy, then we wouldn't need wars," Acronix sighed with a smile, "As much as Chen used us, it wasn't as though he wasn't bringing up issues that needed addressing. We just weren't willing to talk to them eye to eye with everything that was going on."

Lloyd took a few bites, then he leaned a bit closer to Acronix, "Hey… are you sure you're okay?" Lloyd leaned back, "I know what being exhausted looks like and, you look pretty tired."

Acronix reached up to touch his face, letting out a small chuckle, "I had hoped I could hide it for a little longer. The truth is… no, Lloyd, I'm not okay. I'm exhausted and last night was the first night I managed to get more than a few hours of sleep."

"Oh!" Lloyd raised his hand, "I found that the power of mind actually works really well to sleep! If you need me to I can just hit you with a little bit of it and you'll be out like a light!"

"I appreciate that, but it's not the act of sleeping that's the issue, if that makes sense," Acronix shook his head, "The war took its toll on my tribe especially, and I'm beginning to feel its impact."

"Oh… you're talking about Krux," Lloyd frowned deeply.

"I visited him in his cell yesterday," Acronix shook his head, "It wasn't a very good meeting. I attempted to tell him that I could grant him mercy if he pledged himself to me, and perhaps shorten his sentence. He… well, I can certainly say that he wasn't very pleasant to deal with."

"I still don't get it," Lloyd shook his head, "Chen got up in his head and did things, why is he still like this after Chen is, you know… gone?"

"If Chen's power were that simple, then he'd have been stopped far before that," Acronix bit his lip, "It's more complicated than that. My brother and I were the first dual leaders in our tribe's history. We differed on some very important points. Chen didn't put things in Krux's head… he just pushed Krux to start putting them forward more aggressively. Ironically, it was whether or not we would go to the other tribes' aid when the fighting broke out."

"Right," Lloyd nodded, "I remember, you said that he wanted to take some people out and attack, and you wanted to stay out of the conflict."

"And now he's imprisoned for it!" Acronix shook his head, "Our dragon took his powers away for it! When it came to drawing the battle lines I couldn't get him to see there was no point to the fighting! I'd never even met Chen, I didn't know what was happening! I told him I didn't want to fight… and all he did was just tell me that I had let my cowardice get ahead of me!"

"It takes more strength to not fight someone pointing their hand at your throat than it does to just indulge them, that's what my dad said," Lloyd affirmed hard.

"But he's my _brother_, Lloyd. You don't… it's not as easy as that. I have to live with the fact that I… that I failed him. He's going to have to sit in that prison, for the rest of his life. I have to be the only leader now, and if I let him out it'll make me look weak. I want to trust him, want to just, just take him with me and I move forward, but he's determined to sit still."

"That's his choice," Lloyd frowned, "You can't be responsible for him. Like… I learned that when I was fighting the other tribes. If you sit there and think about what led to that, you can't do anything. You have to deal with what's happening now."

"I wish I still had your ability to look at the world with such positive eyes," Acronix admitted, "It would help with the people in my tribe."

"Whatcha mean by that, Nix?" Lloyd asked.

"Krux didn't just leave and go to join the other tribes alone," Acronix shook his head, "He brought about a third of our warriors with him. When they returned, I realized most of them had followed based on the fact they saw Krux as a leader, and they didn't want to disobey him. So, I told them that anyone that fought alongside my brother was pardoned so long as they swore loyalty to me. Almost all of them did, but my people are not forgiving of them."

"Really?" Lloyd asked, "I don't get it, you had them swear loyalty, right?"

"I did, but that doesn't matter," Acronix admitted, "The people know they turned against me, and against the tribe in a sense. I know many of them personally. They're good people. But people have labeled these 'Krux supporters' as almost traitors. I've been working hard to make sure this isn't held against them. My cousin, Teran, is among them. He's been doing all he can to protect them."

"Well that doesn't sound right at all," Lloyd raised an eyebrow, " I mean, if they're good people… they're good people!"

"People forget sin far slower than they forget a good dead, Lloyd," Acronix scowled, "It's not like I can just fix all of his. It'll take time, and at best I'll figure out how to get people to stop treating them badly. But even then, we weren't unhurt from the war either. The attacks hurt our supply lines, and money is tight…" Acronix paused, "I don't need to tell you that these details stay only between us, right?"

"Nope, I remember!" Lloyd gave a thumbs up, "It's not the business of other tribes to know what's happening in yours!"

"Good, if word got out that I was in the situation I was, I fear the other tribes would try to seize the opportunity," Acronix leaned back, "I've been working to make sure that these 'supporters' don't get targeted and making sure my tribe stays together. I have a few ideas, but they're going to take time. My tribe right now is a pot being slowly lowered towards the fire, and I need to make sure it doesn't boil."

"Would it help if I came and tried handling some things?" Lloyd asked, "Not sure what I could but… I mean, I do need to get more experience!"

"Heh… I really do appreciate that, Lloyd, but this is far more delicate than slinging around elements until someone gives up," Acronix chuckled, "But, I have not forgotten about your training either. I know that you still need to perfect your usage of the elements."

"I really wanna learn how to use all four," Lloyd looked up, "Are you sure there isn't anyone in your tribe that can teach me?"

"Nobody that I trust," Acronix frowned, "I have confidence you can use my powers without much more warning, but there is a reason when children in my tribe are found to be able to use reverse, we forbid them to touch it until they grow up," Acronix leaned forward, "Using forward is one thing, that simply skips things in small increments, and most people can't manage more than a minute at most. Slow doesn't damage time. Even pause isn't as dangerous as long as you have someone else there to un-pause you. But reverse… Lloyd, if you use that element, and you lose control over it, you'll be at risk to destroy yourself."

"I know, I know! I'm plenty afraid of that!" Lloyd nodded his head, "But… and this is just me thinking here, if I can use forward, why can't I use reverse?"

"Because more than anything, going back in time is dangerous," Acronix sat back, "Time is not a straight line. It's a tangle of multiple timelines that all converge around one central line. If you go back in the past and alter something, then you're tearing threads from that main line. If you unravel too much, you could cause everything to create a new timeline. Usually, this isn't something that's noticeable, but even still, you could do something terrible, Lloyd, and no amount of forward will bring you advice."

"Well, I can't even get reverse working, so… that's a good thing!" Lloyd nodded, "I really wanna spar with your guards again though. It was fun, all of them slinging their powers around, making me have to think on my feet, it's so crazy when you gotta worry about everything around you!"

"I'll have you enroll in Temporus next time you visit the tribe," Acronix chuckled, "You remember those matches, yes?"

"Mhmh! That's how I saw about the whole 'teleports behind you' thing you do," Lloyd chuckled, "Maybe I could even challenge you one day!"

"The day that you beat me, is the day that I give you Aevum for your own personal weapon," Acronix smirked.

"You're bluffing," Lloyd spoke immediately, "You'd never give up your sword like that!"

"I think you have enough control over your forward power to wield it," Acronix stood up, showing the hilt of his sword to him, "You've tried to use it before, haven't you?"

"Yeah… that thing is weird," Lloyd grimaced, "Just how much energy did you pour into that thing?"

"Every day for four years I poured slow energy into until the sword had fused with it," Acronix nodded, "Just holding it will start to slow your body. If you don't coat yourself in perpetual forward, you'll never be able to use it."

"And it'll transfer that slow energy into anyone that it touches, right?" Lloyd asked.

"That's the reason I use it," Acronix sighed, "It was Krux's idea, actually. He was working on making a set of gauntlets with pause energy in them, before..."

Acronix trailed off, his recollection of his sword being taken away as thoughts of his brother crept back into his head. Lloyd, noticing this, quickly stood up and grabbed hold of Acornix's hand. Acronix, looking down at him, let himself get dragged to his feet before Lloyd let go and crossed his arms.

"No use being sad!" Lloyd grinned, "After this Summit, I'll fly you back to your tribe on Firstbourne and you'll train me! That'll get your mind off everything. The easiest way to get your mind off things is to spar. If you have time to worry, you have time to train."

"That's a rather simple way of thinking," Acronix felt a smile tugging his lips again, "But, not an unwelcome one. It will be difficult to get the time for that, Lloyd."

"Then you'll just have to work extra hard to keep your mind off him even more!" Lloyd punched the air, "Plus, I have all sorts of ideas! I wanna see if using speed while you use forward means we see each other in the same time!"

"Perhaps," Acronix nodded, "Well, it will be time to return to the meeting soon, we've talked a rather long while. Let us get back so we can indeed get ready to leave!"

Lloyd turned to guide Acronix out of the room, but the doors to the cafeteria-styled area opened up to reveal a figure that made his heart drop a bit. The woman in question wore beautiful navy blue robes that were styled to be frilly, free and aerodynamic. She had a hood over her face, showing only her eyes to the people present. She was clearly a beautiful woman if the curves under her clothes showed anything. Acronix in particular was stiffened as she walked forward towards them, her arms behind her back and her voice scathing as she spoke to them.

"We are beginning again," Bansha stated firmly, "We should return."

"Right!" Lloyd attempted to smile as he walked past Bansha, "Sorry, we were on our way back now!"

Acronix attempted to follow past Lloyd, passing by Bansha as he did. Bansha reached out and gripped hold of Acronix's wrist as he did, squeezing it hard. Acronix took a step back, putting his head right next to Bansha's as she spoke to him with a voice dripping with venom.

"Do not think this Summit means that I forgive your tribe for what they did to him," Bansha growled, "Your brother is a murderer. Do you not have the spine to make sure he isn't allowed to hurt anyone else?"

"What happened to Morro is an inevitability of war," Acronix stated back firmly, "They met each other at the wrong place and wrong time. I don't know what happened, but you shouldn't hold an entire tribe responsible for what happened to him."

Bansha's grip began painful as she squeezed, "Do not look down on us, Acronix. Just because you manipulate time doesn't mean that you can avoid it when your time comes."

"Is that a threat?" Acronix asked with a hint of darkness.

"I would never make an open threat to you," Bansha slowly let go, "But even if this Summit makes us closer to together, as long as I'm in charge, I will not have anything to do with your tribe."

"Then don't," Acronix drew his arm back, "There's no point for you to forgive me if you don't feel you should. I wouldn't hold such an open hostility at a place of peace. It'll ruin our atmosphere."

"Hmmphm," Bansha stepped back, "The atmosphere here is thick with hypocrisy. Just because that kid thinks that he can make the world a better place, doesn't mean it's that simple."

"That kid?" Lloyd spoke up from behind her, "Are you saying you refuse to be apart of this place?"

Bansha turned around in light shock, but it wiped from her eyes almost as quickly as her chilly exterior came back in, "Of course not. I cannot allow the Wind Tribe to fall behind these things. But I am saying that ideals of peace are only upheld if you have the strength to do so."

"You're talking to the only guy here that can use literally every element," Lloyd smirked, "Not hard to do."

Bansha didn't say anything else, instead she just bowed her head and made her way back out of the room. Lloyd looked up to say something to Acronix, but he cut Lloyd off and gestured after the door.

"We should follow her," Acronix stated firmly, "It would be wrong of us to attempt to add to the sins she has against us in her mind."

Lloyd followed after Acronix, looking back towards the room and following after him. The mood of the room had evaporated, leaving him back in the reality of the world that he lived in. He took a deep breath as he followed the leader of the Time Tribe, steeling himself for another few hours of boring procedures.

* * *

"Uugghhh…" Lloyd landed in the pillows on his bed, snuggling them up tightly as he did, "I don't even know how that was so tiring!"

Garmadon chuckled as he stood in the doorway, "Listening to people can take as much energy as fighting them. You'll learn more about why this is all important when you grow older."

"Then I just wanna stay twelve forever…" Lloyd rolled over in his bed, planting his face into them, "I just had to sit there all day! I couldn't follow anything!"

"I suppose that means you'll sleep rather well then," Garmadon smiled, "Tomorrow you do not need to be there for the full proceedings. I know how boring they seem to you. I'll get better in time. Do you need anything else before I leave for the night?"

"More excuses not to go back there tomorrow?" Lloyd asked.

Garmadon chuckled, "Goodnight, then, my son. Be ready for tomorrow."

"Goodnight, dad," Lloyd waved a hand to him, "Love you."

"I love you too," Garmadon warmly chuckled, closing Lloyd's door as he left.

With his father gone, Lloyd stood up and removed his robes. His room was rather small, but he had requested it that way. When building this place, the others had requested massive and elaborate rooms for each leader. Lloyd, however, didn't see the point in all that space. If he had a bed, someone to put his clothes and a bit of room to walk around, that was good enough for him! He threw his robes off and instead slid on a pair of silks he'd gotten as a gift from a family he'd rescued outside the Form Tribe. They made the perfect bedclothes he found. Most things that came out of the Form Tribe were the absolute best… like pillows!

Speaking of pillows, Lloyd flopped onto them again. He stretched his limbs out with a smile on his face, getting out what energy he could before he finally drew the sheet over himself. As he laid back into the bed, he looked up to the ceiling. Tomorrow, he'd have to spend time while his dad excused him to go outside and train. Having eighteen elements to learn was difficult, and if he counted time as four then it was twenty-one! It was fun to be able to just sling them around and see what he could come up with.

He closed his eyes. The Summit was coming together. He'd spent months running around and putting down fights, saving people caught in between them, and undoing the pain that Chen had caused. It'd been hard, really hard. In fact he'd call it the hardest thing he ever had done in his life. But he'd won, and now he was getting to experience the reward. Everyone was together, and now they had the chance to fully rebuild this place into something even stronger than before.

Lloyd's eyes turned purple underneath his eyelids. Neuro's advisor, Synan, had taught him this trick. While normally sleep would put his mind completely out, he could apply a bit of mental energy and allow him to enter what was closer to a trance. This way, while he couldn't dream, he'd be able to be aware of the world around him. Given how dangerous the wild was, he'd learned how to do this rather quickly. For almost an hour, he let himself drift away into sleep like that, half aware of the world around him, and half aware of his sleep.

Had Lloyd not been in that state, he wouldn't have felt the figure hovering over him. At first, he didn't think anything of it, but when he heard what sounded like the shifting of clothes, his eyes opened wide. A shadowy figure was standing above him, holding what looked like a sharp object pointed down at him.

Lloyd's eyes turned a bright yellow white as his hands shot up from the sheets. Underneath them, a ball of light formed in his hands, firing up into the air and passing through the sheet to shine brightly in the room. The light caused not only the one hovering over him to duck and cover his eyes, but two of his companions behind him. Lloyd leapt up to his feet, one arm over his own eyes to shield him before he looked to the figure in front of him.

The figure that had tried to stab him swung wildly at him, showing he was indeed holding a large knife. Lloyd dropped the ball of light from above him and his eyes went gunmetal. The knife bounced off his chest that had just turned metal underneath his silks. As it bounced backwards, Lloyd grabbed hold of the attacker's wrist and brought his foot up. He delivered a hard kick to their chin, his foot recoiling when he felt that it was both metal and hard. A helmet covered their entire face, and Lloyd hissed in pain as his foot retracted.

The other two in the room made their move. Both of them raised swords and shot towards him, seemingly going to gut him from both sides. Lloyd growled, his eyes switching from gunmetal to electric blue. From his fingertips on both hands, sparks formed and then shot out in all directions. The one he was holding onto was given the brunt of the shock, while the other two were sent to their knees. As the one in hand went limp, Lloyd threw him backwards and brought his fists up to his face.

"You wanna try again?" Lloyd smirked, "I got a lot more where that came from!"

The three twitched on the ground. One of them stood up and looked towards the other two, giving some sort of strange gutheral noise. The others turned to him and gave that same noise right back. The three stood up, weapons drawn. Lloyd readied himself for their next assault.

Instead, the three sheathed their blades and kicked the door to his room open. As it slammed out into the hallway, the three raced out quickly. Lloyd, blinking, was stunned until the last one had left before he leapt off the bed and immediately ran after them. As he entered the hallway, the three were already running down the long corridor.

"Son?" Garmadon threw open the door across the hall, his staff in hand, "What's going on, I heard noises!"

"Someone just tried to attack me!" Lloyd shouted, "I'm going after them right now! Go check on the others, see if they were attacked!"

"You were attacked?!" Garmadon shouted, but Lloyd had already focused. His eyes went silver as he placed his hands on the ground. In a flash, his body was enveloped by speed, soaring straight down the hallway. He covered the ground it took them to run in fifteen seconds in two. The three had just turned the corner from the hallway when he stopped.

The floor of the building was laid out like a wheel, and Lloyd had just ran down one of the spokes. The curved surface for the outer wall was almost entirely glass, showing the brilliant moonlight up in the sky that shone down on the grassy plains surrounding the building. Given they were on the second of the three floors, they were decently up in the air. The three backed up towards the window as Lloyd lit his fists on fire with red eyes.

"Stop right there!" Lloyd ordered, "I'm taking you down-hey!"

The three would-be assassins each drew their blades, stabbing the glass behind them, cracking it. The three turned and kicked the glass, causing it to shatter. As the wind of the night air blew in towards them, the three shoved themselves through the jagged hall and leapt off towards the ground. Lloyd rushed up to the hole, finding it too jagged for him to get through himself.

"Oh come on!" Lloyd groaned, reaching forward and placing his hand on the glass. The heat of his hands turned into ice as he caused the glass to rapidly contract, a neat trick he'd learned by accident in the Ice Tribe. With a kick of his foot, the glass shattered out into the night, which he immediately leapt through into the open air.

The three had hit the ground below him, immediately rushing away from the building. Lloyd thrust his hand forward, sending a jet of frigid ice towards the ground. The three barely scrambled aside from being flash frozen. Lloyd instead switched his element back to fire, this time sending jets of flame from his feet that propelled him forward. He soared after them in the sky, the three only giving him a quick glance.

The three rapidly approached a massive river. They each stopped at its edge, looking down into the rushing waters nervously. Lloyd landed in front of them, burning the ground as he did. He lit his fists on fire again and stepped forward towards them steadily as they moved closer to the rushing water behind them.

"I'm only going to say this one more time!" Lloyd shouted, "Give it up right now! You've seen how strong I am!"

The three raised their fists at him, but not their swords. Lloyd took a step towards them, making them tense up. The flames in his hands grew brighter, starting to singe the ends of his silks.

"I'm serious!" Lloyd spoke, "I'll bring you in! This is your last chance before I freeze you all solid!" He looked to his hands, realizing he had the wrong element in them and switching the flames to ice awkwardly, praying they didn't notice.

The three looked back down to the river, then back to him. When they didn't say anything, Lloyd shook his head, "Fine, I tried to be nice!" Rather than using ice, however, he readied to alter their gravity and crush them into the floor. Given they were standing still, it was far easier to visualize than trying to sling ice at them.

Suddenly, all three pieces of armor completely collapsed. Lloyd was so shocked at what happened, he didn't move until they were already fully empty. He rushed forward towards them, canceling out his elements and looking down at the things in front of him. He looked towards the river, but he saw nobody in it! He looked back down to the armor, confused as he lifted up the helmet. There was nothing inside but darkness.

"What… what the?" Lloyd asked in confusion, picking the breastplate of the armor up. He looked the armor up and down, studying its look and composite. Now that he wasn't chasing them, he noticed the strange frills on them, shaping, and the fact they were colored red and orange across the breast. The paint looked fresh, but the armor was older.

"Is… is this Time Tribe armor?" Lloyd questioned allowed, rolling it around in his hands, "No it's… no, it's not like that. Why is it all boxy? And… what?" He gripped hold of the armor under his arm. If this was Time Tribe armor, then those two colors were the colors that Krux wielded. And Acronix had that new armor set with his colors on it…

"Acronix!" Lloyd shrieked, "If they're Time Tribe…!"

Lloyd immediately turned around, still carrying the armor under his arm. When he moved forward to start using speed to get back, however, he felt a wave of exhaustion briefly wash over him. He'd burned through far too much of his stamina in such a short amount of time. He panted, shaking his head and rubbing it. He shouldn't have gone switching them so fast like that, it drained him far faster than he should let it!

Regardless of that, Lloyd forced himself to switch back to the element of speed. Using forward time would do the same thing, he knew, but the pure concentration he needed to manipulate the power of time wasn't good on his head right now. Easier to just use something like that. He quickly shot forward, running along the grass until he had looped around the building to find the entrance to the main hall.

Lloyd rushed up the stairs to the third floor, racing directly into the hallway that he knew many of the leaders were staying. As soon as he entered one of the hallways, he immediately stopped and gripped the wall to catch his breath. He shook himself, standing back up and deciding to rush down the hall. It wasn't long before he found many people crowded around one of the hallway doors.

Acronix lay against one of the walls, clutching his side. Blood was pouring out of a wound in it. In his other hand, he held Aevum fully drawn and the bright blue sword quivering in the air. Across the hall from him, an empty set of the same armor that he was carrying lay there, vacant and empty. A pair of guards from the Time Tribe were bent down beside Acronix, both of them using reversal energy to try to close up Acronix's wound.

"Acornix!" Lloyd shouted, crawling down onto his knees and moving up beside him, "You were attacked too?!"

"You were attacked?" Acronix shouted, only for the pain of his wound to get to him, "Urgh… I was. I managed to open Aevum just in time to slow them down to miss anything vital…. Guh, it still hurts though," He winced, "I cut one of them down but, they simply vanished after that."

"You too?" Lloyd shook his head, showing the armor he held in hand, "I chased them out to the river, but when I cornered them they just collapsed! I didn't see anyone in the river either."

"Then it looks like our attackers were one in the same…" Acronix coughed.

"Sir," One of his guards had her hands pulsing with orange energy, "Please, hold still. We can close your wound but we have to concentrate on it! You moving around is going to stop us."

"Of course…" Acronix slumped back against the wall, "Let me… let me see that armor…"

Lloyd held the armor up to Acronix. Acronix laid his sword down, reaching up to take hold of it. As he did, he turned it around in hand, and once he compared it to the other one. They looked to be the same. When he saw the coloration on it, however, his eyes began to widen.

"T-This is the armor that… it isn't the same but it resembles that which… which Krux's personal guards wore…" Acronix coughed, "Our assassins are… are they from my Tribe…?"

"But how'd they just disappear like that then?" Lloyd asked, looking up to the guard healing Acronix more expectantly to get them to hurry up.

"I don't know…" Acronix shook his head weakly, "But, this is bad. This is very bad. This means that… it means someone in my Tribe tried to kill me? But why… the war is over…!"

"Acronix!" Garmadon spoke up from the hallway, pushing past the other guard by Acronix to kneel beside him, "I did a sweep of the building with some of the guards. It seems you and Lloyd were the only ones attacked."

"Why just us?" Lloyd blinked, "Isn't everyone here like, a big target?"

"Do you have any idea as to why you were attacked?" Garmadon asked.

"No… but this armor, it's strange but appears like my tribe… from Krux's guards," Acronix held the armor plate up, "It seems this was an assassination attempt on my life… and likely Lloyd out of sheer oppurtunity."

Garmadon looked the armor over, confirming what Acronix said. When he looked to the armor across the hall, he didn't need to ask about why they were like that. He instead just nodded his head and looked to his son.

"This armor is… strange. It looks unlike any tribe I've ever seen… and rectangular," He shook his head, "We'll keep the armor and see what we can learn! Are you hurt?" Garmadon demanded.

"No, just tired," Lloyd groaned, "Kinda overdid it on the elements chasing after them."

"We will need to suspend the Summit for this," Garmadon frowned, "I will inform the leaders tonight that they can make their arrangements to leave. We will need to reinforce the security of this building before we reconvene."

"But… but this is supposed to be what we worked so hard for!" Lloyd protested, "The Summit, the alliances! If, if we leave now-"

"If we don't leave now, more could die," Garmadon stated firmly, "I'm sorry, son, but we will be heading back to our home. Is your wound treatable, Acronix?"

The guard that was working on his wound finally sighed, dropping her hands. Acronix raised his bloody hand to show the damages had been healed, leaving nothing more than the blood stained skin. He gave a small grin to Garmadon in turn.

"Good," Garmadon looked out towards the hallway, "It seems that someone is already working to tear this government down from the inside. We will fight this, but for now, we must consider the safety of everyone here," Garmadon turned to his son, "I'm sorry, Lloyd, but it seems that your dream of peace will need to wait a little longer before it is realized. It seems not all the embers of war have been snuffed out just yet."


	18. Chapter 18

"Again!" Garmadon shouted.

Lloyd's eyes flashed blue as the wooden gates above him opened up. Massive torrents of water began to pour out of the reservoir and down the slope towards him. Lloyd thrust his hands outward, straining with all he had to push the flow back up. The water froze along its slope as if it had hit a wall, small trickles of water falling over the artificial wave but remaining still otherwise. As more water began to pour out and add to the wave, Lloyd strained his powers as far as they would go. Soon, the wall of water had grown to nearly fifteen feet in height. Lloyd began to huff as it cast a shadow over him.

"Good," Garmadon walked slowly underneath the wall of water, "But you are only as strong as your weakest moment. Gravity!"

Lloyd stared at his father ludicrously, but Garmadon's staff came out to swat his arm. Lloyd let out a few hard groans and strained in exertion as one of his eyes began to flicker copper. Slowly, he began to hover off the ground. In the process, the wall of water began to shake, and small droplets started to fall away like leaks.

"Higher!" Garmadon shouted, "If you cannot master two elements at once, your opponents will exploit you. A competent enemy will send far more than just one man to take you down!"

Lloyd groaned even harder as his left eye went full copper. The two elements poured out of either hand, one pointed to the wall and the other at the ground. Sweat began to actively drip down his brow as he hovered in the air. As he grew closer and closer to the top of the wave, his body began to feel like he'd weighed himself down. His limbs shook as he tried to hold the two at once.

"D-Dad!" Lloyd managed to shout out, "G-Gonna… can't… hold!"

"Yes you can," Garmadon slowly walked out from under the wave, "You have the strength to withstand it. You are speaking to me. If your mind has the capacity to speak under pressure, it has the ability to grow!" He slowly picked up a small rock from the ground, "You have limits that you have simply never have need to push into! You can summon dragons at will, son! Show that you are strong enough to command them!"

Garmadon hurled the small stone right at Lloyd's chest, flying with enough speed he didn't see it until it hit him. His concentration faltered as the sharp pain hit him, making his body quake. The wave began to crest towards the ground and his body drifted towards it at the same time. He desperately yanked on both elements with all he had, but the more he tried, the harder it was to focus on either of them!

Garmadon simply stared at Lloyd as he went further and further down. When his son touched the ground, he turned around. Lloyd fell to his knees and thrust his hands out, pushing the water backwards as he went. With the last of the will he had inside of him, he pushed nearly half of the water back into the reservoir. When he lost his grip on the rest, he shrieked and quickly rushed to Garmadon to avoid being swept away by the water that quickly poured down the slope at him. He panted hard on the ground as it fell down the mountainside and joined up with a river at the bottom.

"C-Can't… d-dad…" Lloyd panted, "I-I… I-I can do one… o-or the other, why, why both…?"

"Your weakest trait is your endurance," Garmadon shook his head, "If you become exhausted from switching element to element, you must overcome that weakness. Learn how to wield both at once you will become more powerful than you are now. You must learn how to control yourself. If you run out of power on the battlefield with nothing but a broken sword, it is over."

"I...b-broken sword could be cool…" Lloyd flopped out on the ground, "And… besides! I've done nothing but endurance training for two weeks! I'm sure I've boosted myself a little bit!"

Garmadon slowly sighed and rubbed his forehead, "I believe it is time for us to return to the Monastery, son," Garmadon smiled gently, "You've worked hard, son, but you must never neglect your training. You must grow your body so you can grow your mind."

"Thanks, dad!" Lloyd slowly climbed to his feet. Garmadon handed him the staff, allowing Lloyd to steady himself as he walked his way up the mountain. The two turned to a path leading up past the reservoir and further up the massive slope the mountain held.

Standing at the crest of a mountain far above the clouds was the Elemental Monastery. The building was a glistening red and black, painted in the image of the Firstbourne herself, who slept in a cave beneath the structure. The building was massive, spanning five floors and with far more rooms on each floor than Lloyd knew what to do with. It was built so as to be set into the mountain itself, with only half the structure visible from the outside. A series of steps winded the entire mountain from its base and around several others, making the journey to the structure arduous and enlightening, the sight from the heights was enough to inspire beauty in the world it overlooked.

Opening up the massive doors lead to an enclosed courtyard where all the main hallways branched off from. Lloyd eagerly stepped into it and quickly rushed to a fountain in the shape of two dragons twisting in flight together. He eagerly slurped down water from it, his breathing steadying as he quenched his thirst. Garmadon walked past him and towards a massive set of doors across from the main entrance.

"Heh, finally took you guys long enough!" A female voice called out from behind the doors.

Before Garmadon could open the doors, they were thrown open from the inside. A girl, closer to Lloyd's age than anyone else so far, stood. She brushed back her brilliant red hair, letting it flow behind her. It draped all the way down to her hips, splaying out at the tips like flickering tips of fire. She wore a yellowish-orange pair of pants and shirt, both of which were tied at the hips together with a deep red sash. She crossed her arms in front of her, giving a coy smirk towards Lloyd as she made eye contact with him.

"Skylar!" Lloyd immediately rose from the fountain and rushed over towards her, wrapping his arms around her in a hug, "I haven't seen you in weeks!"

"I know, I know, I just got here," Skylar chuckled, patting his back as she likewise gave him a hug back, "I let myself in."

"I would prefer that you not do that," Garmaodn said calmly as he closed the doors, "It is good to see you, Amber leader."

"It's just Skylar, Amber ain't everything I am," Skylar rolled her eyes, "And besides, I still need more time before I can even call it a 'tribe,' you knowt."

"How is that going? Is the territory good? You got anywhere you're setting a home up?" Lloyd asked as he leaned back from Skylar, "Tell me, Skys!"

"In time, Mage," Skylar winked at him.

"I have never understood why you call him that," Garmadon shook his head, "There is no such thing as a mage."

"Doesn't the legend say that the First Elemental Master tamed the 'magic of the elements' to make this happen?" Skylar gestured to Lloyd, "If he's got every element, then I might as well get in on his nickname game too."

"I believe it was far more nuanced than that," Garmadon nodded, "Do you have reason for visiting us today, Skylar?"

"Yeah!" Lloyd smiled at her, "Did you come just to chat with me? You didn't have to come all the way out here!"

"Actually, I was gonna ask for Mage's help here," Skylar gestured to him, "I was scouting my new land the other day, looking for things I needed and all that stuff, when I saw a big massive beast over the hills. I thought it was my imagination at first, but when I went to go find it, well. It's pretty big. I figured I could use some help to take it down."

"Is it dangerous?" Lloyd asked, raising his eyebrow curiously.

"If it's as big as its tracks suggest, then even if it isn't I gotta drive it off to outside my territory," Skylar frowned, "Gonna be hard to set up a Tribe in a place that's in danger. And, well," Skylar bumped his shoulder, "Figured I'd get a chance to catch up with you since I missed you at the Summit."

"Is that wise?" Garmadon asked, "You two will be alone in a territory hunting a beast. If one of you is hurt-"

"I still got a good number of elements I can mimic when I need to, and Mage here is… well he's got all of them," Skylar narrowed her eyes, "I just want him for a day or two. Is that so bad?"

"Dad, I haven't seen her in a long time!" He shook his head, "You sent me hunting when we were traveling! I'll take Firstbourne with me, she'll make sure we're safe!"

"Hrm…" Garmadon bowed his head, "If you promise me that you will only drive the creature away if you find it, and not confront it. I do not want you hurt. After what happened in the Summit…"

"I heard about that," Skylar admitted, "Listen, I'm asking for just a few days to catch up with him. That's all. He's stopped a war, you can't let him just go out and hunt a big beast? Isn't all you do here train him? Consider this him getting some neat experience."

Garmadon looked conflicted for a few moments, but he finally gave up by waving his hand. Lloyd immediately leapt up on his feet, only for his father to show Lloyd his palm..

"Be safe, and if you are not back in three days, I will send for you," Garmadon frowned, "Do not take the wild for granted, son. It is a place where you can be hurt and nobody will find you. We may have traveled it before, but outside of your walls, you must be ready for anything. Watch each other's backs."

"Yes, father!" Lloyd nodded, reaching out and grabbing Skylar's hand, "Come on, let's get going!"

Skylar rolled her eyes at his eagerness, but didn't stop him. She let Lloyd tug her out the door and start to wind down the stairs to his secluded home. After they had done a full loop around the large pillar that the Monastery sat on, they arrived at a massive cave that was lined with blackened obsidian around it. Lloyd stopped in front of it, then gave a long whistle.

The Firstbourne slowly stalked her way out of the cave, bringing her head out into the sunlight. She let out a massive rumble, stretching herself out as she did. Eagerly, Lloyd reached forward and let out a burst of fire from his feet, sending him up to land directly on top of her head. The dragoness let out a playful huff, lowering her head as Lloyd eagerly began to rub her horns.

"You remember Skylar, right, Firsty?" Lloyd asked. The Firstbourne leaned her head down towards Skylar, inhaling hard enough that there was a breeze around Skylar. She cocked her hips and crossed her arms as she processed the smell. The Firstbourne finally let out a long growl, making Lloyd smile.

"She does, and she likes you now too!" Lloyd slung himself into the saddle, "Come on, get in!"

Skylar sighed happily and walked forward, taking hold of a strap to the saddle and climbing herself up into the seat behind Lloyd. As she got comfortable, she took a small leather strap and slid it around her waist like a belt so she wouldn't fall out. Lloyd had added those after a few incidents with passengers.

"Isn't the famous Dragon Lord supposed to be able to ride a dragon without a saddle?" Skylar jabbed playfully at him.

"Oh I can," Lloyd patted the Firstbourne's neck, "But riding a dragon bareback is really bad for long distances. It hurts your butt."

"Fair enough," Skylar leaned back and yawned, "Still would be cooler if you didn't have one."

"I also keep supplies in here, like water and food," Lloyd gestured to them, "And we made it so she can take it on and off herself. It's a good saddle!"

"Then why not show how good it is and get us flying?" Skylar waved her hand, "Sooner we get there the sooner we can get hunting!"

Lloyd rolled his eyes at her, snapping the reins of Firstbourne. The dragoness nodded and spread her massive leathery wings into the air, casting a shadow on the clouds below her. She lowered her legs, then took two bounds forward and leapt off the side of the mountain. The action allowed her to send wind under her wings. With a mighty flap, she brought them jerking upwards from their downward descent, gliding out along the air as the winds carried them along the sky.

"Woah!" Skylar laughed, clutching her saddle belt, "Is this how you traveled the world?"

"Yep!" Lloyd giggled, "Everyone always loves it when they get to ride Firsty!"

Skylar held on tightly as the dragoness soared through the sky. She didn't hold back, cracking and whipping her body around as she buffeted her way through the clouds. Lloyd had taken the front seat to take the brunt of the oncoming wind, used to the sensation after all of this time. He'd given almost everyone he could a ride on Firstbourne -with her consent, of course- but never Skylar before. Given her massive smile, it looked like she was enjoying it.

Lloyd set course for the Amber Tribe. During the initial meeting after the war, it was decided that Skylar would have the right to decide if she wanted to continue the Amber Tribe or not. She had, without hesitating, decided to make sure it happened. The territory of the ruins of the former Amber Tribe stood were part of both the Time Tribe and Earth Tribe territories, and Skylar had declared she'd take the territory back for herself. The Time Tribe was one of the furthest tribes from Mage's Monastery in the Lost Wastes -a name he intended to change since he lived there- and part of the new Amber Tribe's territory was in the unexplored lands. Outside of the World, you never knew what could happen.

"So!" Lloyd shouted after they managed to get into a clear path to fly for the night, "Tell me more about this creature!"

Skylar calmed her breathing down to talk,"Well, the other day I was near where the Time Tribe border used to be, and I was by this big massive lake, right?" Skylar called out over the wind, "Well, I'm getting water, tell Nya thanks for letting me mimic that guard of hers, and when I look up I see this massive thing off in the distance! Really big thing. No clue what it is, but I swear it was glowing. I decided to go and investigate it, cause of course, but when I got there… nothing!"

"Nothing at all?" Lloyd asked, "But how, Skys? If it's that big-"

"It'd leave a track, and it did! Really weird ones too!" She chuckled, "Just from the size of its foot it's pretty crazy. I wasn't sure what I saw but, well, I knew that if it was really that big I'd need some help!"

"Well thanks, my dad has been driving me crazy with training," Mage shuddered, "The other day he was having me leap back and forth from the mountaintops with gravity, wind and speed. It's not as easy as you think it is!"

"I can't mimic you, so I'll just take your word for it," Skylar shrugged, "But I figured that I'd get a chance to at least see you again."

"You're seeing me right now!" Lloyd pointed out.

"I meant as a friend, Mage," Skylar chuckled, "You saved my butt, I'm pretty sure I'd like to get a chance to just spend some time with you. And I know you like doing things, soooo, this is just the perfect excuse."

"You got that right!" Lloyd leaned back in the saddle, "Well, I suggest you get some sleep! We'll get there late and if you wanna chat then a nap now will let us start making some progress tonight."

Skylar decided not to tell him most people didn't track at night, knowing he'd likely have some weird element combination ready for it. She leaned back in the saddle, closing her eyes and indeed closing them. She hadn't told him she hadn't slept on her journey to his home, as far away as it was, so despite the wind wisps and the cold, she decided to take his offer. Lloyd helped her tie a strap over her waist so as not to fall out, then, letting her head rest down on the saddle, she fell asleep.

She soon woke up to the sound of Lloyd shouting for her. The sky had started to indeed turn orange with sunset, and most of the clouds were gone, leaving them a clear view of the land. They had just entered the beginning of the mountain range the Time Tribe lay in, and a portion of her territory now as well. She scanned the landscape, looking for where to land.

Skylar pointed to a large crystal blue lake in the mountainside. A barely visible trail led up to it from a mountain slope below it, one that was far too narrow for the Firstbourne to use. The dragon slowly flew over the lake, casting her shadow down upon it as she did. The shore was tiny, and thus the dragon was forced to land with her back legs in the water. She slowly settled down, letting her tail also come to rest on the surface as she did. Her wings folded in as Lloyd quickly thrust himself out of his saddle and down towards the ground.

"Is this the place?" Lloyd asked, bringing his hand up and squinting as he looked around, "I don't see anything big."

"If we could see it from up there, it'd be much easier to find it, silly," Skylar knocked him on the shoulder, "Come on, I got a camp on the other side of the lake."

"One sec!" Lloyd hopped up to his saddlebags, pulling out a glowing crystal and offering it to his dragon. She bit into it and ate it with a long rumble of appreciation while Lloyd rubbed her neck, "Thanks for taking us this far, Firsty. You rest here."

Skylar gestured to a gap between rocks on the other side of the lake, "Mind giving us a lift?"

Lloyd's eyes had already gone aqua, reaching out with the power of water to surround the two of them. Skylar nodded, stepping forward into the lake and walking on top of the water. Lloyd followed after her, catching up to her and giving her an odd look, or as much a look as one could give when his eyes had no pupils in this state.

"Haven't you learned how to do this?" Lloyd asked.

"I can only use the powers the person I mimic can use," Skylar pointed out, "And my dad wasn't paying for me to have teachers. I only have enough water mimic to move waves."

Lloyd nodded. Skylar's power was different from him in that fundamental method. Lloyd could learn each element, and train that element to its peak. Skylar mimicked a person's element and could use the powers that person had instantly, but nothing more. He could learn how to walk on water if he trained over time, but Skylar would have to copy a person that already used that power and could use it instantly.

Once the two reached the other side of the lake, Skylar guided him through the gap in the rocks and up a small ridge until the Firstbourne was out of sight. Once they had, she guided him under a rock shelf, where a burnt out fire pit, bedroll and a large bag of gear sat. Skylar immediately began sifting through the bag as Lloyd lit the fire with his hand.

"Are you here alone?" Lloyd asked in confusion, "I thought you were recruiting people."

"Yeah… not really as easy as you think," Skylar sighed, "Bit of a hard sell. 'Come out to the middle of nowhere and help a girl that tried to kill the Dragon Lord rebuild a tribe you've never heard of!' Not really a surprise nobody is biting," Skylar shook her head, "Not that I'm giving up, mind you! My mother wouldn't have wanted that."

"Your mother would be proud of you!" Lloyd added, "You're rebuilding her tribe, you stood up to your dad and you're like, the second most powerful girl in the World!"

"Says the number one to the number two," Skylar chuckled as she slung her bag on her back, "Come on, we can cover some ground before it gets too dark. I can show you the tracks."

"Sure thing!" Lloyd smiled, "Lead on!"

Skylar chuckled and waved for him to follow. She brought the two further along the makeshift path she was using until they had reached the top of a large outcropping of rock, at which point she pointed up at the sky. She called upon her element, forcing wind down into her feet leaping up into the air with it. Lloyd followed suit, leaping after her as they bounded from rocks to rocks with it.

"Think you can keep up?" Skylar grinned, "You said you were pretty tired, after all!"

"I'm not tired when it comes to this," Lloyd shouted, "This is just exercise to me!"

Skylar rolled her eyes and took his word for it. For almost ten minutes, she continued to leap across the land, only taking small breaks to find and orient herself. Eventually, she had finally taken them around a large mountain and down into a small valley where water had collected into a little pond. When she landed at the edge she pointed down.

Lloyd stopped behind her, peering down. At the base of the mountain, there was a massive print. It was roughly rectangular with protrusions at the back. It was pressed perfectly into the mud that had gathered at the base. More of them were spaced along the rock, each of them in almost perfect intervals.

"Huh?" Lloyd peered down at them, "Uhm… either that thing has really long legs or…"

"Only one leg, yeah," Skylar nodded, "And those five are the only ones. They stop after you get around that next hill. It's weird, right? They must have been covering their tracks"

"Yeah… I don't even think I can tell how tall it is like that… and the feet, it's… weird. Like, they're so… blocky." Lloyd pointed out.

"For a moment I thought someone made them deliberately, but I have no clue what thing would do that unless you were human," Skylar shrugged, "It might actually be something else, but then again… it's so weird I don't know what to make of it."

"Hrm…" Lloyd slid down the slope to get up close to one of the tracks, seeing they were even bigger up close, "Well, I dunno, these things are really huge!" He looked out towards the tracks, "If you look at them that way… aren't they heading towards the old ruins?"

"Yeah, but I figured that they might be going the other way too," Skylar nodded, "I was gonna head that way, and you could take the ruins."

"You sure you don't wanna take the ruins?" Lloyd asked, "I mean, you know them better."

"I don't like being around them," Skylar smiled awkwardly, "Kinda… makes me think some dark things, you know? They're… it's weird to think that's where my mother used to live, before… you know."

Lloyd didn't need much more from her before he nodded, "I should be able to make it to the ruins in a bit, I think my range of mind is far enough that I can reach you from there."

"You and your freaky long range powers," Skylar chuckled, "Yeah, gotcha," She looked out to the tracks again, "If something that big is around here, it'd clearly want to hide. Most of the time big creatures tend to come out to hunt and hide. I can't imagine that something that big could hide that many places."

"Hrm…" Lloyd paused, "Well, if I was huge I'd wanna hide somewhere obvious. People would think I'd be hiding big. What about camouflage?"

"That's possible," Skylar nodded, rubbing her chin, "I'm not sure how someone would hide that, though," She turned around from him, "I'm gonna get going, if you don't mind at me then I'll come get you!"

Skylar focused, activating her speed mimic and soon blasting off over the slope to begin searching. Lloyd looked over the landscape. The rocky terrain sloped up and down, curling into deep valleys and then spiking upwards into cliffs as they went. It was a landscape that held little greenery to it, meaning that the only barrier to sight was the rocky mountains themselves. Aside from small caves and alcoves formed by the landscape, there wasn't anything a creature that massive could be hiding from what Lloyd saw.

To begin, Lloyd leapt his way across the landscape towards the Amber Tribe ruins. Searching took far longer than Lloyd would likely have guessed. Taking his time to actually stop and peer around to look for signs of a massive creature was far harder to do than he thought. There wasn't any sort of convenient place for him to walk in a straight path, and thus he spent a fair amount of time climbing and sliding down rocks. He considered using speed to perhaps cover more ground, but upon seeing how steep some of the drops were, he was afraid to risk the acceleration he could grow right off it.

Just like Skylar said, there were only five of those oddly rectangular tracks. He noticed the ground behind each track was also scuffed up, like something had passed over it. The only thing he knew that did that was Firstbourne when she moved her tail over the ground. But, given the size of one foot, that tail would be as long as she was. And there only five tracks! After that, they ended. After that, the tracks were completely gone. He could tell there was evidence a sixth track was covered up, but that was it.

It wasn't too long before he came upon the large path that led to the basin where the Amber Tribe ruins sat. The ruins were inside of boiling lakes, filled with deadly substances that, if he recalled the legend right, kept them isolated from the world for decades before the first meeting of the tribes. The basin used to be part of a much larger lake system, but the pathways feeding into those other systems had been clogged over time..

Lloyd crested the basin. In the middle of an island amongst the toxic waters were long decayed ruins. Buildings that were once large and mighty sat in orange rusty and dirtied hazes. They were tall and bold, reaching for the sky with their broken fingers, carved into simple pillars with points and smooth surfaces. In the center of it lay a massive domed building that used to be a massive temple of worship, with massive pillars that were said to have reached up to tempt the dragons down to them. The temple in the center was a bit of a more recent collapse, as Skylar had crushed it in an attempt to squash him in their first meeting. It was also where he'd heard of the legend of the Amber Tribe from none other than Chen himself.

Looking across it, Lloyd still felt something in his gut. Skylar was the last of these people. They'd died so many years ago, nobody had remembered them until Skylar appeared. Even then, many didn't know what to think of her. An entire tribe was forgotten for decades, centuries even. The only reason Skylar existed was because her mother was sealed away following the tribe's demise. He'd never even gotten to meet Skylar's mother before she passed after having her daughter. To think a tribe could be razed and forgotten like this… he didn't even know what to say when he saw it, only feel the sadness for it.

There was a mountain nearby that he could search. There was no use checking ruins a massive creature couldn't even hide in. Lloyd used gravity to slowly carry him up a massive drop, levitating until he was at the top. He canceled the element and sighed, wiping some sweat from his brow. He wasn't sure how long it'd been, but he had to have guessed at least an hour. It was already getting dark, but thankfully the element of shadow granted him night vision. One of his eyes turned gray while he used it. Lloyd went around the mountain behind the ruins, looking for anything suspicious. When he saw something, he froze to get a closer look.

In the middle of one of the massive mountains, was a cave. In front of the cave was a massive plateau, almost looking like a piece of the mountain had been sliced off. Normally, he wouldn't think much of the cave, but the entrance was massive. He wasn't sure how tall, but if the Firstbourne stood on her hind legs it would likely take two of her to reach the top of it. The formation looked natural, judging from the way the rock rippled like water had carved it, but it was just the size that one needed.

_Skylar! _Lloyd called out using mind, _I think I found a place that they could be hiding. I'm going to go and investigate, alright?_

_Found something? Alright, be careful…_ Skylar warned, _I'll make my way there. Just don't go too far without me, alright? _

_Alright! _Lloyd smiled with determination and canceled the link. Slowly, he brought his hands together and focused. His eyes went a soft yellow as two small balls of light formed over his hands. Gently, he released the two into the air, letting them hover above him. He willed them to follow him as he made his way forward, letting them illuminate a small radius around him. When he stepped into the darkness, after just ten seconds of walking he was more than happy to have them. The darkness swallowed up fast.

The cave naturally began to slope down as he walked. To secure himself, Lloyd walked his way along the edge of the cave, letting one hand brush the wall to make sure he did so correctly. The light behind him gradually grew less and less prominent, instead lighting up the area around him with his own makeshift lanterns. Keeping them up required a bit of thought on his end, and he half wished he had the Light Tribe's invention… the… light sphere? It was a thing that stored light energy and lasted for a good few months. It was easier than making his own.

Soon enough, the light behind him was gone. Lloyd knew he should stop soon. The ground became damp as moisture dropped in from the ceiling, forming what looked like a tiny stream under him. The cave had small sections that branched off from one another, but the main massive chamber continued down. The further Lloyd walked, the more he felt like he should turn back. The air became cold, and he had to summon a bit of fire around his arms to keep him warm. It was getting harder to find purchase for his foot too. Thankfully his training meant maintaining the light spheres and his flames were easy.

A sound in the darkness startled him. The flames on his arms grew into whirling whips as he snapped them around him, looking around. The sound remained quiet for a few seconds, then it sounded again. It was a strange sound, one that sounded like a hiss of some kind. He wasn't sure why, but it sounded… sinister. Something was in this cave with him.

"...Alright, I'm going to go ahead and say this now," Lloyd spoke up, "You might not know this, but I'm Lloyd Garmadon! I have at least some training in every element! And, well, if you're a person out there and you're hearing this, you should probably come out. I won't hurt you! I promise, I swear! If you're an animal, well…" He let his flames grow and let them scorch the ground in front of him as a warning, "That should take care of that."

The cave felt strange. He felt something inside of it, but he wasn't sure what. It was dangerous, that much he felt, but he wasn't sure why it was. He gulped. He could tell something was here. Something in here. It had to be the creature that Skylar was hunting. The sound dimmed, but didn't go away. It sounded like it'd just moved further away. It had to have been some sort of animal then. Lloyd slowly let the flames drop and instead let his sphere handle the light. He was getting paranoid, that was it. He had to just relax and let this sort of thing just-

The sound of stones dislodging came from behind him. Without hesitation, Lloyd whipped around, letting loose a massive burst of fire. The flames lit up the walls around him, and he could see several shadows in the darkness flee. The flames shot out to the sound, then split at its point. Skylar stood in the middle of the flames, her arms extended and parting the attack. When Lloyd realized this, he let the flames die out.

"Skylar!" Lloyd yelped, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"Figured you were expecting me," Skylar smirked, "Something wrong down here?"

"I… I keep hearing something," Lloyd looked around, "It's weird. It's like, it sounds like air, but, I don't know. It's weird."

"Hmm…" Skylar listened for a moment, "It's probably just the water in the caves. There are underground rivers you know. Did you see anything coming down?"

"No," Lloyd admitted, "I didn't see anything. I mean, if something that big was seen, wouldn't it be here?"

"Seems like the most likely place, but if it was a creature then it wouldn't be this far down," Skylar pointed up, "We're far enough down that it'd be an issue for a creature to stay warm. I don't think we'll find anything here."

"I guess… I kinda just wanna get out of this cave though," Lloyd shuddered, "It's weird down in here, you know?"

"Yeah, let's keep looking outside," Skylar turned, "We need to get looking a bit harder."

Lloyd nodded, quickly rushing up after her. As he left, he felt a strange cold feeling he'd had on his neck vanished, as if he'd walked out of a dangerous situation. As the light from the cave came up for them, he found a breath in his chest releasing as well. He left behind the darkness, and instead began to pursue the light once more.

* * *

"Here," Skylar handed Lloyd a small roll of bread, "Eat."

Lloyd shook his head, pointing to the saddlebag he had with him, "I told you, I bring food on Firsty! You should know that, Skys."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, Mage," Skylar chuckled, "I'm just offering, you know. Rations and bread aren't really the same thing."

Lloyd ignored her and instead dug into the mixture of berries and crumbs. His father had created these mixes, and all of them were designed to purely refill his body with protein. It wasn't entirely tasty, but he'd gotten used to the taste. It was surprisingly fulfilling, all things considered. And they were said to help restore elemental energy, which was nice after the hours upon hours of using them.

It'd been two days since Lloyd had arrived. Aside from the cave, he hadn't found anything. They'd searched nearly the entire territory, but nothing was there. Eventually, the two had given up, and this was the last meal he'd be having out here before he rode back home on Firstbourne. The only conclusion worth drawing was the creature had left the territory. The dragon was currently bathing in the lake to get ready for the fly back.

"I know, I know," Mage looked down towards the fire, "It's nice getting to relax like this, Skys."

"Enjoy it while you can," She chuckled, "Soon enough we're gonna be caught up in this big coming together thing you got going."

"Hey, my 'coming together' is helping to keep the world safer!" Lloyd pouted, "The tribes are all separate and that, it's better if we just go ahead and help each other rather than fighting."

"It's nice to hear you say that," Skylar admitted, "But it's not exactly all that realistic, really. It's not exactly like everybody wants to get along."

"What makes you think that?" Lloyd asked, "Aside from a few leaders, I think everyone doesn't want another war."

"Nobody wants a war, but everybody wants something. That's just how the world works. If my dad taught me anything, it's that," She let her head droop somewhat.

"You know that you're not responsible for what your dad did, right?" Lloyd picked up on her mood and quickly moved in to help, "He did all the bad things, not you."

"I mean, I was right there with him," Skylar shook her head, "And he was using that chance to get me to mimic someone important. I mean, I didn't get all the leaders, but I did get a few of them. And you know what I was planning to do with them."

"You didn't," Lloyd pointed out, "That's what's important."

"No, what's important is that I was gonna call down all the dragons to wipe everyone out. Doesn't matter that I didn't do it, I still was _planning_ on it," Skylar sighed, "It's not that easy to wipe away your mistakes."

"I think it is," Lloyd countered, "You're not that same girl. You were twisted into hating everyone. You're not your tribe and nobody else is. You should remember that!"

"I do, I do, and honestly having you telling me helps," Skylar smiled, "But it's not always easy. There are still a lot of people that only recognize me when I was getting ready to literally rip the world apart."

"And now they know you as my friend and won't treat you that way," Lloyd countered.

"I wish I could think that way… but whatever," Skylar shrugged, "You should get going, you don't wanna be flying home in the dark, right?"

"Actually flying at night isn't that bad for Firsty," Lloyd pointed out, "But I should get going soon. You know that if you need me, I'm here, right?"

"When I get to you, yeah, I do," Skylar chuckled, "Kinda weird for a kid to be saying that to me."

"You're only two years older than me!" Lloyd protested.

"Yeah, but I'm four_teen_, which makes me a teenager!" Skylar grinned back.

"That's not fun!" Lloyd paused, then smirked, "You know I'm stronger than you!"

"Oh no, the Dragon Lord is gonna go and beat me into the ground with his amazing powers!" Skylar shrieked playfully, "Don't hurt me, your highness!"

"Stop that!" Lloyd protested, making Skylar laugh. After a bit, the two of them began laughing together. The feeling was uplifting, and soon Lloyd stood up to leave.

"Stay safe, Mage," Skylar waved her hand, "If you need me, well, you know where to find me."

"Same here!" Lloyd waved, "Don't forget it!"

With that, Lloyd leapt down and away from the rocks. He made his way back to the massive lake where he could see the horns of Firstbourne poking up from the water. He rolled his eyes and sat patiently at the lake's edge, watching her finally take in his presence. She steadily rose up from the water, her body completely soaked and glistening in the light of the setting sun. She stalked forward from the water, creating a cascade off her body that reflected a rainbow of light to Lloyd as he watched.

"You enjoy your two day bath?" Lloyd joked. The dragoness rolled her eyes at him and growled, thrusting her wing out towards him to shower him in water. Lloyd waved his hand with aqua eyes, sending the water droplets away. As he chuckled in victory, however, her other wing flapped and the wind gust enough to send him onto his butt, and let a wave of water shower him.

"Gah!" Lloyd spat, "Hey, that wasn't nice!"

Firstbourne didn't say anything, instead turning to her saddle hanging from a nearby tree. She stalked forward and gently looped her legs through it, sliding it up onto her body. Tilting her head back, she looped a large strap through her massive horn and jerked her head back, synching it to her body. Lloyd leapt up her body and onto the saddle once she was finished, replacing the food bag and grabbing the reins.

"Let's get home!" Lloyd shouted happily. Firstbourne took a few steps back and shot her wings out, running forward a step into the water and then leaping up into the sky, causing water to burst out behind them as she flapped. Lloyd giggled at the rather dramatic flourish, making the dragon grumble in what he suspected was a smile. The wind shot against his face as the force of ascending pushed him into his seat, until finally the two had crested the clouds and were flying straight off towards home.

Now that they were airbourne, Lloyd took the chance to just enjoy the flight. It felt calming to be like this. He was riding the back of the most powerful dragon there was, the only one that would not submit to him if he actually used his Dragon Lord power over the dragons. Chen's plan had been to use Skylar to mimic the dragon call the First Elemental Master gave to create the tribes to destroy them. Lloyd was the one who could actually do it and stop the fighting.

The world wasn't as perfect as he wished it to be, however. The Time Tribe was apparently on edge, the new government wasn't working like he thought it would, and many other things he was sure would come up. He'd have to talk to Bansha and get that business sorted out. And soon he'd have to help Skylar with her tribe. Many things had to get done. Maybe he could figure out a way to get them all done together…?

The Firstbourne growled loudly at him, snapping Lloyd to attention. He blinked and patted her neck, leaning over to look at her. As he did, however, he saw that they'd descended towards the ground, and in doing so, he could see what looked like fire in the distance.

"Huh? Fire?" Lloyd blinked, "But, the Fire Tribe is to the east…."

That's when he realized it. There was a large path that emerged from between two cliffs. The cliffs, however, were blocked up, looking as though a landslide had been triggered to clog up the path. Down the path from the cliffs, the fire he'd seen was in a semicircle. Stuck between the cliffs and the fire were several large carriages. Further up the road past the flames was a large mass of men spread out along the length and all advancing towards the flames, holding torches and clearly blocking the road. Once he saw that, he knew that was an ambush.

Lloyd stood up in the saddle, looking towards the ground and gripping the reins, "Fly me around and drop me off!" Lloyd ordered, "I'll take care of the stuck carriages, you clear us a path!"

The Firstbourne let out a long rumble of acknowledgement, then her body snapped up and shot into a dive. She soared straight towards the ground, putting a massive force of Lloyd as she went. Lloyd held on tightly, flattening back down to the saddle as she did. As they approached the ground, the rising moon framed the dragon.

Right as they were overtop the carriages, Lloyd leapt off, soaring towards the ground and spraying fire from his hands and feet to slow his descent. He landed in the middle of the cornered group, immediately turning his head to the wall of flame. He raced forward, reaching out with both hands and thrusting them apart. The flames were shot to either side, and once a hole was cleared, he called upon earth with brown eyes to open the ground up under the fire, swallowing it whole.

"D-Dragon Lord?!" A female -wearing the telltale clothing of a local trader- sat atop her carriage, holding the reins to a large beast of burden, "Are you here to save us?"

"How many of you are there?" Lloyd asked, the answer to her question obvious.

"T-Ten, two of us were hurt in the collapse. We lost one of our carriages to it!" She quickly informed him, "The rest of us are waiting for a chance to flee!"

"Well you got one!" Lloyd pointed up at the sky, "Firstbourne will clear the path, when I say go, get ready to run!"

The trader nodded, albeit nervously. Lloyd hopped up into the seat beside her, smiling at her before leaping on top of the carriage altogether. As he landed on top of the cloth frame, he held his hands out and readied for attack.

Up the road, Firstbourne completed a sweep with her draconic breath, burning away a large group of the attackers. The force of her breath scorched massive lines across the dirt road, smoke rising up from the ground. She spun in the air and landed beside the road, letting out a massive bellow to any that were still standing. Those that were quickly began to flee.

"Now!" Mage shouted. The trader nodded her head and quickly snapped her reins, causing her carriage to race forward. The other traders' carriages quickly fell in line once they realized they were moving, the caravan getting rolling. Lloyd remained gripping onto the carriage he was on, letting the group rocket forward even as it jostled him around. They passed by Firstbourne, who took off into the air to cover them.

A cry from behind him made Lloyd turn around. Several strange vehicles were following after them. They weren't drawn by any animal, and looked like strange triangles with blades on either side. The drivers weren't easily seen, but they were making an awful nose. There were roughly ten of them at a quick count, and all were rapidly driving after them. They shone in the moonlight, looking almost alien to their more traditional transports.

"Firsty!" Lloyd shouted, "Fly behind them and scare them! I'll take them out!"

Lloyd knew that his dragon's breath could accidently light one of the caravan on fire if they were unlucky. The dragon angled her wings up, causing her to snap backwards. Lloyd, meanwhile, filled his hands with ice and formed a makeshift bridge from his carriage back to the next one, then the third, and finally the last one. The ice was snapped apart by the force of the carriages rocking.

"What are those things?!" The driver of the last carriage, a man from the Wind Tribe it looked from this distance, shrieked out. He thrust his hand behind him, letting out a gust of wind through the carriage to try to strike the pursuers. The gust didn't reach anywhere near close.

"Don't know, don't care!" Lloyd clapped his hands together, ducking into the carriage and taking his position inside at the back, "Just keep going!"

The roar of the Firstbourne filled his ears. Lloyd saw her behind the ground, snarling at them and driving them forward out of fear. Lloyd thought fast, then quickly rubbed his hands together to form sparks. With swipes of his fists, lightning arced straight out from them, firing out to strike one of the oncoming pursuers. The charge dissipated over their metal hull.

Lloyd growled and quickly switched his tactics. He thrust both his hands out, calling upon earth with brown eyes. Rocks began to rip up from the ground which he hurled out towards the oncoming targets. Three of them were struck dead in the middle and careened off into a crash. He avoided the drivers, knowing at this speed, they could get hurt.

The Firstbourne roared again. One of the riders suddenly surged forward, driving the blades on the front of his vehicle right into the wheels of the carriage. The action caused one wheel to break off, and Lloyd was snapped forward. He gripped the lip of the carriage to stop from going out, but the carriage lurching rattled him. The trader driving the carriage shrieked in fear as he looked for somewhere to go.

"Hold on!" Lloyd shouted, running through the carriage and grabbing hold of him. The driver's eyes widened as Lloyd activated his speed element, leaping out from the carriage and out into the one in front of them. The two landed painfully inside the carriage, with Lloyd's shoulder cracking open a box painfully. The carriage they leapt from smashed apart, the beast snapping free and running off in terror as one of the pursuers were taken out.

From inside the third carriage, one of the traders stood up, sporting the blue clothes of the Sound Tribe. With the two safe, he raced forward and took a deep breath. Lloyd quickly covered his ears as he screamed, the sound waves carrying right into one of the attackers. It wasn't deadly, but distracted him enough to lose control and take one more down with him.

"Thanks!" Lloyd shouted, his ears ringing slightly as he got up. When he did, he looked to the five remaining attackers. He thought fast, bringing his fist into the air and rapidly punching the air. Each time he did, a burst of fire would come out. The flames lit the ground on fire as he kept attacking, aiming his fists back and forth as he swept and traced the path the attackers were coming in.

"Firsty!" Lloyd shouted, knowing she was listening for him, "Drop me!"

The Sound and Wind Tribe traders looked at Lloyd in confusion, but Lloyd simply climbed up onto the top of the carriage again. When he had, the Firstbourne soared towards the carriage. He waited until she was overhead, then leapt into the air. Her outstretched talons were there for him to grab onto and dangle from. He smirked for a moment, finally able to concentrate without the carriages constantly shaking.

Lloyd let go. He hurtled towards the ground, right in front of the pursuers. When he struck the ground, his fist hit first. His eyes were brown. A millisecond later, the ground rippled outwards like a shockwave, causing the remaining five to go flying about in every direction. They careened and crashed, driving wedges into the land around them. Several of the drivers were flung violently off into the ground. Lloyd stood up and brought his fists up, readying for an attack. When none came, he turned around to see a crashed vehicle.

"Alright," Lloyd approached the downed vehicle, "I tried to be nice there but you guys wouldn't stop coming! Now it's time for you to tell me who you… are…"

Lloyd went silent had approached one of the men. There was nothing more than a suit of armor there, collapsed onto the ground. No body or indication of one was nearby. He looked down towards it and picked up the helmet, trying to see underneath it. There was… nothing there. Just like before.

"What the…?" Lloyd blinked in confusion.

"Dragon Lord!" The voice of the female trader he'd seen sounded off. She was running towards him, panting heavily and using what looked like speed in short bursts to get closer to him. When she arrived, she was heaving.

"Is anyone hurt?" Lloyd asked immediately, reaching out to help her stand.

"No… no!" She coughed out, "We… we lost our supplies, though. Most of them! I'm… I'm just happy it wasn't us this time."

"This time?" Lloyd asked.

"Since… since the Summit…" She wheezed out, "These… these raiders have been going after the trade shipments. My, my friend was caught in one of them. Nobody was hurt but they lost everything too…" She grimaced, "We're in a lot of trouble…"

"Where were you heading?" Lloyd demanded.

"The… Form Tribe… to sell some supplies…" She stood up, finally getting her breath.

"I'll escort you the rest of the way," Lloyd stated, "I'll make sure you don't get attacked again."

"You'd… do that for us?" The trader smiled widely, "T-Thank you, sir! I'll go tell the others!"

As she began running back before Lloyd could stop her, the boy turned towards the empty armor husk. While he smiled for her sake, his smile dropped as soon as he laid eyes on the strange sight before him. Whatever had been chasing them was gone. He looked once more to the empty husk of armor, committing it to his memory. As he did, the dragon slowly paced her way up to him.

"Let's go, Firstbourne…" Lloyd stated firmly. The dragoness rumbled, allowing him to climb onto her back again. With one last look to the confusing sight, he snapped the reins and the two were off once more.

* * *

"Son, it's good to…" Garmadon's eyes narrowed as Lloyd entered the doors to their secluded home, seeing his scuffed up state, "What happened?"

"I didn't find anything with Skylar…" Lloyd yawned, "On the way back I saw a group of 'raiders' attacking a trade caravan and helped them out. I escorted them to the Form Tribe… didn't really get to sleep since I was watching out for them."

"Raiders?" Garmadon asked, "Are you hurt?"

"No… but they disappeared, just like those assassins at the Summit," Lloyd yawned again, slowly walked over to find a space against the wall to slide against. It'd taken him all night to get them to the Form Tribe, as slow as they were, and by this point he was exhausted.

"I heard in a report that these Raiders were attacking, but I didn't think they were that aggressive," Garmadon frowned, "How many were there?"

"Looked like twenty I think, and that's not counting the ten on these like, weird bikes," Lloyd shook his head, "They made a lot of noise and had swords on the front. Big swords."

"That sounds strange indeed," Garmadon nodded, "Here," He reached out, handing a scroll to Lloyd, "This was addressed to you. It's from Acronix. While you read it, I'll get the report to compare your experience to it."

Lloyd nodded as his dad left the room. He slowly unfurled the scroll and opened it up. He smiled as he saw the fancy and detailed lettering that Acronix used. Yawning again, he read over the long text. As he did, he steadily began to feel whatever exhaustion he had evaporating.

"Dad… dad!" Lloyd stood up, "This is bad!"

"What, son?" Garmadon returned into the room, holding a scroll, "Did you remember something?"

"No, it's worse than that!" Lloyd held up the scroll, "Acronix says Krux is gone!"


	19. Chapter 19

"What?" Garmaodn asked quickly, snatching the scroll to read for himself.

"He says they found his cell empty and his guards were knocked out!" Lloyd pointed to the spot in the scroll, "His brother is just, gone! They don't know where he is!"

"Krux is gone…" Garmadon lifted his head, "But how? He was being held within the dragon's cave itself!"

"I don't know!" Lloyd shook his head, "He's asking us if Chen's behind it?"

"...If they have freed Krux, then they might… free…" Garmadon looked up, "Son we must check on Chen at once!"

"Chen?" Lloyd blinked, "But, why? He's locked up!"

"Because if an enemy frees one, they may free all," Garmadon growled, "This must be one of his ploys. He has fooled us! We must see to this at once!"

Garmadon turned and quickly made his way out of the massive gates, waving for his son to follow. Lloyd, caught up in the confusion, quickly followed after him. The winds of the Monastery's mountain buffeted the two as they made their way down the massive stairs. The two reached the cave, looking to see the tail of the massive red dragon resting her head on her forelegs half in the shadows to soak up the sunlight. Firstbourne looked to the two of them in confusion and huffed at them. She turned her head away, shifting to move further into the cave. Garmadon thrust his staff onto the ground, the sound booming out around him.

"Firstbourne!" Garmadon called out, "Take us to Chen, we must ensure he has not escaped!"

The Firstbourne growled, an angry and deep sound that made Lloyd shudder when he heard it. Father and son quickly leapt up onto the beasts back without saddle. The dragon rose up from her rest and stalked forward until she was outside of her cave, opening her wings up wide once she was in the sunlight. Rather than take off, she instead leapt off and let her body slowly glide its way out from the Monastery. She veered around the mountain the Monastery sat on, soaring towards those peaks behind Lloyd's home.

After several more times to circle, Firstbourne reached a massive set of four large jagged peaks that seemed to converge on one another in a point. She shot her wings out and flapped, sending them straight into the sky. The proud beast crested the peaks, showing that the top of the four mountains came together into a hole coated in a dense magma-like material. It was thick enough that just looking at it revealed not even the Fire and Earth tribes could break through it.

The Firstbourne opened her jaws, losing a torrent of strangely slag=like fire that melted the strange material until a hole was formed large enough for them to soar down. The dragon shot once more into the sky and then cracked her body like a whip in the air, soaring straight down. The dragon shot straight through the hole, still carried downwards by gravity. For several seconds, the sound of them soaring down into the depths of the mountains was all Lloyd and Garmadon could hear.

A massive crash signaled the Firstbourne's body hitting a lake, her speed sending them hard straight down into it. They dove deep for several meters, Lloyd thankful he recalled to hold his breath. The darkness of the water made seeing things difficult, but the dragon knew where she was going. She swam her way under the waves towards a source of a strange orange glow out in the distance. When the dragon reached them, she began to swim underneath the glow, revealing them to be crystals embedded into a rock shelf. After nearly ten seconds of swimming, the dragon stopped and swam upwards, revealing a hole in the bottom of the shelf. After another few seconds of swimming, the dragon raised her head from a pool inside of a cavern inside the shelf.

"Thanks, Firsty!" Lloyd patted the dragon's neck, earning him a groan of affection, "Now, let's see if-"

"Oh! Visitors!" A mad voice cackled out from inside the cave.

The cavern was roughly circular, not much wider in diameter than the Firstbourne's length herself. The pool took up nearly a fourth of the room, and the Firstbourne could not fully fit her body through it. Lloyd dismounted, landing on a patch of, all things, grass. In the middle of the room was a set of orange crystals Lloyd had seen outside, casting the only source of light in the room. The crystals formed a set of jagged bars that separated the room in half, and several were so thick they blocked out the sight on the other side.

The sight on the other side was a man dressed in robes similar to that of Garmadon and Lloyd himself. He wore a headdress made to look like the skull of a dragon, and his features showed he was a middle aged man. He sat atop a rather nice looking bed, and pieces of furniture were on the closed off portion of the cavern. He was sitting upright in bed with his hands in his lap, kicking his feet as he glanced towards the newcomers with a curiously gleeful gaze.

"Chen is still here," Lloyd sighed in relief, "Okay good, he is!"

"Of course I am!" Chen scoffed, "What, do you think I broke through these impenetrable crystals, swam up this underground lake, climbed up the side of those peaks and then broke my way through that little rock seal you replace every time you wish to visit me? You made very clear why I cannot escape this place. I have done some amazing things, but I don't think I could do all three of those! Two, maybe!"

"Don't jest with us, Chen!" Garmadon growled, "You know why we have come."

"I do?" Chen looked around, "Oh, yes, I forgot. The walls speak to me about what goes on outside of this place. Why, I heard the other day that the water warmed a few degrees! Hehe, I hope your swim down here wasn't too pleasant!" He rolled his eyes, "Garmadon, please, you know that I have absolutely no contact down here! I have only myself for company! A lesser man would have gone mad by now."

"Now is not the time for this, Chen," Garmadon thrust his staff down, "You know why we are here!"

"Oh my, someone is angry!" Chen gasped, "What's wrong, did you forget something back at that little gaudy home of yours?" He giggled and then leaned forward a bit more, "Oh, by the way, how is Skylar?" Garmadon's eye twitched.

"How about you answer our questions and we answer yours?" Lloyd asked.

"Ohhhhh, that works!" Chen clapped, "Oh come on now, throw me some questions! I'll finally get some things to think about in this boring place!"

"If this is what it takes to get a straight answer from the likes of you, then so be it," Garmadon inhaled, "Where is Krux, Chen?"

"Krux? That stuffy twin?" Chen chuckled, "Hrm… I don't know! I figured that since you two managed to stop the war, he'd be executed for his crimes! Then again, his brother was always too soft for that. I bet he's rotting in jail somewhere! You think we could become cellmates?"

"Do not jest with us, Chen!" Garmadon stated forcefully, "This is a matter of grave importance!"

"And I will remind you that I do not lie, Garmadon!" Chen placed his hand on his chest, "Why not have the little mind reader go ahead and prove that?"

Garmadon stared at Chen for a few long moments, then he turned to Lloyd and nodded his head. Lloyd slowly closed his eyes as they opened purple, and he peered into Chen's mind. There was no guard or attempt to hide anything from him, and instead all that Chen wanted was laid bare for him to read. Lloyd gave Garmadon a little nod. Chen just grinned even harder and allowed Lloyd to pull away from his head.

"Krux must have gotten out of his little cell then… that's a shame," Chen sighed, "Wish they'd broken me out! Nobody thinks about little ol' Chen. I wish he had come to visit me at least once… oh, now it's my turn!" Chen grinned, "Tell me, how is my little daughter?"

"Skylar?" Lloyd turned to Garmadon for approval, who simply nodded to him, "She's doing fine. She's working on rebuilding her tribe. She actually said she's going to remake the entire land they used to live on to make it something new."

"Ohhhh, well, I might offer her some advice then!" Chen raised his hands up, "You see, when an Amber user and another user have children, the Amber will always be the dominant element for the children! Found that out by doing some research on her long gone people. It should help her prevent the nasty little side effects of inbreeding and all that."

"Huh?" Lloyd paused, this his eyes sparkled, "Oohh! Like how you do it with livestock then!" Lloyd smiled, "I think I get it."

"Hm… thought I would get a better reaction there! Oh well!" Chen leaned back.

"Distasteful as ever," Garmadon gently pushed Lloyd a step behind him, "Tell us, what do you know of these Raider attacks?"

"The who whats? I would like to refer again to the fact that I'm so far underground that I consider the ground you live on the sky!" Chen shook his head, "If you want me to lie about what I know, then sure, I can do that all day. I hired them!"

"How many are there?" Garmadon asked.

"Ah-ha-ha, my question time! You really aren't very respectful, are you, Garmadon?" Chen smirked, "How is Misako?"

Garmadon's body completely tensed. Chen immediately began to snicker, a fact which Lloyd actually dropped his smile to. Garmadon turned around, facing away from Chen.

"Ahhh, I take it that she is still gone!" Chen sighed, "A shame, really. If you hadn't broken your promise to remain here to have a bit of fun, Lloyd wouldn't be here! Then again, does that mean your promise was always meant to be broken?" Chen paused, "No, let's not ask that question, that would fall under the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. Well, either way, you two have been living alone here for a long time, haven't you?"

"My brother will one day return," Garmadon turned back around, "And do not speak the name of my wife. It was through deception you learned her name. She chose to leave and venture the World… it was not my place to stop her. I have my son to care for."

"Ohhh you're so easy to read! Just looking at your face is like one big open book, Garmadon," Chen frowned, "Not a good thing for you. You have so many tells! Lloyd here seems to be the only one who doesn't, but then again a boy raised in isolation would have that, wouldn't he?"

"Huh?" Lloyd put a hand to his chest, "I… what are you referring to?"

"People have little ticks, Lloyd," Chen turned around, stalking around his cell, letting himself go from visible to behind bars over and over again, "People are the strangest creatures. They aren't like animals. No, no, they'll do things that make no sense, hide their emotions, let their thoughts remain hidden. If a dragon is angry, they will roar. If a person is angry, they'll look around the room to see if it's appropriate to be angry. People will hide their true selves, even if it means that they'll compress who they are until nothing is left."

"Hurry your ramblings, Chen," Garmadon stated coldly.

"I'm answering his question!" Chen countered, "Where was I… right! Nothing is left. But when you can see what people hide, oh you can get to them so personally. This world was just like that. It only took so many words to get them to see what they truly needed to see," Chen stopped and looked to Lloyd, "I did you a favor by making the line so clear for you to see, Lloyd."

"You… I uh…." Lloyd blinked, attempting to parse what Chen was saying. Garmadon didn't give Lloyd the time to and instead moved to stand in front of Lloyd.

"I have one more question for you," Garmadon narrowed his gaze, "What do you know of the fact the Raiders disappear when defeated?"

"Ohhh, are you dealing with ninjas?" Chen giggled, "I know nothing about that. But… I am interested in hearing this…" Chen moved up to the bars, "A small group of children couldn't catch your eye if they begged… since you keep harping on that, this must be massive!" Chen grinned, "Maybe if you tell me more it will… jog my memory?"

"Then you know nothing?" Garmadon growled.

Chen sighed, "You're no fun! I sit down here every day with nobody but myself to think about! I've already figured out how air gets into this place and how food is delivered, but I know nothing of the outside. Look, if you think I had plans so deep that I had something scheduled to go off this far, you're overestimating me, Garmadon!"

"This… actually seems like something you'd do," Lloyd spoke up, "I mean, you did a lot to manipulate basically everyone. Wouldn't like, making people scared be like, right up that alley?"

"Hrm… alright, you have a point," Chen conceded, "Look, you don't need that fancy mind trick to see, but I don't have anything to do with it! I can't even talk to anyone down here! I'm just a simple man sitting down here without the ability to even see my daughter I got thrown in here for setting up her future. If you think that I'm doing this, then you truly didn't take anything from all that I did!"

"And what was that?" Garmadon asked decidedly.

"The world is built on fear, Garmadon," Chen pressed his face to the bars, "Fear of losing what you want, fear of losing yourself, and of losing your children. I didn't create fear. Oh no, I simply saw it for what it was! We hide it under fancy words like 'desires' and 'politics' but it's all just fear. I showed everybody what it was. I didn't tell anyone to fight. I simply showed them they held the spear. They ran into the other tribes themselves. If you can't see that, then you're just as blind as all of them!"

"...We have no more business here then," Garmadon turned, "Come now, son. We have other matters to attend to."

"What?" Lloyd turned to Chen, "Is, that all we needed?"

"It's all we're going to get from him right now," Garmadon concluded, "Let us leave this mad man and head to do things to actually help the people that need us."

"Bye bye!" Chen waved his hand, "Next time you get paranoid, feel free to come visit! I'd make you drinks but sadly I'm only given enough for myself! Oh! If you get the chance, can you install some buttons down here? It might help to pass the time!"

"Uh… sure, dad!" Lloyd awkwardly responded, quickly making his way towards where the Firstbourne was swimming in place. As the two climbed up, Garmadon refused to look at Chen.

"Next time you see Skylar, I need you to tell her something for me!" Chen called out, gripping the bars, "Tell her that her father loves her, and his only wish in life right now is to see her again!"

"Sure…?" Lloyd nodded his head slowly. Chen smiled at him, then moved to sit down on his bed and ignored them. Lloyd wasn't sure what to think.

"Go, Firstbourne!" Garmadon shouted. Both of the riders took deep breaths as the dragon let her head slowly sink beneath the waves, vanishing away from Chen's sight. Silence once more filled the room as Chen remained sitting with his back to the entrance long after the three had departed him.

* * *

Lloyd had wanted to go straight to Acronix and attempt to go and help the hunt for Krux directly, but Garmadon had adamantly refused to let his son out of his sight. Lloyd had been just as adamant about being allowed to help but there was a point of contention between the two that was far more important than that.

"You were attacked," Garmadon had stated firmly, "That is a serious matter. You need more training. I will send word out to Acronix asking for his aide."

"I fought them off!" Lloyd had in turn protested, "I literally beat them back, I'm strong enough!"

"Son, you don't understand your own importance," Garmadon sighed, "You are a symbol for this World. We call you the Dragon Lord because that is what you are. All of the dragons that protect and nurture their tribes look up to you. If you were hurt, all of your dreams will vanish. You must wait for your time to strike."

"But… I don't wanna wait around!" Lloyd shook his head, "I need to help my friend!"

"And your friend will call upon your help when he needs it," Garmadon patted Lloyd's head, "Trust in him. He sent you this news days ago. He may have very well caught him already. We will wait for his word. He will keep in contact with you and we will solve this issue with him together."

Word never came. Lloyd had been thrust right back into his training the next day with even more multielement endurance training. His father had him from the moment the sun rose to the minute that the moon crested the summit running from mountain to mountain, training each and every element he could. He'd spend days spitting as much poison -in acid form- as he could into rocks, then begin to rip apart chunks of slope with earth only to then freeze them midair with ice. He couldn't move mountains, but his father was clear that his power would come from his versatility.

It didn't mean that Lloyd wasn't constantly thinking Acronix, in fact it was the opposite. He wasn't allowed to touch time, out a promise that he made to Acronix. _You cannot train in time unless I am there to help if it goes wrong. If you train with it outside of me, I will end our lessons._ Lloyd took that very seriously, especially given that Acronix was now the only viable teacher left for time.

Train, sleep, train, sleep. Each day, Lloyd would ask his father to go and visit Acronix, and each day it would be a no. Each day he'd wait for some sort of correspondence, and get nothing. The days passed into weeks, and then those weeks into two months. Soon enough, it had been three months since the last Summit, despite the fact that he had wanted it to be a monthly event.

Finally, Lloyd woke up on that day, and saw that he had a letter. It was waiting for him when he awoke in his room, sitting perfectly placed on the table. It had already been opened, however, and his father was sitting at the table for him. Lloyd blearily yawned and sat down, stealing a glance at the letter. The handwriting was not from Acronix.

"The leaders have called an emergency Summit," Garmadon informed Lloyd, "It seems that these Raiders have driven the leaders into a place of desperation. They wish to meet and discuss a course of action for it."

"It's that bad?" Lloyd blinked, "Wait, does that mean Acronix will be there?!"

"I believe it does," Garmadon sighed, "But these attacks are worrying. This is not an isolated incident to you, it seems. If the tribes have agreed to a meeting like this, then it is a severe situation indeed."

"But, wasn't I attacked last time I was there?" Lloyd asked, "What about that, I thought you said it was too dangerous?"

"That is why I am saying that it is clearly a far wider threat than we initially envisioned," Garmadon stood up, "The Summit is being held for tomorrow. We will pack up and leave first thing tomorrow morning," He slid the letter to Lloyd, "Read this and familiarize yourself with it. Once you have, we will begin your training for this morning."

Lloyd read over the letter. Most of what his dad had said was inside it. These Raiders seemed to be attacking almost twice a day in most tribes, and the situation had all but scared off any potential traders from taking their goods from tribe to tribe. The only thing that hadn't been hit were the new speed cars, but the trade that could still be undertaken with those was pitiful. Apparently, the tribes saw this as an issue big enough that it was becoming a threat to the entire land itself.

Lloyd, however, was only thinking of the fact that this Summit meant he would see Acronix again. That thought dominated his mind as he trained that day and then woke up the next. His father had already instructed Firstbourne to be ready. They left early that morning so their flight would arrive there at noon, when the Summit was scheduled to begin. Lloyd and his father took off on their dragon, the flight there flying by.

By the time they reached the Summit building, there was a milling of people outside. Guards from all tribes had gathered around the building's entrances, creating a large throng that made attempts to sneak inside near impossible. Lloyd directed Firstbourne to land near the building, hopping off as he did.

Almost instantly, two guards, one forming poison over their arms and the other readying a band of water to attack, approached Lloyd. When they got close enough to verify it was indeed him, the two dropped their elements. Lloyd gave them both a worried look before his father leapt down beside him.

"Sirs!" The two bowed, "Our apologies," The Poison Tribe guard took the lead, "Sir Acronix's speed car found stowaways on it. We heard a noise and worried more may have come after us."

"They were attacked?" Garmadon raised his eyebrow, "Then this is serious indeed. How many guards are there today?"

"Almost all the masters have brought at least ten," The Water Tribe guard answered, "We have all been tasked to ensure that no intruders make it into the building! I believe they added a holding area in case anyone is caught."

"Good," Garmadon nodded, "In that case, will you escort us to the main hall?"

Both guards nodded in unison, moving to take their positions on both sides of the father and son duo. Lloyd gave them a small awkward but grateful smile as they walked them into the building. The other guards all nodded or acknowledged them as they passed. Lloyd kept giving them smiles, even as he felt the weight and irony of the fact that this place of peace was now being heavily guarded.

The two eventually made their way into the main meeting room. As soon as they entered, the room was already alight with discussion. All of the leaders were there, including Skylar and, more importantly to Lloyd, Acronix. Acronix looked calm and composed, one of the few that wasn't talking and instead just exchanging signals with a guard behind him. Lloyd smiled to him, and Acronix only gave him a nod like he would any other before continuing with his guard.

"Everybody! Shut up!" Karlof shouted, "Dragon Lord has arrived!"

Lloyd awkwardly waved to the room. He tried to look to Acronix again, but he wasn't looking at Lloyd in turn. The action alone gave Lloyd pause. While a few leaders gave Karlof long grumbles about his rather rude command, the room indeed did silence itself over time. Lloyd walked forward and took his seat, while Garmadon stood beside him. Lloyd inhaled, doing his best to steady himself, before he finally called out.

"Hey everyone!" Lloyd smiled, only for him to realize he'd forgotten his decorum, "Ahem, I mean, hello, everyone. We all know why we're here, right? Let's get down to business."

"Yeah, these Raiders!" Kai shouted, thrusting his hands down on the table, "We're all getting sick of them attacking us!"

"Must be so loud?" Shade grumbled, rubbing his temple, "All of us here are suffering because of these Raiders. You don't need to shout it out in the room."

"While my brother is rather rude," Nya gave Kai a glare, "He is right. There is not one tribe here that hasn't come into contact with them. We can't keep trading with each other while they control the main roads."

"This is dangerous for us all," Neuro agreed, "And the fact they disappear when defeated is strange."

"We captured some of those weird bikes they use, but we can't get them to work!" Turner waved his arm, "They're just weird metal, some strange pieces and an empty shell."

"Karlof has soldiers working to stop them," Karlof nodded, "But Karlof's men find only armor. We melt down armor we find, but they keep coming. Must be getting supply from source."

"We need to figure out where they're operating form," Chamille leaned forward, "When you're hunting a herd, you need to cut off their escape."

"Easier said than done," Ash, somehow permanently smiling, butted in, "We aren't exactly all just letting them hit us. Whenever you attack them, they just disappear. They're escaping everywhere!" He shivered, "Makes for a pretty great hunt, but a long one at that for nothing really to show for it."

"Well, what exactly are we all planning on doing about it?" Skylar leaned forward, "I don't have people to protect, but if I want to grow the Amber Tribe, I need to keep them safe. And sure, I can do that, but right now people are too afraid to leave their walls.'

"We need some sort of plan," Paleman nasally suggested, "Something to fall back on and start making headway."

"And who's going to be leading this plan?" Gravis pointedly asked.

"Whoever comes up with it, obviously," Paleman replied.

"Hmmph, then it just creates a race for the best plan," Cole pointed out, "We gotta work together on this then."

"That is why we called a Summit," Chamille scoffed, "We need to work together on coming up with this plan."

"We'll make sure we move that up on the priorities," Garmadon nodded, "It is important we figure out a way to fight this menace."

The room went silent in thought. Lloyd had been listening passively the entire time, lost in all of the people talking at once. He didn't like these meetings, and he was starting to regret suggesting forming them all together like this. He didn't get why they hadn't just opened up the meeting with a plan. Why did they all have to go in this big of an arc along a straight line?

"While we think of that, I want to take this time to ask a question," Bansha spoke up, "These Raiders may have other plans set into motion by now. We shoudl consider more of this."

"Whatcha referring to there, Bansha?" Skylar asked, leaning forward with her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"For one… Acronix… have you found your brother yet?" Bansha asked calmly, locking gazes with him.

Acronix shot his head towards Bansha, his eyes widened. The room immediately turned all eyes towards Bansha, then off towards Acronix. Acronix turned back to greet the room, suddenly feeling the pressure on top of him from that announcement. He took a small breath and then eyed Bansha from the corner of his eye.

"I was planning to bring this up in a more private setting with _involved_ parties, but no, Bansha," Acronix shook his head, "He is still missing."

"Krux escaped?!" Jay shouted, "That's important information to know!"

"It's an internal Time Tribe dispute," Acronix countered, "I would not ask you to be any more involved than any other tribe. We have our leads and are pursuing him."

"How long has he been gone?" Kai asked curiously.

"Just over two months now," Acronix stated casually.

The room burst into massive debate. Acronix didn't let his expression waver, instead staring directly at Bansha, who stared right back at him. While the room squabbled, Lloyd felt frozen to his seat, staring at his friend as though he'd just been singled out for combat. Acronix refused to look at him, instead keep himself turned slightly away.

"Krux was a former leader and an important part of the tribes… he could be behind these Raiders," Tox mused.

"He isn't," Acronix shot his gaze towards her, "We had reports of Raiders before he was freed. The two events are not connected."

"How can you know that, if you didn't inform the Summit?" Zane asked, "Regardless of the party that disclosed it, it was information that could have led to a far more timeful reaction."

"Because we had canceled these meetings due to my near demise at the previous one," Acronix stated firmly, "If I had sent for the other Tribes, then my focus would have shifted," Acronix leaned back, "Forgive me for not wanting to return to the place I was almost murdered in my sleep."

"Your focus hasn't led to anything," Jacob argued, "He's still missing! You even figure out leads on them?"

"I insist that I have a lead on his location," Acronix shook his head, "Let me make this clear: the Time Tribe is doing everything possible to find him. This is not something the Summit must concern themselves with."

The room slowly shifted into an uneasy silence out of questioning. Lloyd realized he'd been gripping his throne roughly. He pried his fingers off and turned to his father. Garmadon's expression was all but unreadable. He was looking to each leader, and Lloyd figured he must be trying not to stare at anyone. While Acronix appeared to relax, Lloyd could tell that he was going in and out of breathing heavily.

"Did anyone else, besides Bansha, know about this?" Nya asked with a sigh. Lloyd held his breath.

"No," Acronix stated firmly, lying without a hint of it being the case in his words, "The only one that knew was apparently the Wind Tribe, with whom we do not share any borders."

"Then let's agree that we will establish what does and does not need to be reported to the Summit," Nya put forward, "That way we can avoid this in the future."

The room gave its assent, and the scribe for the room recorded it down in turn. Lloyd still felt tense, even if he knew that it wasn't needed. He wanted Acronix to look at him… acknowledge him in some way. At the very least, to get this conversation over with.

"Hrm...That was tactless, Bansha," Shade turned towards the calmly sitting woman, "You would do well to learn not to put your nose into matters that aren't your own if you wish to take Morro's place."

"I was making sure that the Summit knows information that is important," Bansha shook her head, "It is nothing more than that. A leader should ensure her allies are well informed if she wishes to keep them."

Shade chuckled, "Oh, I'm sure it is important. But you should remember that when you build bridges across the rivers, all can see the wood you had to make them."

"And those that see how useful those bridges are will ask for more," Bansha hissed.

"Karlof think room need time to cool off," Karlof turned to Lloyd, "Does Dragon Lord agree?"

"Huh?" Lloyd perked up, broken from his own thoughts, "Yeah, I think we should take a break. Uh… I, call for a recess?"

"All those who wish for a recess, say 'aye,'" Garmadon called out. There was not one voice that didn't speak up., "Then we are adjourned for thirty mintues."

As soon as the room began to file out, Lloyd quickly shot to his feet and out the door behind him. His father saw him doing so and said nothing, just watching him go. Lloyd turned in the hallway and walked down the circular corridor to weave to where Acronix's seat was closest to. When he arrived, he saw that Acronix's seat was already empty. He bit his lip and quickly looked around for anyone. When he saw the armor design of the Time Tribe disappearing down a hallway, Lloyd quickly followed them.

"Mage, wait up!" Skylar's voice called out to him, making Lloyd stop in his tracks.

Skylar raced up behind him, a small smile on her face but her body filled with unease. As the two turned to look at one another, Lloyd felt a smile prick at his lips.

"Didn't think I'd get a chance to tell you this before we got back from recess," Skylar stretched her back out, "I wasn't able to find anything else on that creature, but I set fire to a big area where I saw it. Should have driven it out. I knew you'd ask about ti sooner or later."

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, right! I was going to!" Lloyd sighed, "Sorry… I got a bit on my mind."

"You knew about Krux?" Skylar asked, putting a hand on her hip.

When Lloyd darted his eyes from side to side, Skylar sighed with a smile and shook her head, "You were gripping your seat like you were trying to break it. I might not like my father, but he taught me how to read people. He contacted you awhile ago and told you, didn't he?"

"A… yeah, when it happened," Lloyd mumbled out, "I… heh. My dad and I went to talk to Chen to see if he had anything to do with it."

"You… talked to my dad?" Skylar stiffened, "...How is he?" Her voice dropped to a whisper, hunching over slightly as he did.

"He's fine, he's still, you know, Chen," Lloyd shook his head, "He wouldn't stop asking about you. He wanted me to tell you something about breeding-"

"I don't care what he has to say to me," Skylar cut him off, her eyes lighting with anger, "I don't want to even think about him. I just wanted to know he was still alive. That's all."

"Uhm… okay?" Lloyd frowned, "I didn't mean to upset you."

Skylar's eyes continued to burn for a few moments. Lloyd looked away from them for a moment. As soon as he did, Skylar blinked and straightened her back up. She reached over and gripped her arm, turning away in what looked like shame.

"That… wasn't, nice of me," Skylar grimaced, "I'm… sorry. I'm just, I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about him. You, you know what I was like when he was twisting me around his finger, right?"

"Yeah… you threw me through more than one temple," Lloyd joked.

Skylar didn't take the joke like he did, "Yeah, I did. I'm sorry. I wasn't me. I was just, a big ball of anger. You… don't hold that against me, do you?"

"Of course not," Lloyd crossed his arms, "If we held people to them at their worst, I wouldn't have made this Summit. I could tell you weren't really evil, just really angry. And I think who you are today really shows that! You wouldn't have been able to smile a few months ago."

"...By the dragon you're way too forgiving, you know that?" Skylar chuckled gently, "One of these days you're gonna be super angry and not know what to do with yourself."

"Well when that day comes, you can show me what to do with myself!" Lloyd perked up slightly, "I don't mean to cut you off, but I gotta talk to Acronix before we get back in. Can I catch you after the meeting?"

"Was already planning on it," Skylar nodded, "I already am set up to stay here for a few days either way, so if you're gonna be here, well. That works out."

"Gotcha!" Lloyd turned down the hallway, "I'll talk later, Skys!"

"Right back at you, Mage," Skylar chuckled, letting Lloyd rush down the hall.

Soon, Lloyd found himself in front of the statue of him defeating Chen in the main entrance. When he entered the room, he heard a loud thump. He turned around to see Acronix with his head in the wall, his fist quaking from where he punched it.

"That… that woman…" His teeth were grit, and two guards nearby were giving him nervous looks, "That was too soon, it was too… too soon…"

"Acronix!" Lloyd called out, "Acronix, I need to talk to you."

Acronix lifted his head up, seeing Lloyd and giving him a tired smile. One of his guards reached forward and took his injured hand, her fingertips glowing green as she used weak forward time to begin the process of healing his injured hand. Acronix shook her off and stepped towards him.

"Lloyd… I'm, sorry, I meant to write you again… I was waiting for some good news," He grimaced, "...As, Bansha just forced me to point out, I still haven't found him."

"What happened?" Lloyd asked, "How did he escape?"

Acronix sighed and waved his guards off, who fanned out to give him some space to talk, "What I said was true, Lloyd. I found his cell empty the day before I sent you the letter. The guards were asleep but had no memory of anything before Krux was gone. My brother didn't leave us anything. I don't know why he's gone. He never talked about escape. I felt I was getting through to him!"

"What leads do you have?" Lloyd demanded, "I'll help."

"... None," Acronix admitted, "That was me saving face."

"So… he's just gone?" Lloyd asked. Acronix nodded his head.

"What's worse is that the Raider attacks stepped up less than three days after he escaped. The Raiders haven't associated themselves with Krux, but… do you remember the supporters I talked about?" Acronix frowned, "The people think they're now associated with the Raiders."

"They can't be!" Lloyd blinked, "Like… it just doesn't sound right!"

"It's a response to fear, since we've lost nearly all our trade now. We can't get supplies, and food doesn't grow naturally in our region. It takes many men to gather enough time power to actually grow food like we normally do. We have become dependant on the Earth Tribe underground trade routes that Cole has given us, but for his own people he makes us pay massive fees to do it. I respect him, but if this goes on we won't be able to sell enough to make up the difference."

"Are the Raiders really that bad?" Lloyd asked.

"Very," Acronix smiled, "I had intruders on my speed car getting here. I had them taken to the new holding cell. I don't think they're with the Raiders, but we'll see."

"Wait, really?" Lloyd blinked, "Huh, well I'll try meeting them later. Is there anything I need to know about them that I don't already?"

"Besides trade being stopped, visitation between tribes have become limited. The speed cars are the only safe travel, but those take time to set up and not all tribes have them. Of course, without supplies from the Metal Tribe, it's hard for us to truly make more. It's becoming a hopeless situation"

"But that's what this Summit is for, right?" Lloyd smiled, "We're gonna find a way to beat them back, right?"

"I don't think anything will come of this," Acronix smiled sadly, "They'll bicker and argue but I can't see us coming together. The tribes are still tribes. Until this situation becomes even more dire, I don't think they can put aside their arguments. I'll make due for now."

"Acronix," Lloyd stepped forward, "Do you need help?"

"Oh… I need a lot of help, Lloyd, but none that you can help me with," Acronix reached out and put his hand on Lloyd's shoulder, "I just need to toughen up and bear it. I'll figure it out soon enough. Until then… just, smile for me, and don't let anyone see you upset."

Lloyd tried to say more, but Acronix walked past him, nodding to his two guards. Lloyd was left standing there as Acronix left for some other location, one that Lloyd felt he shouldn't follow him to. He was left standing still, unsure what to do for the moment. This situation was deeper than he thought it was.. And far worse than he had imagined. He couldn't go and talk to Acronix, and he didn't feel like talking to dad.

Thus, Lloyd decided to simply wander. Wander the halls and wander the place, trying to see what he could find. It was a massive building, and he truly hadn't taken the time to explore it. It was even multistoried, and after using gravity to ascend stairs easier, he found himself walking by a massive set of glass windows that spanned from floor to ceiling. Outside, the world was dark and surrounded by stormclouds, with rain beating against the windows. He took a long moment to stop and stare at it, letting his thoughts get lost in it.

"Look, you do realize that if I'm beside a window it'd be like you guys in the middle of a lake of lava, right?"

A strange voice caught Lloyd's attention. He turned around, trying to see where it was coming from. From further down the hallway, he could see a strange color green making its way down the hall, surrounded by several others. He squinted to try to make it out, and his eyes with gray to utilize sound to listen in closer.

"I was just, saying it to the group, you know? It's, thunderstorming out there." Another voice, somewhat timid sounding, spoke, "Didn't mean anything by it."

"Well how about we worry what's inside this place and not what's outside? Clearly something is up and we're in a gathering of literal world leaders. Might be better to worry about our own skin rather than that. You're not exactly sneaking around like ninja." The initial voice answered.

"Don't go telling us whether or not we're qualified to be 'ninja' when you're walking around carrying I don't even know how many guns on you!" A female voice responded in exasperation, "We're trying to find a way out of here, you know! If we can't get outside we might as well see where we are!"

"Don't go attracting attention with your loud voice then," The voice of interest said again, "Look, let's just get moving and get out of here before someone sees us."

Lloyd took a step forward towards the group. As he did, he noticed something about the one that he hadn't noticed before. The green color wasn't clothes, it was the color of the main one he had been listening to. He took a few more steps forward, and once he did, his eyes widened. That man, he looked like… like a…

"Ghost?!" Lloyd yelped, and suddenly his eyes went silver as speed filled his body. Within two seconds, he was suddenly right in front of the group.

Now that he was up in the ghost's face, the ghost's eyes widened and one of his hand started to move towards his chest. The white haired female he'd heard swatted at his hand, causing it to go through. The action at least stopped whatever he was doing, not that Lloyd cared.

"You're a ghost?!" Lloyd gasped, "Hi! I'm Lloyd, Lloyd Garmadon, Dragon Lord and all that! What's your name?"

* * *

Deep within the darkness, a man sat within a small room. The room was roughly hewn out of rock, and light spheres, likely stolen from the Light Tribe, were hung on the wall to illuminate the space. The room had a single bed, a large table that was rife with maps, and a small stand for armor on it. There was only one occupant at the moment, rubbing his chin as he let himself be lost in thought over what he had been told.

"Have you thought about our… offer, Krux?" A voice sounded from an entrance to the room, surrounded in shadow.

Krux lifted his head up, "I am still thinking. Your plans are far greater than I could have ever imagined. I agreed to give you information, but I am hesitant to truly partake in them."

"Why not?" Another voice spoke up, "You have nothing to lose from it, and only everything to gain."

"You plan to destroy everything," Krux protested, "I must think of my people."

"Yes… the people you abandoned, and left to suffer," The first voice said, "The ones that you can no longer return to. The ones that have branded you a murderer for doing what had to be done in the heat of battle."

"You have proven yourself a worthy leader for our army," The second voice continued, "You, the one who killed Morro! You managed to take down a leader of an entire tribe. That is far greater than you could ever imagine it to be, Krux. You know that our plans have already been laid, you simply are waiting to reach out and take your place in them."

"How many will need to die?" Krux asked, standing up, "We cannot risk hurting the populations. They have suffered losses from the war. Thinning them out will prove disastrous."

"The attacks we have been orchestrating only destroy the supplies the tribes need to interact with one another," The first voice argued, "Killing innocents will only darken their image of you. You know your place."

"As a figurehead," Krux argued, "While you take hold of the true power behind me. And to do that, you need to wipe out the Summit so the tribes will flock to me."

"We will press them into a state where they can be moulded," The first continued, "And once we have, you will arrive and take over the army. You will say that you defeated its leaders and now you have come to save them all. Is that so hard of a plan to grasp?"

"Brother," The second voice sighed, "He has already made up his mind."

Krux paused, then chuckled, "I suppose it was foolish of me to think I could keep that up forever," He stepped forward, "I have my reservations about this… but I have seen your armies. I have seen the power you hold. You truly have something that nobody in his land has. Only a fool would openly oppose you. And only the smart would understand that following them is the only way forward for the tribes."

"So you agree… Krux," The first voice snickered.

The second voice sighed, "Come then, Krux. See the might that you will now hold, and the powers that be."

Krux sighed, looking back to his bed for a few moments before he nodded. He walked over to the armor stand, donning the armor of the Time Tribe. Once he had, he readied himself and gave a long sigh.

"I'm sorry, brother," Krux leaned his head down, "You are a good leader. But it is time for me to finally save our Tribe." With that said, Krux stepped forward into the darkness, the two figures following him as his path now lay before him.


	20. Chapter 20

"Alright… here goes nothing!" Nya shouted.

A set of robotic arms slowly forced the shards of the Realm Crystal together, arranging them until they formed the rough shape of the unbroken jewel. A small mold came up to gently press around the crystal, the hands retracting as it did. When the mold was removed, what looked like a white jacket had been wrapped around it. As soon as it was done, a metallic wire frame lifted it up into the air.

Harumi let out a long sigh and let green power form within her hands. She concentrated power in her hands, the sound of energy charging up filling the room. With a loud crackle, the power shot out in a beam from her hands, striking the little jacket and permeating to the crystal within. Harumi concentrated, pouring out her power from her hands strong enough the green light consumed the entire lab around them. The heat made the film completely dissolve, leaving just the suspended crystal being directly bathed in energy.

After nearly fifteen seconds, Harumi lowered her hands. Slowly, the metal frame lowered the sparkling green Realm Crystal down, its surface still showing the cracks within it but looking completely whole. Harumi slowly walked forward and reached out, gently holding it in her hand. The crystal was completely cold in hand.

"Moment of truth," Harumi focused, attempting to reach out towards the void once more. She tried to recall the sensation of how it felt, to connect back that realm. The crystal began to vibrate in her hands. She pointed the crystal towards the ground. The green power inside the crystal began to loop back and forth between Harumi and the crystal, and for a brief moment, Harumi felt something.

With a massive burst of green energy, the crystal shattered in her hands. Harumi's eye twitched as the pieces fell from her hands and down onto the floor. With an angry shout, Harumi formed and Rhotatae disc in her hand and hurled it straight into the ceiling. It harmlessly dissipated on the roof, but it did little to help her quell her anger. Nya shook her head and let it drop to the table.

"Okay… so, experiment thirty seven, failure," Nya lifted her head up and tapped a few buttons on a keyboard in front of her, adding it to the sadly increasing log, "Maybe we just aren't using enough green power?"

"No… it's because the First Rhotate, Chi, whatever Master made it," Harumi groaned, gripping her fists, "He must have used the Golden Power to create it. None of us have that, so we can't recreate the energy inside of it!"

"Well, green power comes from the gold, maybe if try different levels of power we can eventually get it?' Nya offered hopefully, "I'll make a note. Either way, it's getting late. Let's go ahead and call it here then, okay?"

"Yeah…" Harumi sighed, running her hand up through her hair, "I'm going to borrow one of your bikes and head back to Stixx, alright?"

"You sure?" Nya raised an eyebrow, "It's a pretty long drive from here to Stixx. I can get you there much faster if I call for the Bounty."

"No, I just, wanna be alone for now," Harumi sighed, "I'll be back tomorrow to keep doing the experiments, alright?"

"Alright, if you think that's what you need," Nya walked over and placed a hand on Harumi's shoulder, "But, you know that we're all friends here, right? You can talk to us. I… know it's hard being away from home for so long, you know…"

"I really just don't wanna talk about it, Nya," Harumi gently shrugged her off, "I, really appreciate the sentiment but just, it's not easy right now, okay?"

"Yeah, I get it, go ahead and take the red one," Nya tossed Harumi a key from her pocket, "Just don't let Ronin mess with it. I know he messed with Kai's bike and now it's making all sorts of weird noises whenever we try to use it."

"Heh, I won't, don't worry," Harumi walked her way across the massive glowing pathways of the Samurai X Cave until she found the screen to select the bike. The maroon bike raised up from the floor, allowing her to climb in and start the bike up. Ahead of her, the large entrance to the cave began to rotate open for her to exit. After a rev of the engine, Harumi drew her hood and quickly sped up and out of the platform of the cave, breaking out into setting sunlight.

Even with how different this place was from her home -her cave was long since defunct for her team given how easy it was to find- Harumi had come to memorize the path to and from the Samurai X Cave. She'd driven down this path many times now, almost daily once Nya had suggested that they try their experiments. The path across the desert would quickly turn cold if she waited, so she gunned the engine and made quick time. The bike carved a massive line in the sands as she drove, leaving her to fly across the barren landscape and off towards Stixx.

Three months. Well, 120 days, if Harumi wanted to be technical. Ever since the Time Twins had smashed their Realm Crystal, she had been stuck in this place for almost three months. The time had worn down on her, reminding her each day where she was. They were stuck here, struck well and truly, and it seemed nothing was going to get them home.

She drove her bike drove up a path that began to wind its way across massive hills and around large fields of crops. Just looking at the settlements, she was overlaying a map of the Ninjago she knew upon it. Many of these small towns had already turned into cities by her time, and to see them as little more than a few houses and perhaps a wall around them was almost surreal. Almost, as she'd driven by this very path far more often then she would have ever liked.

More than anything, she wanted to go home. That much she knew was likely obvious to anyone that got stuck in a place they didn't belong, but she still wanted to. Everyday with Nya her hopes of getting home were diminishing. The twins had been clever enough to get both crystals, meaning that they had no chance of finding another. Part of her wondered if all the Realm Crystals would do that, but having heard of Lulloyd's world, she didn't want to think about it.

Speculating on the nature of the multiverse had become a bit of a fascination for Harumi. It gave her something to keep herself sane. The books she'd digested were helpful, but they had only helped her so much. They were all written on theory, and she knew that it was now a reality. There were things that she didn't understand, like how Rhotate was seemingly switched out for other powers in other universes but elemental powers seemed to be in all of them; it just left her more to speculate on. Not that she could muse for very long, however. It would remind her that back home, her friends were likely still wondering where she'd actually gone.

Harumi gripped the controls tighter. Her friends. The last thing many of them had seen of her, she'd been wailing over Olive's death. Just thinking that name sent a cold pit into her gut. Krux had manipulated her into nothing more than utter rage during her fight just by invoking her name. She'd left a note for Dareth so he wouldn't worry, but she hadn't expected to be gone for more than a week. Now it'd been months. Did they know she was okay, or…?

She moved a hand over her chest. On the inside of her uniform, she'd stitched a pocket to keep what Olive had given her. Right before she'd been swallowed up, she'd thrown something to Harumi. Something she still didn't know what it was. She'd hoped it was a copy of her memories, or perhaps something of a last message. But it was nothing. It worked with nothing. Nothing, like what Harumi had done for her.

So went her thoughts, forevering looping in on one another until she thought herself into oblivion. When she finally was stuck within her own headscape for long enough, she had already driven her way back to Stixx. Not willing to even risk driving a bike this nice into town, she drove to a small hidden cave and parked the bike, then made her way into Stixx on foot. Many men still stared at her as she walked. The fact she had a hole in the middle of her uniform on the chest was the main culprit. She'd dealt enough punishment to men thinking anything impure about her to make it so now everybody knew she wasn't their type.

Soon she was back at Ronin's shop. She immediately turned to a building that had been built right across the boardwalk. It was a far smaller house, and still had the look and smell of a new building under the ocean's constant scent. Ronin had built the house under the guise of saying he'd turn it into a storage shack eventually. Currently, it was built and wired to work as a three bedroom home. How Ronin had managed to get the supplies, she had decided not to look into. The ninja had offered them the chance to live with them, but Monty had quelled that.

"If you ever come near them again," Monty had told them with the barrel of a shotgun on them, "I'll kill all of you. Consider your apology to them being never speaking to them again."

For that reason, Monty didn't know about her continual meetings and experiments with Nya.

Once she stepped inside, Lulloyd was sitting at a small chair by a smaller table. When she stepped inside, Lulloyd perked up at her and gave her a little smile. Rather than his gi, Lulloyd had taken to wearing a hoodie and black pants, a style he seemed determined not to give up just yet. They'd been heavily modified to fit him, given his odd body structure.

"Oh, hey, Harumi!" Lulloyd called out, "Uh… how'd it go?"

"How do you think it went…?" Harumi muttered despondently, "It didn't work. Just like all the other ones. Whatever made the Realm Crystal travel is gone."

"Oh… well, Ronin might have a lead on something that could help?" Lulloyd leaned in towards the table, "He, uh, said that he and Monty found a scroll of like, some sort of, old Serpentine tribe, they might have something…?"

"Because they've found things that can help us get out of here before?" Harumi scoffed, walking over to a couch awkwardly stuffed against one wall and collapsing on it, "We're stuck here, Lulloyd. The Time Twins got what they wanted."

"..." Lulloyd took a deep breath, "I don't think that's a good thing to be thinking, Harumi. We, we've all been in situations that seemed impossible before. This has just been, the longest one. I-I mean my mom would kill me if I never got home. So… you gotta have faith we'll get there."

"That's easy for you to say," Harumi turned over to face him, "You've never been hopeless before, you don't know what it feels like. I have, and this is it."

Lulloyd didn't have an immediate answer for her. Instead, he seemed to shrink down, even if his body wasn't capable of doing so. As he got up, a tiny pang of guilt went through Harumi, but she didn't act on it. Part of her wanted to, but she needed to get her point across.

"Well… you, uh, want to go find Lloyd?" Lulloyd asked half heartedly, "Monty, uh, saw that Lloyd hadn't shot a gun before and he's, giving him lessons."

"Lessons?" Harumi rolled over, "I don't want anything to do with that stupid ghost. He's just a wedge that Ronin keeps around before he's useful for stealing. The last thing I want to do is go and humor him. Let him go waste time with Lloyd. I don't care."

Lulloyd frowned at her, "Harumi… I know that this is hard. I'm worried too. But, getting upset isn't going to help."

"Help?" Harumi scoffed, "You know what would help? If I wasn't trapped in another universe, with technology decades behind my own, with two people that got my best friend killed and got me trapped in this place. What would _help,_ Lulloyd, is if I was at home, going out for fun with the alliance, or training with Mizuko, or at one of Forte's concerts, or helping teach classes with Zane, or anything that didn't involve being stuck in a backwater town in the middle of nowhere because we have no money and can't afford to live anywhere other than Stixx!"

"...I, see," Lulloyd slowly sighed and nodded his head, "Well, I'm going to go find Lloyd. I, uh, kinda wanted to learn how to shoot too. There's food in the fridge. If you, uh, want to come with me then, Monty took him to the shooting range. So, uh, yeah."

Lulloyd made his way to the door, drawing his hood up. Before he left, he let out a little mumble, "I wanna see my dad too, Harumi. You're not, the only one here who's missing their family."

Lulloyd closed the door, leaving Harumi in the room alone. Harumi's violent outburst had done exactly what she wanted. Instead of of feeling happy, all she could do was grab a small pillow to bury her face in as she cried her emotions out. She wanted to go after Lulloyd, but her heart and emotions far too volatile for her to do anything but simply sob as she laid there on a bed in Stixx, far away from anyone that cared for, loved, or missed her.

* * *

"Are you trying to miss the target?" Monty groaned, rubbing his head, "Use the sights!"

"I'm trying!" Lloyd snapped back, aiming the gun again. He fired, and the bullet soared out to strike just within the target. He turned to Monty with a smug grin.

Monty reached into his armor, pulling out a pistol he rapidly fired. The three bullets formed a perfect triangle right on the dead center of the target. A fourth bullet went right into the dead middle. Lloyd's grin turned into a deep growl as Monty shrugged and put the gun away.

"You know, a good teacher demonstrates how to do it, guides the students, then tests them until they get it right," Lloyd muttered.

"When you're fighting with guns, you don't get the chances you do with swords. You get one shot and then you instantly decide if you need to shoot again. You don't have time to think about 'guiding' your shots. You make a play and commit to it," Monty rolled his eyes, "You know why they say don't bring a gun to a sword fight? The gun ends it before either one has the time to swing."

"I'm not asking how to fight with a gun, I'm asking how to shoot it!" Lloyd turned back forward, "It doesn't go where I want it to!"

"I've told you three times, you're aiming high," Monty unloaded a shotgun from his back and used the barrel to lower Lloyd's arms, "You aren't steadying your arms. There's a split second before the bullet leaves the chamber. If you don't keep your arms steady, you're going to jerk them up. If you can't keep them still, you need to compensate for it."

Lloyd gave Monty another glare and exhaled. Slowly, he let his arms move down until he was aiming an inch below the target. He forced his eyes to cross until he could see the sights were lined up. Once they were, he took in a deep breath, and fired right as he exhaled. The gun indeed jerked up.

"Well you're hitting the target now," Monty pointed to the second ring up from the center, "So you stand a chance now. Call the paper back and replace it."

Lloyd did as Monty asked, pulling the paper form the rails. He crumpled it up as soon as it was back, not wanting to look at Monty's somehow pinpoint accuracy. As he replaced the paper, Monty replaced the shotgun on his back and leaned up against the side of the chamber.

"Some guy here to see you," The gruff scruffy man that ran the business called out over the intercom, "Name's Lulloyd. He one of your enemies, Monty?"

"Let him in," Monty yawned, "He's with me."

The door to the range opened, letting Lulloyd walk up and join Monty on the shooting range. He had on earmuffs that awkwardly fit over his perfectly cylindrical head and stiff hair. It looked like someone had tried to stretch them over a mannequin and were in danger of flying off.

"Hey…" Lulloyd waved to Lloyd, "How's it going?"

"He's able to hit the broadside of a ship now," Monty remarked snidely, "Soon he might even hit the target."

"You know this would go a lot faster if you taught me instead of telling me how wrong I'm doing," Lloyd remarked angrily right back.

"This is how I learned to shoot," Monty raised up one of his pistols, "Ronin told me when I was doing something wrong and that was it. I learned when he stopped talking. If you don't like my teaching methods, you're free to go find someone else."

Lloyd didn't say anything, instead trying to aim and fire at the target again. As he let loose his rounds, Monty had a completely unchanging expression. Lulloyd waited in silence, watching the entire thing go down until Lloyd had emptied his clip.

"Congrats, if you were planning on hitting the guys behind him, they're sure dead now," Monty crossed his arms and nodded solemnly.

"Yeah, yeah…" Lloyd remarked annoyedly, reloading his clip to try again.

The silence once more fell over the room, broken only by the sound of Lloyd firing at the target. The three stood there as Lloyd finished two more clips before recalling his target. He didn't even let Monty see it before he dropped it down beside a small stack of other ones by his feet and put up his second to lash fresh one.

"Spill it," Monty remarked to Lulloyd.

"Huh?" Lulloyd blinked, "Uh, what do you mean? I'm just, sitting here. Just, watching!"

"You clearly want to say something, just spit it out," Monty rolled his eyes, "Don't play coy with me. Being coy is Ronin's thing and I'll tell you this now: I hate it."

"Uh… well…" Lulloyd paused, "You… uh, I was wondering, if you would, teach me how to shoot too?"

"Nope," Monty shook his head without missing a beat, "You're not cut out for it."

"...What?" Lulloyd shook his head, "Anyone can learn to shoot. I mean, we have stud shooters back home but, these seem way more interesting! And, you know, it's useful to know."

"You wouldn't be able to shoot someone," Monty remarked, "Clearly you've put all your time into learning how to be fast with that sword of yours. You're used to making big plans to fight and outmatch your opponent. Gunplay isn't like that. You don't get a chance to think and try to figure out the next best move. You have to just make decisions on the fly and keep shooting. Sorry, Lulloyd, but teaching you would just be a waste of time."

"You, really, didn't have to phrase it like that…" Lulloyd muttered, "Could've just said you didn't think I could do it…"

"Better I say it harsh so you don't come thinking I'm leaving room to say yes," Monty pointed out, "Lloyd seems like he'd be able to use guns. I don't think he'll get to a level of using them often, but if he knows how to use one when he's forced to, that's good enough."

"You really don't have to talk about me like that," Lloyd turned his head, "I'm right here."

"If you're taking time to listen to us you aren't focusing on shooting," Monty spoke without turning around, "Bullets don't fly through you like me. Turning away is asking to get killed."

"I'm learning how to shoot, not how to fight with them!" Lloyd protested, setting the gun down, "I finished all my clips, I'm done for today."

"Fine, get the last target back and then we can go," Monty smirked, "The guy running the place owes me a favor. I get free shooting in this place for the next two months, lest he want me to call the Hageman brothers."

Lloyd gave Monty a strange sideways look, but did as he asked. Monty walked through the door to the range and gave the owner a little smirk, preventing the man from asking them to pay. Monty likewise waltzed up to one of the walls and took a few boxes of ammo from them. Lulloyd tried to protest, but Monty shook his head and nudged his head to the owner. The three exited the store and back out into the salty air of Stixx.

"I still don't get why you'd wanna live out there," Lloyd sighed as they made their way down the wooden roads of Stixx, "You're a ghost, why would you want to live literally over the ocean?"

"Because Ronin lives here," Monty shrugged, "Simple as that. We thought about going to Ninjago City but then remembered the ninja manage to get that place destroyed every other year. So we decided better stay here instead.."

"It's not our fault they love that place…" Lloyd mumbled.

"You two go home and do your thing," Monty shrugged, "I've got some errands to run. Some guys to get money from and all that. I'd offer you to come with, but I don't wanna."

"Sure, thanks," Lloyd scoffed. Monty didn't respond or change expression, instead summoning wind around his legs and blasting up off the boards to carry him through the air.

"Uh… so, this is a dumb question but, can't ghosts, you know, fly?" Lulloyd pointed to Monty, "He's always, using wind…"

"I dunno, he said something about learning it first," Lloyd grumbled, "I'm really not in the mood to talk about him."

"His lessons were, really, that bad huh?" Lulloyd asked carefully.

"At least when Wu is being cryptic and vauge it feels like he's teaching you," Lloyd groaned, "With Monty it seems like all he wants to do is just insult you until you give up!"

"My dad, is kinda like that, just uh, with a lot more laughing and a lot more warlord staffs flying at you," Lulloyd related, "I uh… I mean he didn't seem, so bad."

"When you spend days listening to that you start to get worn down," Lloyd rubbed his head, "I just wanted a distraction from all… this. Next session I'll get Ronin to teach me."

"I see…" Lulloyd paused, "So, you're saying that you're upset about all… this?"

"Well… of course I am," Lloyd shrugged, "The Time Twins stranded us here. We have no way of getting home any of us know of yet. I don't know what about this situation is supposed to be, you know, good."

"Well… we're getting time to catch our breath and make plans for when we get out?" Lulloyd smiled gently, "We were just kinda strongarming our way right into, all of that."

"The longer we're here, the longer the Time Twins have to go and screw up another universe," Lloyd shook his head, "You've seen how fast they can regrow those snakes. We're just giving them time to get stronger. I don't think there is anything 'good' about this, Lulloyd! Aren't you worried about never seeing your dad again?!"

"No," Lulloyd stated plainly, "Because I know that we'll find a way out of here."

"I wish I had your confidence then," Lloyd shrugged, "Because right now it seems hopeless."

"Something is only hopeless if you let it be," Lulloyd countered, "I mean… it, seemed hopeless that I'd be able to save my dad, but, I did, and we did something totally impossible. You and Harumi, you guys took down the literal embodiment of all evil that, should have just been impossible. I'm, not saying stop trying but, we can at least keep our heads up."

"Easier said than done…" Lloyd rubbed his head, "But, I'll try. I've been in tougher situations than this… though it's weird being in one without having someone trying to kill me."

"Heh, yeah…" Lulloyd took a few steps, "...I think you hurt Harumi."

"What?" Lloyd turned, "What are you talking about? She's been hurt since she met me."

"No… I mean, I think you made her upset…" Lulloyd took a few more steps, "Do, you remember when the Twins… left us?"

"Yeah, we were going to try to jump in at the last minute," Lloyd blinked, "Why?"

"I uh, I don't know for certain but, I think Harumi has some issues with you," Lulloyd fumbled out, "I think she's, worried. You two, haven't seen eye to eye and, I think that needs to change. We, have a chance here to take a break and just, relax. I think you should talk to her and, you know… reconcile."

"Lulloyd, she's clearly hated me since she met me," Lloyd frowned, "She's fine with you because you don't look or act like her dad. I'm, her dad. There's no getting around that. She sees me as her dead father and that's never going to change."

"So, you're just going to let her be upset then?" Lulloyd asked pointedly, "You're just not even, going to try? What if there's something more to it? I think Harumi clearly has, something she needs to talk about. And, I don't think she'll tell me. She was complaining earlier and, she mentioned you specifically. I think that, she's either angry at you, or angry at things other than you but is putting them on you. You should go and get the air cleared out."

"Are you sure?" Lloyd raised an eyebrow, "What if it doesn't work?"

"If you don't, then it's just going to get worse," Lulloyd countered, "When we get out of here and we get back to the Twins, we need to be sure we're on the same page. If your generals aren't on the same page, the army won't get anywhere. We're going to be going on dangerous things… you two need to either be on the same page or, you have to leave. And, we can't afford the second thing."

"You're… right, Lulloyd," Lloyd admitted with a sheepish grin, "...I've never, really had someone dislike me this much. Or, well, someone who isn't a _villain_ I mean. I'll, make sure that I fix this."

"We don't have anything else to do today for a bit… let's just get it out of the way now," Lulloyd suggested, "Harumi's back from Nya's lab so, now's a good time."

"Yeah…" Lloyd grimaced, "Sure, right now. Guess there's no time like the present…"

"Yep!" Lulloyd smiled wide, "Come on, I promise that, you'll feel better once you do. I've, had fights like this before with my team, it's always better once you get it out of the way."

Without giving Lloyd a chance to protest, Lulloyd steered the two quickly down back towards their house. Few men in the city gave them much look, as they were either too bored, too disinterested or too gruff to care. With Stixx still recovering from the Preeminent's rampage, it'd turned into a scrap yard to help make some economic use of the destruction. Lloyd felt bad just looking at it, even if he knew that in this world he hadn't been involved.

Soon the two were at the makeshift building they were calling home. Lulloyd smiled to him and gave Lloyd a small nudge on the shoulder, "She's on the couch, or, she was. Just, go in and talk to her, okay?"

"Alright…" Lloyd inhaled, slowly reaching out and opening the door, "Harumi?"

Lloyd stepped inside the house. Harumi was still on the couch, laying down and looking up at the ceiling. She didn't acknowledge that Lloyd was there, instead looking distantly at nothing. Lloyd turned to Lulloyd, who nodded his head. The two entered the room, and once they had, Harumi turned to look at them.

"What do you want?" Harumi groaned, "I'm trying to sleep."

"I wanted to talk," Lloyd walked over and took a chair from the 'kitchen' to sit by Harumi, "Do, uh, you mind if we talk?"

"I do mind, but I'm sure you won't leave until I say yes, so sure," Harumi grumbled, "What do you want?"

Lloyd looked back to Lulloyd, who gave him a smile. Lloyd took a deep breath to gather his thoughts, and then he spoke.

"Listen… I know that us being stuck here hasn't been easy," Lloyd began, "And, I also know that you and I got off on the wrong foot and we haven't ever really taken the time to, you know, fix that. So I wanted to just talk. I don't want us to be upset with each other, Harumi. I want us to be friends. We've just been against each other for awhile," Lloyd placed his hands in his lap, "So… I just want to talk about that."

"We're stuck in a world that's not my own and we can't do anything about it…" Harumi muttered, "That's what's wrong. There, done."

Lloyd leaned forward, "Harumi, you and I, we just haven't gotten along. I don't mean after what happened. I mean just, from the start. You've been cold to me and, I don't know why."

"Because you two got my friend killed and you got me stranded here in this other world," Harumi stated firmly, "That's good enough reason to dislike someone."

"No," Lloyd frowned, "I know when people dislike me. It's deeper than that. I don't know what's wrong, but I can't let this go on."

"You're my father," Harumi rolled over away from him, "You're too much like him."

Lloyd felt as though he was smacking against a wall, even this early into the talk. He wasn't sure if he should go on… but just feeling the wall, he knew Lulloyd was right. He and Harumi didn't see eye to eye, and if he didn't get to the source of this, they never would. When he tried to think of what to say, he decided perhaps if he talked first, she'd follow suit.

"You said that I married Harumi in your world, right?" Lloyd looked down, "I wish that'd happened. I wish everything that happened with my dad never happened. I wish so many things had gone different. I wish that I'd come up with a plan that didn't go so wrong. I made so many mistakes trying to survive against my father, but I ended up just making everything so much worse. And now, I'm here. And I can't take back what I did." When she didn't stir, he kept going.

"I know what you mean, when you say you look at me and see your dad," Lloyd continued, "When I look at you… I see her. Your mother, I mean. The last time I ever saw her, was when she died," Lloyd gripped his fists, "...If I'd never, If I had just come up with a better plan, I wouldn't have… Mystake would still be…" He forced down his own sadness, this was about her, not him, "You're kinda like her, Harumi. She cared so much about her cause that she was willing to do anything for it. When you talk about things, you have that same passion she did."

"You knew her for a few weeks," Harumi drew her arms around herself, "I knew you for my whole _childhood_, Lloyd."

"It doesn't matter how long we knew the other," Lloyd affirmed, "What matters is that we're different people. We're not the ones we both remember. I can see some of my Harumi in you, but you're not her and you never will be."

"That's just it," Harumi shifted herself up, her eyes training on him, "That's the problem. You're just like him. No, that's not it. You're him. You're literally my dad."

"No, I'm not," Lloyd affirmed, "I never had the chance to love your mother. You could never exist for me. I couldn't. I just can't. It's not possible for me."

"You're not listening to me," Harumi set her jaw, "You're him. You're literally him. Everything! Your voice, your hair, your eyes, your tone, your walk, your powers, you're him! You're the father that I let die, that I killed because I couldn't handle the responsibility given to me! You're the man that died in the outfit I wear now. You're him, Lloyd. Stop saying you aren't!"

"You're projecting him onto me," Lloyd surmised, "Harumi. Is it possible that the reason you don't like me is because, you still feel guilty over your father's death?"

Even Lulloyd could feel that Lloyd had just thrown himself on top of the landmine. Harumi's eyes shot open and her entire body looked like it had tensed up. Anger seemed to fill her body and her hands tightened into strained fists. She shook her head rapidly, her hair becoming messy with every thrust she gave of her head.

"Don't talk about me like that, Lloyd!" Harumi seethed, "You weren't there, you didn't hold him as he bled out, you didn't watch the Overlord murder him while Garmadon screamed at what his own hands made him do, you didn't hug him so hard you were covered in his blood when you walked up to the Overlord because you still had to do the duty he took on for you! You didn't kill him! I did! For once I finally, I finally let myself move past it. I was in that 'better place' they talk about. And then you waltz in like it NEVER HAPPENED!"

"You didn't kill him!" Lloyd protested, leaning in, "I had to kill my father, twice. I banished him, and then I had to send him to the departed realm! I know what it's like, Harumi! Me, you, Monty, Lulloyd, all of us know what it's like to feel that!"

"YOU DON'T!" Harumi shrieked, "STOP PRETENDING THAT YOU KNOW WHAT I WENT THROUGH!"

"I know what you felt that day!" Lloyd's voice raised to match her own, "I know exactly what you felt! Failure, failure that you couldn't save him! That sense of cold that fills you and makes you not want to move, but you had to force yourself to move! You couldn't do anything and that tears you up inside! You feel like you're never going to move forward again, because why should you? You already failed! Well, I know that feeling, Harumi! I know it! You're not the only one that has faced these sorts of things!"

"SHUT UP!" Harumi was sobbing, her anger choked out beyond words, "SHUT UP, DAD! STOP IT! GO BACK TO THE GRAVE AND LEAVE ME TO LIVE MY LIFE!"

"You chose to come with us!" Lloyd countered. He didn't know if it was the best idea to be pushing her, but part of him felt if he pushed now, he'd finally get her to crack, "You made the choice to do that! You clearly want to move past his death, but you won't let yourself!"

Harumi thrust her head violently in a shake, "ALL I HAD TO DO WAS PUT ON THIS STUPID ROBE AND HE'D STILL BE ALIVE! ALL I HAD TO DO WAS BE THE GOLDEN NINJA, BUT I COULDN'T DO THAT! I FAILED HIM! I FAILED HIM MORE THAN ANYONE HE EVER KNEW!"

Lulloyd took a step back. Something was wrong with Harumi. Black lightning was striking up from her arms. It didn't look like elemental power, but something else entirely. Something about it felt like they all should avoid touching it. Lloyd, however, ignored it. He was at it. The source of why Harumi didn't like him. He was going to keep pushing and finally break through.

"Harumi," Lloyd lowered his voice to a normal tone, "You didn't fail him. Do you know what I would want, if I had a daughter? I'd want her to grow up to be surrounded by her friends, her family, and to do whatever it is she wants! If… if I had to get hurt for that to happen, then I'd want that to happen. I'd want her to be herself, and if she had to be shackled to some destiny… I'd do anything to make sure she didn't have to face it."

Something in Harumi's eyes snapped. With a loud shout, she brought her hands together. In her hands, a massive Rhotatae disc formed. The black lightning poured into it, crackling across its surface like lighting on a vane. Lulloyd ducked, but Lloyd stood still. With a cry, Harumi let the disc go loose, flying straight into Lloyd's chest and throwing him out of his chair with the force.

As soon as she fired it, all of the fight seemed to leave Harumi. She fell back onto the couch and sobbed. She sobbed and looked like she'd truly been broken. All of her energy, the fight she wanted to use to show Lloyd how wrong he was, it felt like it had gone into that disc. She hadn't even meant to make it; it was as though her body just acted on instinct.

Lloyd, meanwhile, was stunned. As soon as the disc hit him, he didn't feel as though he was in pain. There wasn't any pain from the attack, other than him being thrown into his chair. Instead, he was crying. Not just crying, but he felt something blossoming from the center of his chest. Something raw and visceral, something untamed and wild: an emotion. It wasn't sadness, nor was it regret, anger, or anything he would have thought. Instead, it was grief. He felt the grief over someone's death. Was this… was this Harumi's grief?

Lloyd slumped into his chair. He wasn't sure what he should be doing. He felt like his body was drained of all of its strength. He felt like curling up into a ball and crying even more than he already was. Lulloyd rushed over and looked him over, and saw that Lloyd's eyes almost looked vacant. He nervously held onto Lloyd's shoulders as Lloyd processed the emotion. The feeling was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. He'd grieved over his father, yes, but this… this was a different feeling. It was a grief of self-loathing, feeling that he could have done something to save the person he was grieving over.

When he had banished his father, it was with his father asking him for it. Garmadon had given his son his blessing before he'd let Nya sink the Cursed Realm. And even with his Harumi, she had been almost irredeemable. This was a grief he'd never been able to feel before. Something that went deeper than simple sadness. .

"I know you're not him…" Harumi choked out, "But I can't… I can't help it. I failed him. I thought… I thought I'd buried it. That I'd finally gotten past it. But seeing you… I couldn't take it. I was so… angry. You… you…."

Lloyd slowly stumbled to his feet. Harumi went silent. Lloyd forced himself to breathe as he slowly walked forward. Lulloyd watched them nervously as they did, expecting Harumi to lash out at him and for Lloyd to retreat. Neither of them did. Instead, he got down to his knees, and hugged her. Not three seconds after he had his arms around her, Harumi was crying over his shoulder. Father and daughter, both from worlds that would never have met under any circumstances, held each other, crying together.

"I miss him so much…" Harumi sobbed out, "I miss him, I miss him, I miss him! I want him to come home and tell me about his day. I want him to teach me how to fight with a weapon I've never seen. I want him to drive me out on dates. I want him to tell me he loves me at night before I go to bed. I want him back, Lloyd. I want him back so bad."

"I want my dad back too, Harumi…" Lloyd whispered, "I want the man that said he loved me back. I know what you're feeling now. I… I never knew this is how you felt. I thought… I thought you were just upset at his death. I never knew you felt this… this intense."

"You're just like him…." Harumi gasped out, smiling dumbly as she did, "He never knew the right things to say but he said them anyways. He cared about everyone, even his enemies. He was friendly and strong, and…"

"Harumi… I'm not, him," Lloyd slowly shifted their hug so the two could look at one another, "And, I won't be. I know that it's going to hard for us to see each other as anything other than, that. But… do you think we could try?" He reached up to wipe his face of tears, "Please? I want us all to be more than just allies in this. I want us to be a team. We're going to be chasing the Twins for awhile… I want us to all to be friends. Because-"

"Because the stronger the bonds outside battle, the stronger ones in battle," Harumi sniffled, "You're, quoting Wu."

"Y-Yeah, I uh, was going to," Lloyd laughed awkwardly, "Guess that's something we all share, huh?"

"Yeah… something we really do…" Harumi began to laugh. Lloyd laughed as well. The two laughed together at the images and quotes of Wu they shared. The two hugged each other once more even as they laughed, a mixture of crying, of shared experiences, and of their own emotions flowing freely for what felt like the first time in far too long.

Lulloyd, seeing all of this, felt a smile on his face. He walked over and slowly sat down, doing his best not to watch and make the moment awkward. As the two separated, Harumi and Lloyd were smiling. Smiles that Lulloyd recognized as the ones he and his own team shared.

"Friends…?" Lloyd asked slowly, giving Harumi a small smile.

"We've known each other for three months now…" Harumi smirked, "I'm stuck with you two… might as well be friends now."

"Heh… I'm going to take that as a yes then," Lloyd smiled.

"See?" Lulloyd spoke up, turning their gazes to him, "We're stronger, together now. And I think, we will be from now on. Uh... I-I meant that to be more inspiring."

"This was his idea?" Harumi smirked, "You didn't even come here on your own?"

"Erm, I mean, I wanted us to be friends but, I mean, Lulloyd was the one who-" Lloyd was cut off by Harumi's hand wave.

"I'm messing with you," Harumi's smile dropped, "I appreciate it, Lloyd. I'm… I'm not going to say that we're, you know, perfect though. You, you felt how awful I feel. I don't know, if I'll ever get over that. But… I'm going to work hard to make sure that I don't see you and him as the same person. I won't let myself turn my anger at myself onto you anymore. Just… remember that, okay?"

"I can do that," Lloyd affirmed, "I promise."

"So uh…. Are uh, we going to bring up that lightning thing…?" Lulloyd pointed to Harumi, "You… kinda did something there."

"I...I don't know," Harumi muttered, "The same thing happened when I was fighting Krux. He got me angry and, the same thing happened. I… I guess it's something unique I can do with my Rhotatae. I… I think I can transfer emotions with it."

"I guess that makes sense," Lulloyd grimaced, "Uh… but uh, c-can we agree not to hit each other with our special powers? Like… I uh, don't know if it's a good idea to start attacking each other."

"I think your dad would disagree," Lloyd shook his head, "I mean, if you know how to fight your allies then you know how to fight with them."

"...I uh…" Lulloyd nervously bit his lip, "If, you're serious then, can you tell me when, you're going to do that? My dad's method of that was, throwing the bed I was sleeping in, into the harbor while I was sleeping in it. I'm a light sleeper now."

"We're joking, Lulloyd, we won't attack each other," Harumi sighed, "As long as we can help it."

"Just nobody do anything that would result in us getting possessed or anything," Lloyd shook his head, "I've been possessed, I don't want to have to deal with it the other way around."

"As, uh, long as Monty doesn't try that we should be good," Lulloyd pointed out. Just hearing his name made Harumi groan.

"I don't know how you two can stand to be around him…" She grimaced, "He's always picking at you. I've never met someone so… just, annoying to be around."

"I mean, he literally died trying to do what Wu said and, well, came back," Lulloyd pointed out, "I uh, kinda get where his attitude comes from. I mean, I'd be pretty mad too."

"Doesn't mean he gets to be a jerk all the time," Lloyd sighed, "Even if he was like us at some point."

"Do you think the Time Twins, knew Monty was, you know, dead when they jumped into this universe?" Lulloyd rubbed his hands together, "I mean… we kinda spent our time chasing after him without even knowing it was him."

"Having some time stuck here has gotten me thinking on the rules of this universal travel," Harumi slowly looked down, "I know I wasn't nice about explaining them earlier. Do you guys want to hear about it?"

"Sure, Harumi," Lloyd smiled, "Go for it."

"Okay… well, here's what I've noticed," Harumi leaned forward, "Every universe we've gone to, a Lloyd has existed. Even in your world, Lulloyd, where physics and the entire world isn't like our own, you still were there. And, every one of us has held the green power at some point. Monty used to have it, or he implied he had it. Even if Monty's dead, he still existed. What if, because the Twins are using green power, they can only go to worlds where 'Lloyd' exists, and where 'Lloyd' held the green power?"

"That would explain a little bit," Lloyd mused, "Like, why they didn't just go to another universe where Ninjago is still in the dark age. I wasn't born until after the Serpentine Wars."

"I think their travel is random too," Harumi mused, "Think about that. They went to _Lulloyd's_ universe first. I mean, I haven't seen it but, I mean just look at him!" She gestured to him, "Why would they want to rule there? I think that they were rolling the dice, and acted like they got a good roll."

"And they clearly had to recharge power before," Lloyd nodded his head, "They didn't just jump a hundred universes at once to find one they wanted, since I only traveled straight to one when I used the crystal the first time. So, until now, they've had to take what they were given."

"When they landed here, they decided they'd make sure you couldn't follow them," Harumi muttered, "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. They wanted the third time to be the last time we could follow them. Now, with a living host giving them power, they might be able to do more than random jumps."

"What do you mean?" Lulloyd asked, "Like… pick where they want to land?"

"Or keep jumping until they get a world they can exploit," Harumi muttered, "They've had three months. If they keep Morro alive so they can keep jumping, then they could easily keep going until they got one they liked, like, going through a shuffled playlist until you find the song you want."

"So you're saying the next time we jump, they'll have a massive head start on us?" Lloyd asked.

"If we manage to, yes, but that's the problem," Harumi groaned, "Think about it. The Realm Crystal had enough raw power to punch a hole through the universal walls. The Iron Doom was charged with your power and the brainpower of however many snakes they had on that thing. Whatever energies were inside the Realm Crystal let us jump. But we don't have that anymore. And Nya has proven that the shards were just containing whatever was inside."

"So… we need to find something that can do that?" Lulloyd asked, "Uh… do you guys, know anything that could, do that…?"

"Dragons?" Lloyd muttered, "Dragons have the ability to go between realms. That's how my team got to the Underworld the first time, and how they got back from the First Realm."

"Dragons…" Harumi murmured, "Dragons… the First Rhotate Master, he was born from an Oni and Dragon. And his energies were what powered the Realm Crystal, and what gave us our own powers!" Harumi's eyes shot open, "If we had our hands on a dragon connected to 'Lloyd' somehow, then we could in theory use their power to go after the Twins!" Her tone lifted, "I'm so stupid! I was so fixated on the Crystal I never even thought about it!"

"There's just one problem," Lloyd's tone dropped, "Without the Realm Crystal we can't get to the First Realm, and I doubt Mystake would send us there, even if we asked. And the dragons that Wu used to hide the weapons, they're gone to the Spirit Coves and I think back to the First Realm by now."

"...Oh…." Harumi put her hands on her head, "Gah! Why is it we get a single thought and it goes away!"

"Wu had a dragon chi thingy, remember?" Lulloyd pointed out, "Maybe we can use that..?"

"Wu doesn't have the green power, it wouldn't work," Harumi pointed out.

"Oh," Lulloyd looked down, "Right."

"Wait… Lulloyd might be onto something," Lloyd looked up, "Didn't Ronin say that chi was familial? Like, family members shared chi with their parents?"

"Yeah?" Harumi pointed out, only for what Lloyd was saying to sink in, "No."

"Monty held the green power, and he's related to Wu, even if he won't admit it to anyone," Lloyd pressed, "Ronin said he's never seen Monty's chi, right? Maybe there's a reason for that."

"No," Harumi growled, "We're not asking Monty."

"It might be our only way home," Lulloyd pointed out, "I mean… it, can't hurt to ask, right?"

"No!" Harumi barked, "You want to ask _him_ to ferry us to another universe?! I'd rather be stuck here forever then… then any of that!"

"Even if it means you can see your friends again..?" Lulloyd asked, "Harumi I… uh, don't wanna be mean, but I would like to see mine again."

"It's worth asking," Lloyd frowned, "If it doesn't work, then it doesn't work and we find something else. But we've been stuck here too long. We have to come up with something. Harumi… please."

Harumi looked to the two of them with a face starting to show her previous anger. For a long few moments, she felt like saying no. Monty was insufferable and all of them knew it. But… if it meant they could go home, then she knew she was just being selfish.

"Fine, we ask him," Harumi groaned, "But if this doesn't work, don't say I didn't try to spare us the trouble."

* * *

"No," Monty yawned against the counter.

"Monty," Lloyd leaned against the counter in Ronin's shop, "We might be able to get home this way. We're just asking you to try once! And if it works-"

"Then you all will want me to keep ferrying you around like I'm some underpaid servant, so, no," Monty groaned, "I saw what those Twins could do. I'm not interested."

"They took Morro!" Harumi growled, "They tried to kill you! You aren't even a little bit upset?"

"You think I care about Morro?" Monty's eyes lifted up, darkness in his gaze, "He became everything I was supposed to be. He got the power, Wu's teachings, all of it. I got spat out of the Cursed Realm as a ghost. I hate him, and frankly I'm glad he's gone."

"They're torturing him, Monty!" Harumi hissed, "They're probably going to push him to the point of death just to get what they want! Do you want them for him?"

"That's apparently what this world wanted for me," Monty growled back, "Why should I care when the world finally shows Morro what I saw?"

Harumi didn't have a response for that. Instead, she turned around and backed away. Lulloyd stepped up to Monty, his expression pleading. Monty looked up to him, but didn't look away.

"Monty… please," Lulloyd muttered, "I want to go home, but more than that I want to stop the ones that are going to go out and hurt more people. They'll do the same thing that this world did to you. They'll make sure everyone feels what you did. I… I just want to stop them. If you don't want to stop them for Morro, then stop them for you. Stop them from making anyone else feel like you had to. They'll make more people like what happened to you, and they won't find a Ronin. They'll, just get lost. They'll destroy worlds, Monty. Please, come to the lab with us."

"Sorry, Lulloyd," Monty leaned back, "But I just don't care."

"That's a lie," Ronin's voice came from the doorway, "Your voice went up there."

The group turned to see Ronin, who had once more emerged into the shop. Monty gave him a long stare as the man paced his way over towards Monty. When he stopped, he looked to the group and narrowed his gaze.

"What exactly are you all planning to do with my partner here?" Ronin reached out and placed a hand on the spot where Monty's shoulder was, "Cause you should know that we make decisions together."

"The Time Twins, you heard what they did to Morro, right?" Lloyd looked to Ronin, "We think Monty has a way of letting us go after them and stop them. We want him to help us do that."

"You want Monty here to go after guys that tried to kill you?" Ronin narrowed his gaze, "Why?"

"Because the Twins might come back here one day," Harumi pointed out, "The Twins, they want to take over everything. They want to control everything. One day, they'll come back here to try to kill us, and that involves you, Monty, and everyone in Ninjago. They won't care he's a ghost or anything like that. They'll want nothing more than to just destroy everything."

"Why Monty?" Ronin repeated, "Why him?"

"Because…" Monty gave Lloyd a sharp glare, "Because Monty has something that we need. He's special, Ronin. He's the only one that can go with us. He can help us save lives."

"So, let me get this straight," Ronin frowned, "You want me to let my partner here go off with you guys after murders to try to stop them, because one day they might come back and try to kill all of us? That's what you need the kid for?"

"...Yes," Lloyd admitted, "That's, basically it."

"I see," Ronin sighed, "Kid, go with them."

"What?" Monty turned to Ronin, "You're supposed to say no."

"I know you better than anyone else, and I know when you said you don't care, you were lying," Ronin narrowed his gaze, "I know that you don't actually hate Morro as much as you claim to. You're not a bad person, Monty, don't try to act like you are."

"That's coming from you," Monty scoffed, "I'm not going."

"Are you scared?" Ronin shrugged, "Heck, after hearing what those Twins did, I would be too. If you're scared, it's fine to admit it. Admitting you're outgunned is just as important as making sure you brought the guns in the first place."

"Ronin," Monty hissed, "I said I don't want to go, why can't you accept that?"

"Cause you helped these guys," Ronin gestured to them, "You told them about that Lloyd guy, or I'm guessing you did. You didn't have to. You could have just said no and moved on. But clearly, you cared enough to. We're not good people, Monty, but we sure aren't bad people. You're being given a chance to prove that you're not a bad person. Why won't you take it?"

"Because… I'm tired," Monty yawned, "You know me, Ronin."

"I do," Ronin sighed, "And kid, I know you only sleep when something's eating at you. If you really are tired, then it's even more of a sign you should go with them."

Monty remained silent. The room went quiet as Monty seemed to ponder out what he was being asked. Harumi, Lloyd and Lulloyd looked on in anticipation. Monty looked to the group for a few more moments, then he sighed and stood up.

"Fine," Monty groaned, "I'll go. There, are you happy?"

"A little, yeah," Ronin smirked, "Your new toy is in the vault."

"Great," Monty sighed, "You know I can keep my own swords on me, right?"

"Yeah, but sometimes walking around with a massive gun on your hip only attracts more attention than it's worth."

"I'm sitting in your deserted shop. If someone was going to be scared away by that, they wouldn't be in Stixx."

"Your amazing customer service attitude there doesn't do them any favors either."

"Screw off, Ronin," Monty groaned.

"You too, kid, you too," Ronin chuckled, "You there, Lloyd, come here for a minute."

Monty made his way back to the back rooms, likely to retrieve the sword he was looking for. Lloyd blinked and made his way over to Ronin, who gave him a long look.

"I'm gonna say this once, and you better hear it well," Ronin chuckled, "I'm letting the kid go cause I think he should. But, the kid is coming back," Ronin's gaze narrowed, "The next time any of you set foot in Stixx, it's going to be with Monty. If you show up anywhere in Ninjago again, and he ain't with you... He won't be the only ghost when I'm done. You hear me?"

"Uh… yeah, I do," Lloyd nodded, "Trust me, we won't let anything happen to him."

"Good," Ronin smirked, "Then we understand each other. I'm going to go help him get his things together."

As Ronin left the room, a certain amount of tension left it as well. Lloyd and Lulloyd sighed in relief, while Harumi was left with a small frown that their ploy had worked.

"Well, congrats, Monty has joined the party," Harumi scoffed, "But there's still one problem we haven't thought of yet."

"What?" Lloyd turned, "What do you mean?"

"We need an anchor point," Harumi pointed out, "Remember how I was so panicked the statue got destroyed? We need something that we know is in every universe. You set the statue as your anchor point the first time you jumped. If we can't find something that every universe has, all of this is for nothing."

"I had a thought about that…" Lulloyd smiled, "And, I think you'll like it, Harumi."

"Oh?" Harumi turned to him, "What are you thinking of, Lulloyd?"

"I'll, uh, explain when we get there. But, first, let's go to Nya's lab and grab what we need," Lulloyd smiled, "We've been kept down for three months. It's time we got back in the fight."


	21. Chapter 21

"DARETH!" Harumi shouted with glee as soon as Lulloyd's mechdragon landed in front of the large building.

Lloyd, Harumi, Lulloyd and Monty disembarked from the cockpit, the dragon rapidly returning to brick form as it did so. While at first the group had elected that taking the Mechdragon would draw too much attention, Monty had overruled them, stating that the people of Ninjago wouldn't be anywhere near as afraid of things like the dragon as they thought they would be. Sure enough, the people around them didn't pay mind to the dragon outside of a few pictures on their phones.

"If someone asks, they'll just say it's a balloon float or some rich guy's expensive toy," Monty grumbled, "People only care about weird things when they are directly impacted by it."

Monty was loaded up with enough guns that the group wondered how he was moving. On his back he had two rifles and a shotgun, the three straps holding them crossed by the strap the Sword of Sanctuary was slotted into. Under each of his armor panels he claimed to have one pistol each. Strapped to the back of his legs he had even more pistols, that would go off when he channeled wind down his legs to pull the trigger. On both hips he had what looked like hand cannons. For ammo, he carried with him a massive bag packed with it, enough boxes inside to likely shoot out every single pane of glass on a skyscraper. For once, he wore no cape.

"Should you really be… you know, walking around with all those?" Lloyd had pointed out as they landed from the dragon, "...I mean, it's, weird enough to see a ghost, but to see one that's packing as well…"

"You said we're just going to Dareth and then into wherever this next universe is," Monty pointed out, "Nobody is going to see me."

"Dareth runs a class for kids, Monty!" Lloyd argued, "At least put everything you don't have hidden in the bag?"

With a groan that Lloyd swore could break glass, Monty slotted all of his guns minus the ones strapped to the backs of his legs and under his armor in the bag. Monty intentionally swung the bag out to nearly hit Lloyd when he put it on. The SoS remained firmly on his back. At first, the group had protested him bringing it, but Monty had been firm on taking the sword.

"Look," Monty crossed his arms when they asked, "Those Twins are going to be trying to kill us. I'm bringing the one thing that might be able to save all your butts the next time they get ready to turn you into a headless corpse. You stole it for me, and that means it's mine now. I decide what gets done with it. Plus, I'll be dead again before those Cloud Kingdom guys get it back."

Despite their reservations about it, they had all agreed trying to force the hand of the one that would be responsible for ferrying them wasn't wise. Instead, the group had made their way to Nya's lab and collected the shards of the Realm Crystal while Monty got ready. While at first Harumi hadn't said why, she promised to explain when they arrived.

While at first the group also wanted to tell the Ninja they were leaving, Monty had vehemently shut that prospect down. Instead, Harumi had recorded a message and left it for Nya that would play the next time she entered the cave. It wasn't much, but it was all they could do while abiding by Monty's demands.

Before the group could even catch up, Harumi had raced inside the building to go and greet Dareth again. Lulloyd picked up his mechdragon, now free of all of the extra editions he'd given it which returned the brick to its original size. Lloyd could have almost sworn Lulloyd looked relieved his dragon was back to normal.

"How'd you think of this, Lulloyd?" Lloyd asked as they followed Harumi, "I mean, Dareth was, you know, not as important to you as he was to us."

"I uh, I noticed after like, we both met him in Harumi's world that, we knew Dareth. When I saw that he was here too I kinda noticed a pattern," Lulloyd smiled, "Like, twice is a coincidence, three is a pattern, you know? That makes four like, a guarantee? Like, if we're four for four then, he's probably in the next world too.'

"Dareth?" Monty scoffed, "Look, I don't dislike the guy, but I find it hard to believe he's important enough to be in _every_ world."

"Without Dareth, we wouldn't have even lived through the Final Battle," Lloyd pointed out firmly, "Don't talk bad about him like that."

Once the three were inside, the three saw Harumi eagerly chatting with Dareth. The building looked empty for now, and Lloyd looked up to the schedule on the wall to confirm they were between classes. It would make this far easier to do than he'd initially planned.

"You need to use my back room?" Dareth asked curiously, "Well, so long as you're not doing anything bad in there, go for it."

"We'd never do anything bad to you or your studio, Dareth!" Harumi eagerly pointed out, "We just wanna use it for a few minutes, okay?"

"No problems, young lady!" Dareth gave her an exaggerated bow, "And, hey, if you know any friends with kids, could you point them my way? My seven'o'clock class has been a little thin lately. I know some of those kids can only come then, so, you know."

"I'm sure if you asked the ninja, they'd be happy to promote for you, Dareth," Harumi smiled to him, "You're way more important to them than you think you are."

"Really? The ninja?" Dareth paused, "You know, that isn't a bad idea at all. Thanks, Harumi!"

"Anytime!" Harumi beamed to him, then gestured for the others to follow her.

The three moved as she directed. Monty caught Dareth staring at him, to which Monty simply ignored it and kept walking. The three entered the waiting room they'd used before while waiting for Lulloyd, and once inside Harumi opened her palm to show four shards of the Realm Crystal. They each were long and jagged, and shone brightly in her hand.

"Alright, so the first thing we should do is charge these with our green power. Since Montty doesn't have it now, you and I need to, Lloyd," Harumi extended her hand towards him.

Lloyd took Harumi's hand, clasping the shards between them. Both of them charged a ball of green power around them. Lloyd felt a wide smile on his face being able to use it once again. The ball grew in size between them, before suddenly rapidly inverting in on itself. The two felt a massive vibration in their hands. When they both opened their palms, the shards had taken on the green glow.

"Okay, now, everyone take one, and whatever you do, don't lose them," Harumi patted her right pocket, "I only have three more, so we can't afford to lose these. Don't let anyone know we're using these, especially the Time Twins, got it?"

"Just shove yours down your shirt," Monty pointed out, "Nobody would be willing to check them on you."

Harumi gave him a glare. The three each took a shard. Lloyd elected to slide his shard down along the inside of his gi, poking the ends into the threads to keep it from sliding out. Lulloyd did the same. Monty shrugged with his, and opened up one of the plates of armor and stuck in inside next to a ghostly pistol.

"Now, if my working theory is correct, Monty's chi will act like the Realm Crystal's energies that we used to punch open the hole to follow them," Harumi mused, "The fact we all have a piece means that we should all get pulled along with him, like how we all held on before to use it. Monty, I don't know exactly how this will work, but-"

"Wait," Lloyd stopped her, "I thought you had to have the Green Power to travel?"

"_Had_ is the working theory now," Harumi admitted, "I'm betting right now as long as someone has or had the power, we should be able to travel. Or that's what I'm hoping."

"Just leave this to me," Monty muttered, "You three should be honored. You're the only people that will ever get to see my chi. Don't you dare go telling anyone else. I'm counting that as a violation of our pact on the glave, got it?"

The three nodded. Monty slowly inhaled, and a golden aura began to flare up around him. It began to pulse around him, like flames dancing on fireplace glass. Monty's eyes opened, and the aura shot up from him, colheasing on his back. From it, a dragon head roared, and the serpent-like beast came forth. The dragon looked nearly identical to that Wu had produced, almost regal in the way that it protectively wrapped around Monty's body. The create was incredibly long and elegant, with no wings but a smooth, glistening set of golden scales.

"Okay, now what?" Monty mumbled, "I look stupid just sitting here with it out like this."

"Now close your eyes, and focus," Harumi instructed him, "When we traveled, we poured out energies into the crystal and then let ourselves drift until we found it. You should be able to do that same thing."

"Drift?" Monty scoffed, "I don't think so. I'm going to try something."

Before the three could ask what he meant, Monty pulled his shard out and threw it in the air. His dragon shot its face up, catching it in its mouth. Once the dragon had hold of it, the green power inside began to spark rapidly. The shards the three held all resonated with it. Just as they all felt it, the dragon shot its gaze to the wall beside them and shot straight for it.

When the dragon hit the wall, its body began to rapidly spin. Lloyd recognized it as the same motion that the dragons from the First Realm had been doing when he saw them breaking back into Ninjago. It's body rapidly twisted, and the wall in front of it began to glow. Monty inhaled and willed the beast to continue. The wall began to glow a deep green, as if it were metal heating up. With one last burst of light, the dragon shot straight through the wall and disappeared. As its tail disappeared, Monty's shard shot backwards from it, and Monty caught it in hand and replaced it inside his armor.

The four were now staring at a hole the dragon had left in the wall. Or rather, that the dragon had left _on_ the wall. It was like a projection on the surface, a dark portal beyond which was completely black, and just looking at it, Harumi, Lloyd and Lulloyd all recognized it as the void space between dimensions. The dragon wasn't present inside the void, but the hole that it had opened was glowing gold just like the dragon's body.

"There," Monty shrugged, "Portal."

"That's… how did… what?!" Harumi looked to the wall, then to Monty, then to the wall again, "How did you even?!"

"It's a trick I used once with an explosive charge," Monty shrugged, "They took all but one of my guns, and I flipped the charge into the air like a coin so as to not look super suspicious. I shot the charge into a wall and it blew open a hole for our escape. Figured it might work the same way."

"Then, do we even need the shards?" Lloyd looked down to the spot he'd stuck his, "If Monty's chi can do that?"

"Let's see," Harumi sat her shard down on the ground and walked over to the portal. She reached out to try to push inside, but her hand hit the wall instead. Her hand went right through the portal, indeed like a projection. When she walked over and grabbed the shard, her hand didn't go through the portal, but into it. She pulled back and nodded her head.

"There's that," Monty frowned, "But now we need to ask the question: what's on the other side?"

"We'll find out in a moment," Lloyd declared, "Let's get going."

"Agreed," Harumi nodded her head, "Let's go get those Twins!"

Monty simply shrugged. Lulloyd nervously raised his hands up in affirmation. Lloyd stepped forward towards the portal, "Monty, you go last, We don't want the portal to close on us. Alright?"

Monty just nodded. Lloyd stared into the void. On the other side of their destination, they would find the Twins. The chase was back on, and they were behind. They had to go and stop them, at any cost. With one last look back to the world behind them, Lloyd stepped into the void. The familiar feeling of traveling once more shot over him. Lloyd felt as though he was falling, and his body seemed to have no weight.

But this time… something was different. It was as if he now _knew_ where he was falling. He wasn't sure how he knew that was what he felt, but he was certain that was what it was. And as he tumbled his way through the nothingness, he felt as though for once he wasn't randomly falling. The ride was slightly longer than before, but not enough to worry Lloyd that they weren't making their destination. It simply felt as though they were traveling further than they had for any of the worlds. The further the group fell, the more Lloyd felt that he was going somewhere in particular. The entire process for him was maybe twenty seconds, as opposed to the usual ten.

The light once more opened in front of them, and Lloyd this time saw a portal open in front of him. Rather than falling out of the portal, he stepped out at the same pace he walked inside. Sunlight poured over him as he stood on what felt like rocks. One by one, the others stepped out behind him. Monty indeed was last to exit, and once he had, the portal behind them crackled and then closed up. The portal had appeared on some sort of rock face, and combining that with the ground, Lloyd guessed from his first sight they were in the mountains.

"That felt… different," Lloyd muttered, "Like… I dunno. It didn't feel as… chaotic as it did before?"

"I felt it too," Harumi mused, "...I think with Monty's chi, we might actually be able to control our destination. Or, at the very least we can set it before we go inside."

"Wait," Lulloyd still looked somewhat sick from the travel, though he held it down surprisingly well, "You're saying, we can go where we want to now? Then… we can do something the Time Twins can't?"

"We'd obviously have to test it, but at the very least, I bet we can go to any universe we've been to before," Harumi guessed, "Which means now we don't have to worry about getting home!"

"How about I test that then?" Monty stated. He raised his hand and, far faster than before, his dragon chi shot up from his arm and struck the wall. Once more, the portal opened up, "Who wants to be the test subject?"

"You and I go, Monty," Lloyd ordered, "We don't know if you can hold the portal open on one side, so it should be safe."

"Let's all go," Harumi looked to Lloyd, "No offense, but I don't want to be stuck here too."

"Alright," Lloyd pointed to the portal, "Let's do it."

Before the group entered the portal, Lloyd slowly willed for them to go to Monty's world again. When he stepped into the void, he felt his course changing. He willed his path to go back to Monty's world, and suddenly he felt his path going in reverse. Within the same period of time, a portal opened up and he stepped out into Dareth's back room.

"It worked!" Harumi shrieked as she stepped out, "Monty, see if you can keep it open, let's go to Lloyd's world!"

"Sure, would you like me to get you a drink while you wait in the limo as well?" Monty rolled his eyes, but held the portal open nonetheless.

Once more, the group willed that they would go to Lloyd's world. Their path in the void seemed to jerk violently to the left, and was only three seconds before the portal opened up again. Sure enough, the group filed out into the familiar small training room of Dareth's Mojo Dojo.

"Is this is?" Harumi asked as they stepped out.

"Hold on," Lloyd walked over to the window, opening it up. Sure enough, Borg Tower had the same scars and construction equipment around it from the Colossus' rampage, "Yes!"

"We can get back home now?" Lulloyd let out a long sigh, "That's… I feel kinda relieved. I… was starting to worry, we'd never see my dad again."

"We now know we aren't limited to just following the Twins anymore," Lloyd stated with a smile, "Alright Monty, one last time, let's go back to that new world we visited!"

"Great," Monty yawned, "One more trip, coming up, sir."

The portal opened on the wall, and the four filed in. The trip to the new world they had seen was even longer than from Monty's world, nearly thirty seconds before they arrived. When they did, they emerged at the same rock face they had before. The four stepped out and the portal closed, leaving them standing in the new world.

"Now we can see where it is the Twins went,," Harumi smiled, "...Wherever 'it' is, I mean."

"Uh… guys…" Lulloyd pointed out in front of him, "You… should see this."

The three turned to where Lulloyd was pointing. The mountainside that the group had emerged on seemed to be overlooking a massive building built into the side of the mountain. Simply by the rules thus far, they guessed that it was likely Grand Sensei Dareth's Dojo or some equivalent. They were right in front of what looked like a hot springs, with stairs leading up to the springs from the building down below. It was not the building itself that worried them, however.

"It… looks like we're in a cartoon…" Lloyd whispered.

"Yeah," Lulloyd looked around, "I… uh, guess I know what it was like when you first hopped into my world now."

"To be fair, I only saw a few seconds of it before your dad's shark nearly crushed me," Lloyd pointed out.

"He's, still learning to be mindful of pedestrians," Lulloyd muttered sheepishly.

"Guys… this looks like an anime," Harumi walked over to one of the rocks nearby and ran her hand over it, "It looks like we're in a hand drawn anime. I think we're in a world like Lulloyd's, something that's completely new!"

"Anime?" Monty narrowed his eyes, "You guys can't be serious."

"Either way, our first step should be the same: let's go find this universe's Lloyd, figure out what happened, and find out where the Time Twins are," Lloyd turned, "Any objections?"

The group all shook their heads, sans Monty who didn't say anything, "Good," Lloyd turned, "Then let's go!"

Lloyd made his way down the stone path that led to the pool that the two had landed by. As he walked, it seemed that despite the fact that the terrain looked smooth and animated, it still functioned like normal terrain. It didn't feel like the bricks in Lulloyd's world. The group were halfway down the stairs when Lloyd stopped, causing the rest to stop. Monty stepped forward through Harumi for a moment before backing up, much to her chagrin.

"Lulloyd, see if you can still Master Build here," Lloyd pointed to the rocks lining their path.

Lulloyd didn't question the order. Instead, he turned and reared his hand back and struck the rocks. For a few moments, nothing seemed to happen, then the familiar blue glow surrounded them and they turned into bricks. Lulloyd looked to his hand and slapped pieces together randomly. He nodded to Lloyd and struck them again, turning them back into normal objects.

"It seems that we all retain our abilities in other worlds," Harumi mused, "Maybe since we've been in the void between worlds, we don't lose our powers when we move?"

"But, the rules change," Lulloyd pointed out, "Like, when I built stuff back home it just stayed built. If I build something and take it apart, everything kinda, goes back to where it was before. Kinda like, if you pull something uphill and let it go it all, slides back down."

"It must be a law of universal travel then," Harumi thought, "If one of our abilities is tied into the world itself, then if another world doesn't support it, the world will always restore itself."

"Fenwick said that us going into other worlds punches holes into the shell between a universe and the void," Lloyd continued her thought, "Maybe, each universe tries to restore itself? If we try to rip too many holes that's where the problem comes in."

"I don't know how you would test for that," Harumi shook her head, "But it makes enough sense. If we minimize our impact on each world, we won't have to worry about it causing the worlds to start breaking apart. It does make the sense if a world tries to heal itself."

"Well that's all great to hear," Monty pointed to the building, "Can we get going?"

Lloyd and Harumi silently agreed by continuing on. Soon, the four of them reached what looked like a back door. Upon opening it, the group was met with the smell of burning incense and flowers. They entered into what looked like a beauty spa, with several massage tables and hallways that looked like they led off to various areas. Upon seeing the tables, however, the group felt something… off.

"Uh… those shapes look… weird…" Lulloyd pointed out, "Are people… shaped differently here?"

"Let's find out," Lloyd made his way forward through the room to a set of double doors. Throwing them open, their answer was shown to them.

The doors opened up into what looked like a main lobby in a massive hotel. The entire place was filled with several people milling about, looking as though they were heading off to their own rooms. The people looked relatively normal, except something about them that made the entire group feel very, very awkward.

"Guys…" Lulloyd gulped, "What's, up with their skin?"

"It's… not yellow…" Lloyd muttered.

"They have… fingers," Harumi gestured to everyone's hands, "I thought that was just a stylistic thing in anime…"

"They're pretty round," Monty shrugged, "Yeah, it looks like we just stepped into an anime. Awesome. Tell me if someone starts asking for their big brother, that's our cue to leave as fast as we can."

"I doubt someone is going to be asking us or mistaking us for their Onii-chan," Lulloyd pointed out. Monty stared him down for a long few moments before scoffing and shaking his head, "It… looks like we're at least, around the same height as everyone."

"We stick out too much," Lloyd quickly looked around, "We shouldn't let ourselves get seen."

The group nodded. Lulloyd, Lloyd and Harumi drew up their hoods, quickly racing their way behind several moving carts and bags to make their way around the room towards the entrance. Monty turned invisible, leaving only his gun bag he was carrying visible. Lulloyd, already carrying his mechdragon brick, took the bag so as to allow Monty to remain totally invisible. It seemed the SoS was able to turn invisible with him.

As they slunk their way out of the building, they caught sight of Dareth working the check in counter. Sure enough, he looked exactly like the Dareth they all knew, sans fingers and a non-yellow skin tone. He was happily chatting with someone at the counter, directing them to one of the rooms after handing her a key. The group found a large grove of plants nearby to duck into once outside.

"Dareth runs a hotel?" Lloyd muttered as they pried open a window to slide out of the building.

"This doesn't look like a high class inn," Monty pointed out, his voice coming from thin air, "My guess is this is probably a place for travelers. Look at the people."

Lloyd and the others did as Monty asked. Several people that were entering indeed looked less like clients for a hotel and more like travelers with their thick coats, large bags and weaponry. The people looked normal for the most part, but something about them seemed strange to Lloyd. He couldn't put his finger on it, but they felt strange.

"If this is like an anime, then we can't go out in the open like the other worlds," Harumi pointed out as they climbed their way up the roof of the inn, "Otherwise we'll just draw attention to ourselves."

"But… how are we gonna find stuff if we gotta, you know, hide?" Lulloyd frowned, "I mean, we don't even know where we are."

"I'll find someone to possess," Monty stated casually. The group remained deep in thought for a few moments, almost ignoring Monty's comment. When it occurred to them what he'd just said, Lloyd's brow knitted together.

"No," Lloyd stated firmly, "We're not doing that."

"Why?" Monty appeared from thin air beside Lloyd, "I'm not going to hurt them. In fact if I find someone asleep and return their body they'll think it's all a dream."

"Because you can't just, possess people!" Lloyd protested, "When Morro was using me, it was awful. I couldn't do anything! It was like watching a movie play out in front of you, but you're in the movie and you can't change what's going on. The few times I managed to take control, it was even worse."

"Look, you three clearly don't have experience in gathering recon like I do," Monty sighed, "I go into that inn, I find someone asleep, I slip in. I look through their things, get our bearings, and maybe get us information we can use. These people look like travelers, and it's always the people that wander that know the most."

"I don't know," Harumi frowned, "If you do that and they wake up, it could cause a panic."

"I've done this way more times than you all think," Monty growled, "Most people don't _like_ a ghost randomly coming into town. It's easier to possess someone and use them until Ronin and I got what we needed and move on. Do you all have a better idea?"

Lloyd looked down. The inn seemed to be situated on a path leading up a mountain. The path was massive, and looked like some sort of massive traveling destination. One side curled up towards a mountain range off in the distance, while the other eventually went down to a massive field that stretched on for miles. Several carriages being pulled by large beasts were moving up and down the path.

"Look," Harumi pointed to a large set of carriages that were parked in a circle, "They look like a caravan. We might get some information from them."

"Let's try it," Lloyd affirmed, "Let's go."

Monty disappeared again, still leaving Lulloyd with the burden of his bag. As they approached the caravan through the plants, several carts going up the road rumbled nearby. Monty made his face visible and made a shushing motion, then he leapt forward and towards one of the carriages. He jumped inside, leaving the group to wait for a long few moments. A small box fell out the back seconds later. A gust of wind blew the box into the plants by the building before one could notice it. The group made their way to it, where Monty showed it was filled with clothes.

"Disguises," Monty told them calmly, "Get dressed."

It looked as though this was indeed traveler's gear. Lloyd bit down his protest they were stealing from someone as he slid on a large red cloak. Harumi tried at first to put on gloves, but given they didn't have fingers, it looked strange and didn't fit. In the end, all three had on cloaks of varying colors. Just to be safe, Lloyd tore a piece of fabric off and wrapped it around his mouth in a facemask to hide as much of his skin as possible.

Now disguised, the three stood up and walked more casually towards the caravan. As they approached, Lloyd noticed everyone was wearing clothes that were of wildly different colors. Red, orange, icy blue, deep greens, navy blue, and all in various states of armor. There were maybe fifteen people in total, and none looked like they were from the same place.

As they approached, a woman that wore what could generously be called two strips of fabric around her hips and chest along with shoulder armor somewhat like leather pauldrons stood up. On her back, she had a massive three pronged spear. Her hair was a beautiful blonde and flowed almost all the way down her back. Somehow, it wasn't in her face. Just standing up as they approached caused her body to jiggle, much to all of their -minus Monty- embarrassment.

"Hey!" The woman smirked, "What are you three up to?" She crossed her arms under her chest, making Lulloyd turn his head away.

"We're travelers," Lloyd spoke up, raising his head slightly, "We're trying to make our way home…." Monty, invisible, whispered something in his ear from behind, "We'd… like… to maybe hitch a ride with you."

"Oh? Well, where are you heading?" The woman leaned forward, her cleavage exposed, "We might be able to help you out if we're going in the same direction. Which Tribe you getting to?"

"Tribe…?" Lloyd blinked. Harumi perked up hearing that.

"Yeah, tribe," The woman chuckled, "We're on our way to the Time Tribe, if you're down that way we can maybe help out."

"We're from the… Green Tribe," Harumi replied in a guess for the right answer.

"...The Nature Tribe?" The woman blinked, "That's out of our way. If that's where you're heading, that's too bad."

"Oh!" Lulloyd jerked up like he'd been poked, "Oh, no, she's from the Nature Tribe, we're traveling to meet, some, relatives we have in the… which one again?"

"We're on our way to the Earth Tribe," The woman raised her eyebrow, "Only ones around there are the Time Tribe and Mind Tribe. Well, and that new Amber Tribe place they're talking about, whatever that is."

"You said Time Tribe, right?" Lloyd asked, then cleared his throat, "Is… there someone named Acronix there?"

"Acronix?" A large man stood up,"You must truly be lost. Of course there is, he's the leader of the Time Tribe."

The man that stood up was wearing a beautiful set of white robes. As he moved, the way the robes shifted showed there was a great weight to them. The robes parted like a cape behind his legs, while the top part looked almost like some sort of suit. He wore gray gloves with red paintings on the back of them. His hair was a fiery orange and cut in a styled and elegant cut against his forehead. On his hip, he had a massive sword in his holster. With the way he carried himself upright and straight, he almost looked like some sort of knight.

That news was enough for the group to go silent. Lloyd's mind was racing trying to process what that meant, while Lulloyd was trying to stave of Monty's fierce whispering to him about what to say. Harumi was likewise stunned into silence, her analytical mind going off the charts. Lloyd was the first one to break out and step forward.

"How much to take us to the Time Tribe?" Lloyd asked, "We have money."

"Woah, I was talking about trading some supplies, do we look like an escort service?" The woman raised an eyebrow "We're traders. Well, those of us that are brave enough to keep going with all those Raiders coming after us. Especially at night."

"Not us, though," The man placed a hand on his sword, "Less people traveling at night means they won't expect us to try it. We all made sure to pick up some training before we started this business."

"We don't have much room with all our supplies," The woman frowned, "You'll have to pay us a lot if you honestly want us to-"

Lulloyd suddenly pushed his hands forward, revealing a large bag of coins in his hand. The man eyed Lulloyd and took the bag, opening it up and looking side. Lloyd could see it was half full with Ninjago credits.

"...Is this gold?" The woman pulled a coin out, "...By the dragons it is!"

"...Apologies if we came off cold to you," The man reached his hand forward, "My name's Alacr of the Speed Tribe. My companion is Nubit of the Metal Tribe. What are your names?"

"I'm Lulloyd," Lulloyd stepped forward, "That's Lloyd and she's Harumi."

"Lloyd?" Nubit blinked, "Isn't that the Dragon Lord's name?"

"Uhm… our parents were big fans of the Dragon Lord," Lloyd smiled gently. That made the two traders, for some reason, burst out laughing.

"Yeah, I'm sure they are," Alacr grinned, "Considering he's been the Dragon Lord for all of what, five or so months now?"

"Well the battle was in the spring, now it's fall so… yeah, that sounds right," Nubit sheathed her spear, "Don't lie to us, it isn't good for you."

"We were serious about our names," Lulloyd affirmed, "So, when can we get going?"

"Hrm… we were planning on leaving in a few hours… but it couldn't hurt to get some traveling done before it's totally dark," Nubit turned, "Tell you what, you guys can take our ride, we'll get the rest of us ready. Give us twenty minutes and we'll be on our way, it's the one right behind us," She hefted the coins and smirked.

"We normally have four of us," Alacr bowed his head, "Dorian is currently resting from a wound in our last crossing. Ray is over by the fire-" Alacr pointed to a slightly rounded man with white ponytailed hair in dark navy blue plate armor with a strangely jagged sword on his hip, "-and the rest of us here are traders of other groups. We're traveling together to increase our chances."

"Thank you," Harumi bowed slightly, then reached out under her cloak and took hold of her companions. The three made their way into the camp, where a large fire was being tended to by about five others, all in various states of dress, armoring and hairstyles. The carriage was large and have a massive cover overtop of it in a tent-like fashion, and with a heave from around the back, the group boarded it. Nubit and Alacr watched them go before moving to get the rest of the others ready to go. The carriage was filled with boxes, with just enough room for them all.

"I thought you didn't like that nickname," Lloyd pointed out, "You introduced us pretty fast."

Lulloyd threw his cloak down, "I don't like the nickname, but, from now I need to be the one to introduce myself. It feels a little easier to stomach if I'm the one telling people. Got it?"

"No problems here," Harumi shook her head.

Monty appeared beside the two of them, gesturing to the bag, "Guns, give them here."

"Okay," Lulloyd handed it over, "You, didn't need to be whispering in my ear like that."

"Clearly, none of you know how to lie your way into getting information," Monty shook his head, "The Green Tribe? Really? You should have realized this place isn't like our own worlds. They run on elemental tribes."

"I noticed," Harumi pulled her hood down, "I don't even need my watch to know this place's signature is probably wildly different than any of us, even you, Lulloyd. And I'm sure if there's an Earth and Nature tribe, all of the elements here are a tribe."

"So they're tribes that are centered around elements… but apparently Acronix is in this world already," Lloyd pointed out, "But Nubit didn't act like it was something bad. Are the Twins doing something different?"

"I don't know how, considering they have to look like us and have the Iron Doom," Harumi frowned, "It could very well be a counterpart. For now, we'll get to the Time Tribe, and figure that out. We can gather information about this place while we're there. That's our working plan."

"We're getting ready to head out here soon," Alacr's voice came from the front of the carriage, "You all going to be okay back there?"

Lulloyd threw his hood back up and Monty momentarily vanished. The three all nodded, to which Alacr smiled warmly to then and then bowed his head. He walked around the carriage and took his seat on a lip in the front, taking the reins to the creature in the front.

"What is that…?" Lloyd muttered, pointing to the creature.

"I think it's called a horse," Lulloyd smiled gently, "We have them back in my universe."

Nubit took a spot beside Alacr, looking back to the group to ensure they were situated. With a slap of the reins, the carriage lurched forward. The two guided their carriage out to the main road and towards the mountain range, with the four other carriages of the caravan soon falling in line behind them. Soon, they were rolling along the path.

"We're moving kinda fast…" Harumi muttered. Alacr turned around and nodded.

"If we don't make good time, we'll fall prey to those Raiders," He explained, "We're taking a risk moving at night, so we shouldn't add to it."

As the carriages got moving in earnest, Monty found a spot in the corner of the tarp-like material and some boxes to reappear and begin rooting through his bag. For safety, he made sure Lulloyd was beside him in case either of the two looked back towards them. Lloyd and Harumi kept their hoods up, doing their best to remain hidden while they got moving.

"Uh… Monty?" Lulloyd pointed, "Is… this, all guns? Did you… bring capes too?"

"Of course I did," Monty scoffed, "There's no such thing as a one-cape-fits-all situation. I wanted to wait until we got to the new universe to pick the one out I was going to wear."

Lloyd and Harumi looked and, sure enough, the bag was only filled halfway with firearms and ammo. Just a quick count revealed at least ten capes. Monty began to shift through the various types, muttering and shaking his head as he went through them. When he finally settled on one, he pulled out a cape that looked closer to a cloak. It was a deep green, like him, and was invertable to show black on the other side. Monty turned the black side out and clasped it around his chest. Unlike his normal clothes, the cape didn't turn green like the rest of him. It had a hood that was currently down.

"Uh… so, what's the deal with, you know?" Lulloyd pointed to the cape, "You uh, have to take the SoS off when you phase and stuff."

"Ronin probably mentioned this, but if a ghost wears something long enough, it becomes apart of them," Monty pulled off one of his body armor pieces, showing they were indeed ghostly by phasing them through a box, "Though once I take them off, after a certain amount of time they turn back to normal. Clothes take maybe a day to turn ghost-like. Weapons take at least a week. And if I drop the weapon, the timer resets," Monty shook his head, "All the guns I have on me I have attached to the body armor so they don't fall right through me. The only things that won't ever stop being a ghost object are the clothes I died in. And bullets turn solid the second I fire."

"Oh," Lulloyd nodded, "Yeah that uh, makes sense."

"Good," Monty rummaged a bit more inside his bag, "You all should get some rest for now. I'll wake you up if you're about to get skewered."

While protesting would be easy, what Monty said was right. Slowly, all three found themselves resting once more. While they did, the caravan continued on its way. It was several hours into the journey that the group were able to rest, only for the caravan to suddenly lurch hard. As soon as it did, the group were startled up from their sleep, while Monety had disappeared again.

"What's going on?" Harumi called out.

"Raiders!" Nubit shouted, "You said our reports were good!"

"I did!" Alacr protested, turning back to the group in the carriage, "Stay down, we'll handle this!"

"Where are they?" Lloyd stood up, only for the carriage to rock him back down.

"They're all around us!" The driver of the carriage behind them shouted, "We're going to-"

Suddenly, the carriage behind them lurched and the driver shouted in terror as the horse went wild, bolting away. Lloyd saw a bike shrouded in darkness had just ripped apart the back wheel. Alacr's eyes widened as soon as he saw it.

"RAY!" Alacr shouted, then his body became a white streak as he shot forward straight through the carriage past the group. As soon as he reached the edge of the carriage, he leapt straight off the carriage and into the air. He drew his sword, and the group saw the sword plunge into the collapsing carriage for him to get a handle on. He pulled himself up with the handle, then reached out and grbbed hold of Ray. The carriage creaked and began to careen onto its side. Alacr, without a moment to lose, leapt up into the air and shot forward with speed again, drawing his sword from the carriage. The two landed on the ground, and in another white flash they were forward and had vaulted back into the group's carriage.

"W-Was… was that…?" Lloyd blinked.

"Are, are you the Master of Speed?" Harumi asked as Alacr deposited Ray down onto his feet, who gave his ally a small nod of thanks and drew a strange bolt-shaped sword.

"The Master of…?" Alacr blinked, "Are you talking about Griffin Turner?"

"But, you were using speed!" Lloyd protested.

Their carriage rocked violently. Ray ran a hand through his scruffy hair, causing his hand to crackle with static electricity. He put that hand on the hilt of his sword, the electricity rapidly arcing up through it. He shouted and thrust it forward, sending a bolt that struck the bike that had destroyed his carriage. The explosion as it hit the surface momentarily blackened the air.

"Did you get him?" Alacr held his broadsword out, only to grimace as he saw the bike was still coming.

Now that Lloyd could see more of the bikes, he noticed that they were all triangular in shape, and had wheels in the center that were rapidly spinning. He'd seen those bikes before, somewhere. Three of them moved directly behind them. Behind the bikes, the other carriages which had thankfully not been taken out by the broken carriage, were forced to slow down or run into them.

"They're cutting us off from the group?" Nubit tssked, "Alacr, what do we do? They're in front of us too!"

Alacr's grip on his sword tightened as he turned, "Can any of your fight?! We normally wouldn't ask, but, well I'd prefer to get to the Time Tribe in one piece!"

Lloyd and Lulloyd looked to each other. They hadn't known about the Green Power… was it wise to show that they had it? Given the severity of the situation, it was perhaps worth it, but even then it could be something bad. Their hesitation made Alacr turn his head away with a strained smile.

"I can," Harumi stood up, drawing her cloak around her tighter, "I… I can use Wind."

"Wind Tribe? Great, do you have a weapon?" Alacr demanded.

Harumi let part of her cloak part, and both of her comrades blinked in confusion as she held the SoS. Alacr gave it a long look and then turned around, "Flashy, but it'll do. We need to get back to the group so we can stop and make a defense. They won't attack us when we-"

"I'll handle it," Harumi raised her eyes, and for a brief second, Lloyd and Lulloyd saw a flash of green in them. Harumi thrust her hands behind her, blasting wind from her hands that made her cloak violently blast up. She shot from the carriage and, once she was in the air, she spun in the air to point her feet down, blasting wind from that to flip up and land on the carriage top. The fabric sagged underfoot as she thrust the SoS behind her.

"Get… get out of me, Monty!" Harumi strained, the sound of the carriage too loud for the others to hear.

"You want to die?" Monty's voice rang from her lips, "You're the logical choice here, just relax and let me handle this. I've done this more than you know."

Harumi fought Monty's possession for a few seconds, but now that she was on top she could see the fact their carriage was rapidly pulling ahead of the others. There were 5 bikes around them, three behind and two in front, forcing them to run at their pace. The strange design was odd to both of them, and the people that were driving them sat far back on the bike. They were in armor, and the darkness made it impossible to see them.

"Let's do this," Monty declared from Harumi's mouth, raising the SoS up. Almost immediately, two of the pursuers behind the carriage raised crossbows, firing arrows at him. Monty spun Harumi's body around, gathering up wind in her right foot and blasting the bolts off wildly. When he finished his spin, he was facing away from the bikes. He held the SoS in front of him, then leapt into the air and spun around as he did. He brought the SoS in a downward strike, a large crack coming from its tip. A vertical slice of wind hit the middle of the three pursuers. The wind split off in both directions, striking the two on either side and sending them veering wildly off the path.

More crossbow bolts came from the drivers in front wildly firing at him. As they moved to reload, A flash of lightning shot from the carriage and struck them both, the metal of their armor connecting them in the air and shocking them. Monty didn't bother shouting thanks, instead looking into the SoS's reflection. He saw the one still behind them veering to dodge a wind strike.

"Nubit," Monty stated calmly to their driver, "When you see the one behind us swerve, slow us down."

"What?" Nubit shouted back. Monty noticed that her entire body had turned metal, likely to avoid the crossbow attacks.

Monty didn't follow up to her. Instead, he thrust Harumi's palm out. A single gust of wind shot out and, just as expected, the bike veered off to the right. Nubit, seeing this, took a breath and then pulled back on the reins. Their horse rapidly slowed down, causing them to fly away from the two bikes still in front of them. The dodging bike was forced to veer further off to the right, and that was when Monty made Harumi leap off the carriage as they passed by it.

When Harumi landed, Monty thrust the SoS out, striking the driver. The armored man went flying off, and Monty flipped Harumi off of the bike and onto the ground as the bike slowed down. As soon as she landed, the two bikes in front had already turned around and come for them. Monty raced Harumi directly in their path, pushing her arms forward and sucking air towards him. The effect was delayed until the bikes were close, when suddenly they both flipped forward from the wind sucking in the opposite direction of their wheels turning. The bikes crashed, and Monty turned his attention back towards the carriage.

Monty put Harumi's hands on the ground and gathered more wind in her feet. He could feel her body was already getting exhausted from this much elemental use in such a short amount of time, but he wasn't ready to give up. When he let the wind loose, the two went soaring up in the sky. The ground rapidly rotated position in Harumi's eyes as the two spun about within the sky. When they were far above the ground for comfort, Monty sent the two soaring straight down towards the other carriages. He rapidly counted four total, one on each 'side' of the caravan.

Suddenly, the bike that was in front of the carriages was shot to the side. Alacr had leapt from the carriage and run across the ground, slicing the one in front of the other carriages and sending it flying off to the side. When he stopped he was off the road and had his sword out. He leaned up and sheathed the sword just as the bike careened off into the side of the road. He looked up to Monty soaring in the air and nodded.

As the other carriages went past Alacr, Monty landed Harumi down on top of the middle of the row of carriages. He wildly slashed the SoS, each one sending a slice of air towards the other bikes. As the bikes were attacked, he ran forward along the carriages until he finally had reached the last one. When he stopped, he let his momentum carry the SoS in one last slice to strike the last bike.

Seeing their attack was clearly going badly, the Raiders finally pulled off their attack. The three remaining bikes drew back, letting the group go without issue. They raced their way until they had fallen in line behind the carriage Lloyd and Lulloyd remained in. Monty turned his head to the side to see Alacr's hand gripping the tarp to pull himself up. Monty just stared at him as Alacr dragged himself up.

"That…. That was incredible!" Alacr panted, "You're, you're from the Wind Tribe? The Men of the Sky really is a fitting name!"

"It was nothing," Monty spoke through Harumi, "It gave me a good chance to shake off the rust at least."

"Heh… heh… well, we'll get to the Time Tribe in no time now!" Alacr grinned, "Allow me to give you my thanks!"

"You weren't half bad yourself," Monty turned Harumi around, "You didn't get in my way."

"You seemed a lot nicer back at Dareth's inn," Alacr laughed, "Well, let's get off the top of this thing! It's windy up here, isn't it?"

Monty didn't make Harumi laugh. Alacr smirked at his own bad joke as the two rode the carriages towards their destination. As they rode away, Monty watched each of the bikes he'd taken out, and more importantly, the completely empty sets of armor within them. He stared each of them down in confused interest until they had long passed into the horizon as they sped ahead into the unfamiliar world.

* * *

"Thank you again," Lloyd affirmed as Lulloyd and Harumi disembarked Nubit's carriage with the gun bag.

"We should be thanking you!" Nubit laughed, "Normally we'd have had to stop and make our stand, but you… I mean, you took almost all of them out yourself!"

"No need to thank me," Harumi, still possessed by Monty, stated firmly, "We needed your carriage, after all."

"Well," Alacr leapt back up into the carriage, "If you follow this path up the mountain, you'll reach the Time Tribe. We'd take you further, but the horses are exhausted. We're going to make camp off the path here."

"It's okay," Lulloyd spoke up, "I'm used to having to walk back home."

"Here," Alacr reached into his pocket, tossing something to Harumi. Harumi caught it and quickly pulled it under her cloak to hide her hands, "I want you to have that."

Monty made Harumi look down at the object. It was a pin, showing two bands of what looked like speed crossing in an X and looping around in a circle. Harumi looked up, and Alacr had his had on his chest.

"I may not look it, but I just so happen to be Griffin Turner's nephew," Alacr chuckled, "That pin is something everyone in the Speed Tribe elite units wear. If you ever swing by the Speed Tribe, show that to the guards and they'll get you a place to stay. Just tell them Alacr sent them."

"What's someone in line for succession doing as a trader?" Harumi asked. Alacr blinked in confusion.

"Is that how they do it in the Wind Tribe?" Alacr shrugged, "Our dragon is the one that picks the new leaders. All the candidates get selected by the dragon and then she has them show off their powers. She picks the one that she wants to be our leader. Griffin was picked last. I mean, it's not unheard of for family to succeed like that but I have no more claim to the Tribe than any other guard. I wanted to travel, so I became a trader. As simple as that."

"I see," Monty made Harumi pocket the pin, "We'll let you know if we ever are around there. Thanks."

"No, thank you again!" Nubit waved her hand, then slapped the horse's reins. Slowly, the carriages trotted off the path and down towards a valley. As soon as they were out of sight, Harumi gasped and fell forward onto her hands and knees as Monty stepped backwards out of her.

"Did you have to stay inside me that long?!" Harumi spat, heaving hard as her face glistened with sweat, "Was that at all necessary?!"

"None of you were making a decision," Monty shrugged, "My gun bag, do you have it?"

"Uh, yeah, I do!" Lulloyd hefted it up, "It's, really heavy. Do you think you cou-"

"Good," Monty turned to Lloyd, "Before you say anything, I saved the day, Harumi is fine, and I did what I needed to do. Don't even start with that whole bit with possession. I'm not in the mood to hear it and you don't have an argument to stand on. Let's get to the Time Tribe."

"You don't get to just!" Lloyd stepped forward, but Harumi raised her hand up. She slowly climbed up to her feet, turning her gaze to Monty. She threw her hood back and waved up to him. When she stopped, she was right in front of him.

"No more of that," Harumi heaved, "Not doing that again. Unless I tell you to, don't."

"Unless you're clearly about to die, then sure, I can work with that," Monty stated without his expression shifting, "We should get going."

Harumi nodded, turning and gesturing for them to follow. Lloyd gave Monty another look before he fell into pace behind her. Lulloyd followed suit, and Monty took up the rear. He sheathed the SoS back on his back and walked with them. The path didn't look too long, and as they walked, they could see what looked like a city in the distance.

"Those Raiders," Lloyd turned, "Does anyone else think what I'm thinking?"

"That they're Vermillion?" Harumi pointed out, "That's what it looks like. Those bikes clearly were leaps in technology above what people have here."

"They look kinda like the tanks they used back when we first encountered them," Lloyd nodded, "But the armor is different. It's full body, you can't even see the snakes."

"That's probably intentional," Monty shrugged, "Don't want people to know they're snakes."

"If we could get our hands on some of it, we can check for the blacksmith stamp," Lloyd pointed out, "Kai said his dad put his stamp on each helmet. If they just added armor on top of it, that mark will point it out."

"Uhm… are we going to talk about the fact… they all had powers?" Lulloyd brought up. The city was rapidly growing, a massive circular wall stretching out around it now that they were closer.

"Yeah… everyone has powers here," Lloyd looked down to his hands, "Alacr was speed, Nubit was metal, Ray was lightning… there really is a tribe here for every element."

"Every tribe except for you three," Monty yawned, "Which means Lloyd here must be really special. They called him the Dragon Lord."

"Which means we should talk to him first," Harumi pointed out, "Our priority should be the same as with you, Monty. Find Lloyd, get his help, and find the Twins."

"If Acronix is here, we can do that last bit first," Lloyd turned forward, "I don't know how he started ruling a tribe in three months, but it's clearly important we get him now."

The group fell into a bit of a lapse of silence out of exhaustion, sans for the ghost that didn't get exhausted anymore. For almost a half hour, they padded their way up the path in the darkness, their way lit by strange lamps with spheres of light glowing inside. Soon, their path took them high up enough the plains they'd been riding across looked tiny.

The place that was the Time Tribe stood in front of them. A large settlement, looking large enough to be a city, was inside of a massive wall of metal that surrounded the city, painted in sections of either red, green, blue or orange. Massive metals gates stood at the path's end, large enough to let carriages inside. From beyond the wall, they could see massive stone buildings, set up in rows. From the way that the lamps of light sphere were set up, it looked like pre-industrialization Ninjago City.

The group drew up their hoods as they moved off to the side of the path. They waited patiently, watching the gates. The gates opened, allowing a group of people to leave. One of the guards raised his hand, his palm red and caused the leader of the group to freeze for a moment. The guards inspected each of them, then let them all through. After the group left, the gates closed again.

"They're checking people… probably for Raiders…" Lloyd grimaced, "Well, I guess we weren't going to just walk in."

"We do we do?" Harumi asked. Monty sat up to speak, only for her glance to make him roll his eyes and lean back again.

"I'm sure we can scale that wall, right?" Lloyd pointed, "Shouldn't be too hard. Let's do that and then find a place to stay. Somewhere that doesn't ask too many questions. Monty, you still have money?" Monty nodded.

"Good," Lloyd smiled, "Let's go."

Lloyd stood up, crawling around the path towards a section of wall the guards weren't watching. As his friends fell in line behind him, they approached an orange section. They were just beyond the line of sight of the guards. Lloyd slowly focused, then an Airjitzu tornado formed around him. The updraft shot him up the wall, letting him land on the top. Harumi let her hands down and fired off silent beams of green power, taking her up. Monty waited patiently.

Lulloyd, not seeing a good way up with the gun bag, looked around. Seeing nearby rocks, he struck them and master built them into a small makeshift stairwell. When he stepped on them, however, his foot slipped, and his body was sent sliding down a step. He froze, the sound echoing through the air. Before he could move, he heard someone walking towards them.

"Who goes there?!" The guard nearby shouted, "Show yourself, Raiders!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because why wouldn't anime be a universal constant?
> 
> Thank you all again for taking time to read my story. This arc, specifically starting with this chapter, was extensively rewritten. This chapter was scrapped after they arrived and rewritten, twice. I'm far more proud of this arc now than I was before, and I hope you all continue to enjoy!
> 
> I am currently working on another chapter of Universal Deviations, so keep your eyes open for that! I would very much appreciate it if you took the time to read the chapters I have already up.
> 
> Stay safe and healthy everyone, and Ninja-GO!


	22. Chapter 22

"Show yourselves!" The guard shouted, "You won't get into our Tribe, Raiders!"

Lulloyd looked up in terror, trying to shuffle to his feet. The bag he carried shifted the guns further down, causing him to scrape against the wall to get his grip and he fell. Without hesitating, Monty turned the SoS around in his hand, pointing the hilt out to fling straight at the chest of the approaching guard. As the blunt hilt sent the guard onto his back, Monty ran up and grabbed his shoulders. The man looked up just in time to see Monty's body phasing right into him. He shook for several seconds as the possession took hold, his eyes momentarily rolling into his head. When he finally stopped, the guard twitched as he reached down and picked up the SoS.

"Monty!" Lloyd hissed from the wall. The guard looked up at him, then gestured towards the gates. Monty made the guard walk around before Lloyd could say anything else. Lloyd looked down and clenched his fists, jumping off the wall and landing beside Lulloyd. He wrapped an arm around him and spun into Airjitzu again, the wobbling tornado carrying them up and onto the wall. Harumi nodded to them, and the three ran down the other side of the wall together.

"I-I'm sorry," Lulloyd stammered as they landed, "I-I didn't account for the bag, it's not evenly distributed and-"

"Let's not worry about that right now," Lloyd pressed himself up to the wall, "Let's just meet up with Monty."

The space between the wall and the buildings was small, so the three took a side path out between two stone buildings and towards the path the gate was connected to. Almost immediately, they saw the lights that indicated the gate was at the end of a main road. They walked up an alleyway to see a massive throng of people along a massive stretch. All three drew their disguised hoods as they looked to the massive number of strange, cartoon-like people walking about.

"There," Lloyd pointed towards the gate to their left. The guard Monty had possessed was talking to someone else. The person waved his arm and pointed towards the guard. Monty's guard nodded to them, then walked off through the large crowd of people. When he reached the alleyway, he looked around then slid inside discreetly. Up close, Lloyd saw the guard was tall and chiseled, with sleek brown hair and facial hair that looked in need of a shave. He wore a set of what he guessed was Time Tribe armor, with several ridges and plates layered over plates not unlike the Iron Doom's shoulders. However, the similarities stopped there. He looked as normal as he could be with his skin and very strange looking body.

"Alright, I got him off duty," Monty looked down, "Apparently he's named Jera. Call me Jera for now..." Monty raised his hands up, "Huh… these fingers are weird."

"We don't need to, we're in, you can let him go," Lloyd demanded.

"Why?" Monty asked through Jera, "I'm working on reading his memories so I can learn the layout of this place. Pretty weird they call it a tribe since it's so big."

"You can read someone's memories?" Lloyd asked, "...I guess that's usef-wait, no! Stop that! Let him go, Monty!"

"Found it," Monty turned, "This city is laid out like a clock. We're on the bottom of it. There are hotels towards the 3 hour mark. Let's get going."

"Lloyd has a point," Harumi shook her head, "Reading someone's environment is one thing. Their memories are another! If you've learned enough, let him go."

"Quiet, I'm still learning things," Monty lowered his head, "Huh. People in the Time Tribe have access to one of four time powers, he has a bit of… slow? That's what he calls it. Not much," Monty shrugged through Jera, "He's supposed to sleep early since he's apparently going to some guard duty tow. He also has a girlfriend to get home to, so we should get to that hotel quickly before you all make her start worrying about him."

Monty immediately turned and walked off into the street, only giving them a few seconds of pause to get them to follow before he was gone in the crowd. The three shared a look of worry, but ultimately they knew that Monty had knowledge of this place now. So they slowly followed, slipping out onto the street and making their way after him hurriedly.

"Just so you know," Monty spoke as Lloyd caught up to him, "Jera right now is taking a bit of a nap. Morro didn't do it right. He's not actually conscious right now. When he wakes up, this is all a dream to him. I only hurt people when I need to, got it?"

"I'm not okay with this!" Lloyd hissed quietly, trying not to draw attention from the crowd.

"You all take too much time thinking about things, I act. I'm doing what needs to get done. Right now, that's not ugly yet, so be thankful," Monty reached up, his fingers awkwardly moving to scratch at his chin by reflex, "...Now that's a weird feeling right there."

Knowing he wasn't going to be getting anywhere, Lloyd took a step back and let Monty lead them. Instead, he turned his attention to the Time Tribe. People were flooding around them, all of them seemingly off to do their own things. The buildings looked like more blocky and primitive versions of skyscrapers, with only some of them having glass and the others simply covers. The main path was cobblestone or some equivalent to it. A large amount of metal was also built into many of the buildings, contrasting the stone used for others. The only light sources were those light spheres on poles, laid out almost like street lamps.

The people around them all wore clothing that Lloyd could best describe as 'outdated.' Most of them looked to be made of something like leather or cloth, and the colors were all mainly shades of green, brown, black and red. One thing he noticed right away was that everybody, or near everyone, had colors printed on the backs of their hands in the shape of hour hands. When he looked to Jera, he noticed the man had a blue set on his own. If people had specific time powers, there was likely a way to determine the powers linked to those tattoos.

Many of the homes they passed had vendor stalls outside of them, but almost all were closed by that time of night. A few were still open, and many of them were being run by traders from other tribes. The crowd seemed to be people heading home, rather than milling about. Lloyd saw a woman picking up a frozen piece of food, only to drop it and save it by putting it in a bubble of slowed time. The vendor reached out and frost poured from his hand to cover the food more for her as she dropped coins on his stall. This world was that of elemental powers.

The buildings indeed were laid out like a clock. It was a decent walk until they made their way in, but when they did they arrived at what was clearly the dead center of town. Many more vendor stalls were set up there, and despite the time of night, many people were still milling about and chatting. In the center of it all was a massive statue made of a bronze-like material that showed none other than Krux and Acronix, rendered in the strange body shape of the people around them, standing back to back with some strange clock embedded on each of their left wrists. What immediately stood out to Lloyd, however, was the fact they actually looked like Twins, bcauset Krux wasn't aged in the statue.

"They must have been here a long time for that statue…" Lulloyd muttered, "But… why put one up? It… looks new, but why would they announce themselves like that?"

"And Alacr only mentioned Acronix, not Krux, which is even more confusing," Harumi gestured to the statue, letting her Borg Watch scan the statue, "...This is of recent origin. Corrosion and oxidation isn't occurring yet. But Krux isn't like we know him. If we exist in other worlds, there could be copies of them, too. We need to explore this place more so we can figure out something about-"

Harumi stopped in her tracks as three men blocked her way. The three looked average enough, none of them wearing armor. One was rather tall, and the other two shorter. Harumi took a step back from them, making the three step forward. Monty, still in Jera, stepped in front of the three of them. The three looked back towards the group, but ignored them overall.

"We have nothing to do with those Raiders!" A loud voice tore out through the air, "Let us pass!"

"And do what?" Another voice rose up, "Betray the tribe again, traitors?"

"You know as well as I do that's not what happened!" The first voice shouted back.

"If you apologize for what you did, then maybe we will!" More voices raised up.

"We've sworn loyalty to Acronix, We have nothing to apologize for!" Other voices raised up and shouted back.

"We need to get around them," Harumi hissed, "This sounds like a protest."

Wordlessly, Lloyd and Lulloyd nodded. People were gathered on the other side of the center of town from where the group had entered, blocking the path to the inn. They attempted to rotate around the group. As they did, Lloyd looked to what was happening. A large group of people was being boxed in against one of the buildings and a large crowd that was encircling them. They looked as though they had been cornered on their way home, and there were no other guards in sight.

"Let us go home in peace!" A strong looking man at the center of the cornered group thrust his hands out, "We're all members of the Time Tribe! We live under the watch of the dragon! I followed Krux, yes, but if he had given the order, you would have done the same! I swore my loyalty back to Acronix. I swore my loyalty to the dragon. We all did! That was why we were allowed to return home. What right do you have to punish us?!"

"The right of punishing traitors!" A woman in the crowd shouting. The crowd rapidly raised their voices in assent, "Traitors bring down the whole Tribe!"

"Are we not punished enough by being branded by all of you?" The man put his hand to his chest, "I know you! You know me! My name is Teran, I live in this tribe, like all of you. I would defend it to my last breath. And I'm sure all of you would too! Let us go home!"

"Shut it!" A man from the surrounding crowd stepped forward towards the identified Teran, "These Raiders started up right when Krux escaped. You all have something to do with him!"

"Step away from me," Teran started firmly, raising his hand to show it glowing with green power, "None of us want violence."

"Oh?" The man took another step forward, "And what will you do if I don't?"

Teran eyed him for a long few moments. The air went tense. Lloyd and the others were skirting the crowd, but the throng of people made it difficult. This wasn't a protest… it looked more like a witchhunt. Lloyd saw Harumi had been recording what was going on with her watch. He took a few more steps, only for Teran's voice to ring out.

"Guard!" Teran shouted to Monty, "This situation is growing dangerous. Help us."

Monty turned towards him with an apathetic gaze, "What do you want me to do?"

"Escort us home," Teran ordered, "Please."

"..." Monty turned towards the three behind him, then back to Teran, "I'm escorting them."

"Please," Teran pleaded, even as his gaze hardened, "We need the help."

Monty looked to his allies, then back to the group. Slowly, he walked forward, the crowd parting for him as they did. When he got to Teran, he nodded to the man. As Teran smiled at him, the one that was hassaling him leered at Monty.

"Why are you escorting _them_, Jera?" The man growled, "You know who they are."

"I'm doing my job," Monty stated coldly, "Back off."

The man stepped forward to try to get into Monty's face. Monty pushed him back. As the man stumbled away, the crowd froze, as if expecting the tension to finally break. Teran gestured to the group of trapped people, nodding for them to follow. Monty slowly guided them out through the path cleared for him. The people looked around nervously, many of them men who had the same look as Teran. When Monty had gotten them out, he gave a tense glance to one of the exits. Steadily, the group made their way there, Teran at the front and muttering thanks to Monty.

Suddenly, someone cried out. Teran turned around. Someone in the crowd had thrown something and hit one of the people Monty was escorting. In the span of a few seconds, the flames of tension lit up like a blaze. People in the crowd began shouting and the one hit, clutching their face, picked it up and threw it back. Someone lunged at him in turn, and then the entire area devolved into chaos. Monty was quickly swallowed up by the throng of people as he tried to act the part of his guard and separate the people.

Lloyd, Harumi and Lulloyd quickly panicked. The three backed off towards the edge of the square, trying to escape the throng. People were flinging time powers everywhere, pausing, reversing and forwarding themselves in various directions. The chaos was rapidly turning violent, and the three needed to escape, fast. Harumi was shoved off into the statue, and Lloyd and Lulloyd quickly grabbed her to help her to her feet and pull them out of the chaos.

While they didn't want to leave Monty, Lloyd knew they had to stay hidden. They'd meet up later. Just as the three were about to exit, someone grabbed Lloyd's arm. Lloyd turned around, only to see the face of Teran. The man, up close, revealed himself to have strong features, a hairless face, and deep eyes. He tugged Lloyd's arm through the cloak and shook his head.

"Not that way, friend," He hissed, "Come, we can make it out of this."

Lloyd turned to the two of thers, who just nodded to him nervously. Lloyd nodded back, and Teran quickly began to tug them towards the other side of the square. The four quickly darted their way to what would have been the eighth hour hand on the clock. When they reached the street, Teran looked to them and pointed down the road.

"The green house between the two red," He leaned in, "Tell them 'Teran sends his time to you.' Go, I'm going to get others."

"Uhm, alright?" Lloyd muttered.

Teran stepped back, "It is no problem. We have to help each other in these times."

Harumi and Lulloyd shrugged nervously. Teran disappeared off into the crowd. Lloyd, not wanting to stick around, decided to follow his instructions. They quickly raced their way down the street, finding their way towards the building in question. Eventually, they came to indeed a green building that was between two homes painted red. The path up to the door was a small set of stone stairs, and Lloyd slowly stalked up and knocked his hand on the wooden door.

"Teran… Teran sends his time to you," Lloyd hissed out, "Teran sends his time to you!"

After a few moments, the door unlocked, swinging open. A woman, dressed in the same armor as Jera, gestured for them to come inside quickly. Lloyd, Lulloyd and Harumi stepped inside without hesitation. The home was one massive room, with chairs everywhere and a few tables to sit at and a stairwell at the back. The three found a small bench they used to take a seat. The guard looked out the door, shutting it and sighing as she brushed her hair back.

"Another brawl?" The woman sighed, "Well, it's good you made it here. Ever since those Raiders started cutting off trade, it's just gotten worse. Do you need any water? I'd offer food, but we don't have a lot to go around right now."

"Water would be nice," Lloyd nodded, tightening the cloak around himself, "Thank you."

The guard left and returned with small cups filled with water. All three took it and drank from it eagerly, as if to calm their nerves after the situation. The guard walked over and took a seat in front of them, sighing as she rubbed the back of her neck. She revealed herself to have -somehow- perfectly blue hair that was tied off in twin tails behind her.

"Hrmm… name's Mirai," She smiled warmly to them, "I'm guessing you three were trying to sneak back home without getting spotted?"

"Yeah, we didn't want to get caught up in that," Harumi lied, "We're… relatives of some of the ones that fought for Krux."

"I understand," Mirai shook her head, "It's a bad situation. People need something right now and it seems that 'Krux supporters' are gonna be it," She sighed and stood up, "Make yourselves comfortable. Teran should be back in a bit, probably with some others. You're free to do what you need to for now."

Without anything to do, the three stayed silent and seated. Lloyd wanted to talk, but they were too close to Mirai to do so discreetly. For almost a half hour, the three waited, catching their breath and more than once looking out the window to see people passing. Harumi was looking through her video on her watch, discerning what she could from it. A few more people, some of which they recognized from the crowd, filled into the room over time. Finally, Teran himself opened the door and stepped into the door.

"Ter!" Mirai stood up, immediately wrapping her arms around him and giving him a hug, "Hey, how bad was it this time?"

"Bad," Teran shook his head, "A bunch of them must have just gotten off working on fortifying the wall. They cornered us and started heckling us. It got violent when Jera arrived."

"Jera was there?" Mirai blinked, then raised her eyebrow, "Was he trying to arrest more 'supporters' again?"

"He must have," Teran suddenly gestured to Lloyd, "He was escorting these three."

"Really?" Mirai whistled, "I'm glad you pick them up, then."

"What was Jera taking you in for?" Teran walked over and crouched down to look towards Lloyd's face under the hood. Lloyd tightened the cloak, doing his best to act more frightened than he was trying to hide himself.

"He… he just saw us and… and started taking us…" Harumi was the one that spoke up, her voice sounded completely terrified, "He, he asked us who our family was, and when we told him he… I-I don't really want to talk about it... "

"I'm guessing you three are siblings, then?" Teran guessed with a frown, "Or family?"

"Family…" Lloyd added, his own barely passable acting showing as he tried to mimic being scared, "Do you have somewhere we can stay for tonight?"

"Hrm…" Mirai pointed up, "There's a room upstairs that's empty, if you need to stay there. In the morning you should be able to get home well enough. It's not safe to travel at night."

"Use it," Teran extended his hand, showing that he had an orange symbol on it, "We need to stick together right now, more than ever."

Lloyd didn't shake the hand for fear of showing his own strange one. Instead, he just awkwardly nodded his head as if too nervous to shake. Mirai stood up and gestured for Teran to move over. Lloyd moved over a bit towards them to try to listen as they began to talk.

"...This is getting bad, if it's turning into violence, this might end in people getting hurt," Mirai shook her head, "We have to talk to Acronix. He'll listen to you, you're his friend!"

"I know, but he's leaving for the Summit in the Speed cars tomorrow morning," Teran replied back sadly, "He told me that he's working to make sure we aren't hurt. But the guards like Jera…"

"Are you sure you can't go with him?" Mirai waved her hand, "They're going to get locked up! They'll just invent some reason to put them away. Please… at least try to talk to him!"

"...I'll see what I can do, I'll go tomorrow and try to see if he'll let me go with him," Teran nodded his head, "Let's just hope nobody else needs help tonight."

Lloyd saw Teran turning around, and he quickly shrank down to try not to appear like he was listening. Teran, appearing none the wiser, looked towards the group and smiled, waving his hand to them. Lloyd, Harumi and Lulloyd stood up, shuffling after him as he led them to the wooden staircase and up to a second level of the building. Even indoors, the light was being given by the spheres.

"Uhm… this might sound like a dumb question," Lulloyd spoke up, "But uh, where's that light stuff coming from?"

"The spheres?" Teran turned back as he guided them, "Ah, I guess not many people know. They're from the Light Tribe, it's a crystal that emanates light energy," He looked to a faint and dim crystal, "We'll need more shipments of them soon…"

Teran led them to a small door and opened it, showing it was a room with two small beds. It was rather small, and other than the beds there was only one small table between them. He smiled to them nonetheless, "It's not much, but I hope that it's-"

"It's more than we could ask for," Harumi mumbled, cutting him off, "Thank you. Can, we ask for one more thing?"

"If I can spare it, then yes," Teran gave a coy smile.

"Maps?" Harumi asked gently, "We're a bit lost and it would help."

Teran raised his eyebrow at the odd request, but nodded and left the room. A few minutes later, he returned holding three maps in his hands, each of which on yellowing paper. He handed them off to Harumi and pointed to each of them in descending size.

"That's the World map, this is the map of the area, and this is the map of the Time Tribe, is that what you were looking for?" Teran asked, sounding somewhat suspicious.

"Uhm, yes, it's exactly what we needed," Harumi nodded, "We, just need to plan out a trip, and we don't have them with us. Thank you."

"I will need them back, but you can leave them in the room when you leave," Teran turned around, "I have to make some preparations, so I won't be here to see you off. Stay safe."

"We will," Harumi smiled to him. Teran gave a warm if confused smile, then closed the door behind him. As he did, Harumi and the others finally threw their hoods back, quickly moving to lock the door with a key on the bed to ensure their privacy. Harumi hit a few buttons on her watch that produced a little white noise for them to ensure their voices weren't heard.

"What… what was all that?" Luloyd asked, "I, feel like we just walked into something, bad."

"Something similar happened when the Serpentine started integrating themselves," Harumi took a seat on the bed, "From reviewing that video, something happened with Krux, and that's being used to marginalize people that followed him. Teran is someone helping those being attacked. Given how he acted, it's not a good situation."

"So we just stepped into a big social conflict over Krux?" Lloyd asked nervously, "That settles it. This has to be our Twins doing! We have to figure this out. Here, we should be able to get a bit more information from the maps, right?"

"Wait, but, the statue, it wasn't of-" Lulloyd began, but Harumi shook her head.

"That could easily be vanity. Krux would want to look strong," Harumi spread the largest map out, "Let's get some information."

Just as Teran had told them, it was indeed a map of the tribes… and the world they lived on. The map showed a massive stretch of land in a roughly circular orientation. Spreading throughout the map was a large, worm-like road that was labeled clearly against the rest of the map. The path led its way south, bringing them to where the Time Tribe sat in the firm southwest. It looped around as it neared the border of the territory, going back up along the eastern side of the map until it skirted a massive region of drawn bogs labeled as Poison Tribe territory. The path eventually went up north and then moved towards the northeast towards the Great Ocean, where on the coast almost all the region was labeled as belonging to the Water Tribe. When, finally, the path stopped, it nearly intersected itself, creating a rough and jagged circle around the world.

"Poison, Form, Fire, Water, Ice, Lightning, Time… all the elements are here," Lloyd leaned in and pointed it out, "Except Amber."

"They mentioned earlier that Amber was special… maybe it has something to do with this?" Harumi scanned the map, "Most of the tribes seem to occupy a region that's close to their element. The Fire Tribe, lives in a volcano and the area around it called the ash wastes is where the Smoke Tribe is. I think the tribes evolved around those geographic distinctions."

"Look, " Lloyd pointed to the page, specifically to an odd drawing by each tribe name, "Each tribe has a dragon around it… does that mean dragons exist in this place too?"

"Didn't Alacr swear to the, dragon or, someone did?" Lulloyd put forward, "Maybe… uhm, you know how towns can adopt an animal for their flag? Maybe… it's, like that but, with actual dragons?"

"Let's test that," Harumi opened up the next map, that being of the area around the Time Tribe. Just as they'd seen going in, the entire region was mountainous, with only one main road leading in and out that went directly to the town they were in. The majority of the region was undefined, save for a lake in the top corner of the area. Behind the Time Tribe was a small path that led to 'Muto's Dwelling' with a dragon drawn into it.

"I think Muto's a dragon," Lloyd nodded, "Maybe… the tribes are protected by the dragons?"

"That explains why nobody is afraid of them, and why we didn't see any wild dragons out in the open," Harumi affirmed, "I'd even go as far as to say maybe the dragons have something to do with why the tribes are like this. First Realm dragons are elemental, remember?"

"Let's uh, look at the last map," Lulloyd shook his head, "I don't, deal with real dragons, they kinda scare me. You two are like, an exception so far."

Harumi finally opened up the map of the Time Tribe itself. It looked fairly new compared to the other two, with updated names and the location of the statue newly drawn in. The wall was included in clearly recent revisions. The town was laid out like a clock. Harumi scanned the paper until she pointed to something in the roughly 7 hour mark on the town.

"Speed depot?" Harumi rubbed her chin, "Didn't Teran mention something about the Speed cars? Is that some sort of transportation here?" She pointed down to how the road coming out was drawn with what looked like rails rather than a path, "And that's where Acronix would be?"

"That sounds right," Lloyd affirmed, "There's something big going down tomorrow. They mentioned a 'Summit.' Didn't they say Lloyd was some sort of Dragon Lord? He could be there. We need to check it out."

"If it's a transport, let's sneak on," Lulloyd put forward, "I mean, we are ninja… right?"

"Sometimes I wonder," Harumi shrugged, "Yes, we should. What about Monty?"

"Monty may be rude, but he's smart," Lloyd sighed, "We'll just have to hope for now he gets the message to go to the Summit. If not, we'll get a message to him somehow."

"Sounds like we have a plan then," Harumi scanned each map with her watch, adding it to the many maps she had already, "Hopefully my watch should act as GPS once I give it some more information."

"Then we should get some sleep now," Lloyd pointed to the beds, "We have places to go tomorrow. It's already late, we need all the sleep we can get."

"Agreed," Harumi yawned, "We've been running around all day, after all. And, well, Monty also used me as a joyride, so I'm pretty sure once I lay down, I'm out."

"Look out, Acronix," Lulloyd smirked, "We're coming first for the Summit, then for you!"

* * *

Tomorrow, as it turned out, came far faster than any of them had expected. Given how late the group had already set out into the night for their initial incursion, they only got around six hours of sleep before Harumi's daylight sensor went off to indicate they needed to get moving. Lloyd had tried to think of a way to contact Monty, but they came up with none. Just to be safe, Lulloyd continued to haul around his gun bag, trying to make it look like a traveling sack.

Following Harumi's digitally scanned map, the group made their way towards the area of the city the cars were meant to depart from. Thankfully for them, the buildings left no shortages of shadows to hide in. Harumi muttered something about how it wasn't a tribe if they were in a city. Lulloyd and Lloyd simply agreed with her for the moment as they made their way through the city in the low light of the dawn.

When they arrived at the 'Speed depot,' the group saw something rather strange. Large white, open window cars, 10 of them to be exact, were hooked together like a train and waited on sleek metal rails. There didn't seem to be any motors on them, and instead when they looked further inside, the rails were completely filled with water. Harumi's fascination with the system was undercut as they snuck forward behind a nearby corner to look over.

Surrounded by several men in that stylish armor, each painted with different shades of time power, was Acronix. He looked like everyone else around him; that was to say, he actually looked like an hand drawn person with fingers. He didn't wear any face makeup, and his hair was cut far shorter than Lloyd's counterpart. On one hip, he had a massive sword strapped down across his back, with a hilt pulsing with blue runes ready to be drawn. He had his face down in the middle of several papers, reading through them almost frantically.

"That's… Acronix?" Lulloyd asked, "...He uhm, looks, different."

"Yeah… is that even him?" Harumi squinted, "Maybe he's just a counterpart of this world."

"The Vermillion can absorb powers, remember?" Lloyd pointed out, "He could easily be disguised and just waiting for his move to strike."

"Look!" Harumi pointed. One of the guards standing with Acronix was the familiar face of Jera, "We got lucky with this. Let's not blow our luck."

The three remained silent after that. The carts looked to be half passenger and half shipping, with the front cars being made for passengers and the back for storage. The three silently agreed they'd sneak aboard the storage carts if they could. The Acronix they had their eyes on shifted through more papers before handing them off to one of the guards, sighing and rubbing his face.

"That's… not like Acronix at all…" Harumi paused, "He must be a really good actor."

"His brother pretended to be a sweet old man in a museum for months to gain our trust," Lloyd pointed out, "I wouldn't put it past him."

A loud shout caused the group to wince. Behind Acronix, the three saw a familiar face moving in. The face was none other than Teran, who was promptly blocked by the guards. Acronix, turning around, waved his guards off, who released their block and allowed Teran to approach.

"Acronix… we need to talk," Harumi could just faintly pick up Terna's words, "Please, allow me to accompany you to the Summit. The situation is getting worse."

"Teran, there is a time and place for these things," Acronix responded, his voice identical to the one they all knew, "I am about to go to a very important discussion. Is it truly that urgent?"

"I caught one of your guards trying to arrest three 'supporters' last night," Teran responded, Harumi quickly realizing he meant them, "This is indeed that urgent. Had I not stepped in, they would be imprisoned. Please, I must speak with you."

"..." Acronix turned to the Speed car, "...I… I suppose I can make time for you. I won't have much but, please, join me in my cart," He turned to his guards, "He is a close friend, let him in."

The guards stepped aside, letting Teran enter alongside Acronix. The guards, including Jera, followed soon after. As they did, one of them grabbed a door and closed it.

"Why didn't we try to sneak aboard with Teran..?" Lulloyd asked quietly.

"Because we don't know him that well, and we don't want to draw attention to ourselves," Lloyd pointed out, "Plus he said he was trying to get on board, so it might not have worked."

Suddenly, there was a sound of electrical discharge. The sound was a rapid crackling, and Harumi could see the water begin to froth underneath the carts. The carts began to lurch forward, propelled by it. Lloyd, Harumi and Lulloyd tensed up in slight panic. They needed to get onboard and do it now.

Harumi did a quick spot check to see nobody else was watching, then rushed forward to the first cart they could see boxes inside. She reached out to grab hold of the door, but it wouldn't open. Her eyes widened, and she rapidly spun up a Rhotatae disc and tried to blast it open. The door refused to open still. The cart lurched again. Lloyd, seeing this, grabbed Lulloyd's hand and tugged him along. The two rushed to the cart in front of the storage carts, an empty passenger cart. When he tried the door, it slid open. The cart began to accelerate, and Lloyd threw the door fully open and pushed Lulloyd and the bag inside. Harumi, seeing this, ran forward and grabbed hold of Lloyd's outstretched hand. He pulled her inside and slammed the door shut just as the world outside began to rapidly blur as the cart fully moved.

The passenger cart seemed to be made of a concrete type material, with chairs set into both sides. There were no doors to the carts in front and behind. The three hunkered down onto the floor to avoid detection, finding the cart felt as though it was made out of some sort of concrete. Once they were moving, Harumi looked up. There was no way to see from the second cart into the first cart, and thus she slowly moved over to one of the windows.

Outside, the cart was pushed from its position. It looked as though the cart was gliding on top of the water, cutting through it like a boat on a calm lake. The cart went down a small slope, leaving the gate they'd exited from to close behind them. As soon as it did, the village quickly turned into a spot in the distance. Harumi watched curiously as the cart was pushed along inside the track. Every so often, they would pass by what looked like small terminals with a glowing yellow crystal inside. Each time they went past, what looked like a spark went down into the water. After a few passes, Harumis' eyes widened.

Harumi slunk down from the window, "I think those terminals are pumping lightning into the metal track, and that's conducting through the water to generate a magnetic field that's pushing the carts down the track! Oh my gosh, it's so simple it's amazing!"

"Uh… what?" Lulloyd looked out, "I… just see the metal track and the water…"

"Whenever you create an electric field, you create a magnetic field around it," Harumi explained, "If those terminals are pumping electricity into the water, it's going to create a magnetic field all around it. Pump that in perpendicular to the way we're traveling and it'll create a field that's pushing on the cart. There must be some sort of magnet on this cart! It's like a subway without the engine!"

"That… makes a little more sense I guess…" Lulloyd muttered, "Uhm… they seem to be in the early stages of like, development? If, from what I learned at school is transferring here."

"At least they're not completely underdeveloped," Lloyd turned to Harumi, "Harumi, do you think you can see where on the map we're heading?"

Harumi pulled the map up. Once she did, she looked outside. As they passed by a small lake, she began to look through the map of the territory, "I think I can. We're moving pretty fast, we'll probably be out of the territory in a little while. Once we get out of the mountains I'm sure I'll figure out where we're going."

"How long do you think it'll take us to get there, Harumi?" Lloyd looked to the map.

"Let's see… judging by the distance we've traveled… should be about an hour to the edge of the territory. After that, I don't know where we're going. We should just go ahead and rest until then either way," Harumi looked up, "Once we get where we're going, we'll be able to get off."

It was with that the three did just that. Harumi would occasionally look out the window and chart their progress, confirming they were going to be leaving the territory if they continued on their path. The landscape began to shift from rocky terrain down to gradual green fields, and eventually the fields took over and began to dominate the terrain. As they continued along, small villages and farmlands could be seen. None of them looked particularly advanced, but as they went along, Lloyd watched as people would use form to turn from large beasts of burden as they worked the fields. The carts flew by the landscape, and as they did, many people waved or called out to them. Given what they'd seen, the world was likely in the early stages of industrialization.

"...Uhm, I always hated taking long trips…" Lulloyd shook his head, "I uhm, does anyone have a topic they wanna talk about?"

"Hrm… not really, but," Harumi tapped her watch, "The Borg Conversation Prompter is here," She hit it, "Carnelian and I have gotten into some pretty long talks using it."

Her watch beeped for a few moments, then, with a sweet female voice, it spoke: "_DO YOU HAVE A SIGNIFICANT OTHER, USER_?" Harumi suddenly blushed and went silent, leaving Lloyd to take the first question.

"Uh… no, actually," Lloyd coughed, "Haven't, really had much time for that sort of thing. Never even gone out on a date..."

"Wait, what?" Harumi sat up upon hearing that, "Not even once? Just, going out with someone you like? Not at all?"

"No," Lloyd shrugged sheepishly, "I mean… I just don't have a lot of time for it, you know? And uh… I mean, it's kinda hard when, everyone knows you're the Green Ninja."

"I've gone on a few," Lulloyd responded, "I mean, uh, my mom always said to just get back at a reasonable hour."

"You have?" Harumi leaned in, "With who?"

"Uh…" Lulloyd shrunk back from the question, "You wouldn't know her. I'm almost certain there's no counterpart in your worlds. We're kinda, an odd couple, you know?"

"Wait, you're dating someone?" Lloyd turned, "Does, she know that you're currently off in the multiverse?"

"My dad said he'd tell my mom, who I'm sure will tell her," Lulloyd looked down, "N-Not that I haven't wanted to, tell her myself, you know. B-But, I mean, we were kinda trapped and, I didn't wanna make the situation worse by, you know, mentioning it to anyone. It uh, kinda not the best time."

"Once we get a chance, we'll make sure we go back to your universe and you can tell her that you're okay," Lloyd smiled, "We won't let anything bad happen to you."

"Thanks… what about you, Harumi?" Lulloyd changed focus, "Uh... What about you, Harumi?"

"..." Harumi was silent for a few moments before she gently moved a hand up to her face, "It's… uh… I-I mean you've met them."

"We have?" Lloyd asked, "The only ones we met were the Elemental Masters… it's one of them?"

"Y-Yeah…" Harumi coughed, "Sorry, I'm just, getting some really weird flashbacks here."

"Of, what?" Lulloyd asked curiously, "You uh, I mean they all seemed really nice?"

"I uh… don't know what the stance your worlds take, on uh… the couples thing," Harumi rubbed her hands together, "I don't know where you'd be if I said anything."

"I don't get what you're saying, Harumi," Lloyd leaned forward, "We won't judge you, you know that, right? If you're dating them they must make you happy. So, don't worry about it."

"S-Stop!" Harumi put her hands up, her face dark red, "Y-you're sounding exactly like what, ugh, my dad, what he said when I told him!"

"I am?" Lloyd paused for a moment, feeling some gears previously unspun starting to turn, "Are… you a lesbian, Harumi?"

Harumi put her hands on her face, "Y-Yep, this is the same feeling when I told him. I-I'm bi, actually. I'm… you met Carnelian, right? We're… we've been together for a few years. I, think our anniversary is coming up soon too…"

"The one that tried to copy our powers?" Lulloyd asked, then gulped, "I-I mean, she seemed nice!"

"You were worried we wouldn't be accepting?" Lloyd blinked in surprise, "I mean, I wouldn't say it's common but I don't know anyone that's going to be against it myself. I mean, I've always kinda taken my dad's opinion on these's things: let a person be themselves and only speak up when you think it might affect you. I'm glad you have someone… it must be nice."

"Yeah… I left her, a really long note," Harumi sighed, looking down, "The last time she saw me I was… still really upset about Olive. I forced myself to, straighten up and wrote her everything she needed to know. I… told her to not tell the others I was gone just yet. I was so focused on not getting depressed again and, taking down the ones that hurt Olive I… I didn't even think I'd be gone this long. She… she's probably going mad not being able to tell everyone where I am… oh god… she must be… she might think I'm dead, in some random world… all alone…"

Hurmi reached out to start to pull her knees up to herself. Before she could fully curl up, however, Lloyd reached out and tapped her shoulder. As she looked to him, he pulled himself over and sat beside her.

"How about this, once we get a break in all this… this, we'll make a stop at both your universes and Lulloyd's universe to make sure they know you're okay?" Lloyd smiled, "We're doing some crazy things, here, we might as well let them know that we're not crazy enough to get hurt."

"I… yeah…" Harumi slowly sighed, "I… I really rushed into it, I don't, want her to think that I… I…"

"We know we can get home now," Lloyd affirmed, "We can go and see her whenever we have Monty. You're not actually hurt, and that's what really matters. As long as we're all still okay, then we don't have to consider those 'what if' things. We'll make sure it happens, because we're all ninja. And ninja never quit."

"Did… you just relate your battle motto to my love life?" Harumi asked, turning to him with a confused expression.

"...Uh… well, it's just the easiest thing for me to work with!" Lloyd shook his head, "I mean, you said your dad trained you, or at least I heard that, so I mean I figured you were a ninja, so-"

Harumi snickered, reaching up to put her hand over his mouth. After a few moments to let herself laugh out, she slowly sat back up and got the last giggles out of herself before wiping her face off.

"No way you're my dad," Harumi continued to chortle, "He wouldn't have ever used that trying to talk about me and Carnelian," She worked the mirth from her system and then let out a sigh, "But I really appreciate it… Lloyd."

"We're all a team here," Lloyd affirmed, "And that means we're friends. Don't worry about it, you're welcome."

Soon, the terrain once more shifted to rocky. After a short ascension, the cart suddenly seemed to go right on top of a massive body of water. Harumi watched this and pulled her map up, staring at it to glean where they were going. The terrain remained a massive body of water, and the track seemed almost to be floating on top of it. As she looked to her map, she pulled the map up of the entire nation and muttered out.

"Are we going to the Water Tribe?" Harumi pointed to her map. The Water Tribe territory seemed to be a massive stretch of terrain to the west of the Form Tribe, and the cities that were painted appeared to be on top of an ocean themselves. Lloyd looked to it in confusion himself, attempting to piece it together as he looked to the large display.

"I don't know…" Lloyd pointed to the map, "Maybe that's where they're holding this Summit?"

"Maybe…" Harumi nodded her head, "Well, let's see where this goes."

The cart continued along the track for a long while. Soon, just as Harumi had pointed out on the map, they came across what looked like large floating buildings. A large platform of some sort of strange green stone was floating in the ocean, and atop that stone were buildings that reached up towards the sky. The track was connected to it, and as they got closer, they saw the buildings were in a similar state of technology to that of the Form Tribe: everything appeared to be lit by strange yellow oil, and nothing appeared to be using any sort of electricity.

"Guys, we're coming up on a station," Harumi pointed out, "Let's get ready to get going."

Harumi trailed off. Lloyd and Lulloyd perked their heads out the window to see why. The station was filled with guards, and standing in the middle of them was Nya. She looked older than Lloyd remembered her being; she looked at least in her mid twenties, and she was wearing what looked like a glistening set of blue fabric draped over a skintight silver bodysuit. Her hair was much longer than Lloyd remembered it being, going almost down to her waist. She had several guards around her, just like Acronix… had...

"Guys…" Lulloyd muttered as he saw it, "That place has a lot of people there…"

"...Oh no," Harumi looked at the empty cart, "Guys, this cart wasn't empty for no reason. The Summit isn't going to be held here, this is a cart meant for Nya! We have to get out of here, fast!"

The two didn't want to test the validity of Harumi's claim with anything other than affirmation. The three quickly looked outside, but the cart was already pulling into the station. Once they had stopped, the three looked around. Both sides of the platform were filled with guards, and there was no way for them to get out without being spotted.

"Nya!" Acronix's voice came from the cart in front of them now that the sound of travel was gone, "The cart's all ready for you. Hope you're fine with us showing up early."

"I've come to expect it from you, Acronix," Nya chuckled to her, "I figured you would probably leave early."

Nya made her way up towards the cart Lloyd, Harumi and Lulloyd were in. As soon as she approached it, her shadow cast in through the window. Once it did, Nya seemed to stop. The three held their breath, not sure what to do.

Without warning, the doors to the cart burst open. Guards clade in silver armor rushed inside, quickly identifying the three prone figures and grabbing them. From the water inside the cart, Nya drew up a long tentacle and held it threateningly beside her. The guards quickly dragged Lulloyd, Lloyd and Harumi to their feet.

"Acronix, you didn't by chance have anyone else join you besides you, right?" Nya growled, "I just found three people in the back here."

"...What?" Acronix stepped out behind Nya, leveling his gaze towards the three. Lloyd froze upon seeing it.

"Let go of me!" Harumi gasped, "We just wanted to get to the Summit, that's it!"

"Wait a minute…" Nya looked at the three closely, staring at Lloyd in particular, "That.. shape…" Suddenly, the tentacle of water shot forward and held itself at Lloyd's chest. Lloyd looked to Nya in confusion.

"They have the same odd shape as that armor we found from those Raiders..." Nya pointed out, "I think we've found some of them, Acronix."

"Wait!" Harumi was about to say more, but one of the guards produced a piece of cloth they used to gag her.

"They must have been hiding here to…" Acronix gripped his fist, "We'll take them with us, then. They might have some valuable information."

Lloyd wanted to say more, but a gag was forced into his mouth as well. Before he could even attempt to say more, a band of water wrapped around his eyes, and his vision was cut off. The three were forced down onto the ground, their weapons and Lulloyd's mechdragon taken. As they were dragged back up, Lloyd and the others were left stunned as their goal of getting anywhere unseen was completely dashed.

* * *

"Get up," A gruff female voice commanded Lloyd.

Lloyd didn't have much choice as something grabbed his shoulders. He was hauled up to his feet and dragged somewhere. Beside him, he heard the struggling hissing of Harumi and the shuffling of feet which he assumed was Lulloyd.

The cart had been traveling for what felt like hours, and during that time Lloyd had heard other people getting on simply by the buzz in the station. He wasn't sure where they were, for each time he would try to move he would be pushed back down. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew that Harumi had tried twice to cut through her bindings with Rhotatae. At some point, the three had been put in cuffs, and just from the telltale feeling of them, Lloyd knew they were either vengestone or something similar. He'd heard them have trouble with Lulloyd given the way his arms didn't seem to bend the way they wanted them too.

Once the three were up and moving, Lloyd at first did his best to try to get anything from listening to the people around him. The three were led away from the carts it seemed. They went through doors that didn't sound like prison bars, however, and thus it was hard for him to tell if they were in some sort of they were funneled further into wherever they were, Lloyd felt wood underneath his feet from the sound it made.

"Take them to the holding cell, I'll call on them when I'm ready to present them," Nya ordered harshly, "Do not let them escape. They might be the key to this entire mess."

"Yes ma'am!" The woman dragging Lloyd along shoved him forward, "What should we do with this… girl? She seems the feistiest one here."

"She tried to get out three times," Nya mused, "I'll see if I can get one of Karlof's guards to come and perhaps make us bindings so she can't use that strange hand trick. In the meanwhile, if she keeps this up… do what you must to make her docile."

"Understood, ma'am," The female guard tugged on Lloyd, "Seems like the other two aren't putting up much of a fight. They know what's good for them."

Lloyd wanted to try to talk to Nya more, if only to actually see more of what she was like, but they were moving before he could. The female guard opened a door and threw Lloyd inside harshly. Lloyd felt as though he landed on marble, his body rattled from it. He tried to sit up, but he felt someone thrown on top of him. From the weight, it had to be Lulloyd.

Something cold wrapped around Lloyd's wrists and seeped between his cuffs and skin. From the way it slithered, he suspected it had to be water. His body was suddenly jerked up in the air and dragged through it until he hit a wall. His arms were raised above his head, the water pulling them upwards while keeping his legs on the ground. He heard two more thumps beside him, one with a massive snarl of protest.

"You three are going to stay right there," The guard, likely controlling the water if Lloyd guessed right, sneered, "I don't know what sort of plan you had with Lady Nya, but if you think we're going to stand for it, don't."

Lloyd heard Harumi violently snarling and thrashing against the wall. In response, there was a sound of gurgling and then slams against the wall that vibrated through Lloyd's body. Harumi's cries quieted down, even if they didn't fully tamper out.

"Good, so we understand each other," The woman sighed, "Don't worry, I'll make sure that none of you have any issues when we present you to the other leaders. And if any of you even so much as think of raising a hand against any of them, not only are they all the most powerful elemental wielders out there, but the Dragon Lord is there too. You even try to mess with him, I can guarantee you he'll make sure you regret it."

Lloyd was silent partially from compliance, and partially from thought. Apparently, they shared the same look as these intruders. That was good, for it meant that most likely whatever these intruders were, they had to have come from his universe, which meant the Time Twins. Likewise, they were at a gathering of leaders and the Dragon Lord was there, meaning that they were at the Summit if he had heard Monty correctly. Of course, being captured like this wasn't good, but he had to roll with what he could.

"Oh?" The guard spoke much to Lloyd's shock, "You want to say something, stiffy?"

Lloyd held his breath. The guard walked off to his right it seemed, most likely where Lulloyd was being strung up as well. After a bit of noise, Lulloyd gasped and spat a bit with the gag that had been in him as well.

"I, uhm, wanted to ask, what makes you so sure we're these Raiders you're sure we are?" Lulloyd asked cautiously.

"What makes me think that?" The guard spoke in shock, "You all look like… well like nothing we've ever seen! You look exactly like the armor the Dragon Lord captured said you would!"

"We…. came from the Form Tribe," Lulloyd lied, "What, uh, makes you think we aren't just some common thieves that tried to look like this to disguise ourselves and rob Chamille blind?"

"You think I'm stupid?" The guard spat, "I know a form user can only take on a form of something they've seen before. So, even if you say that you took on a form like this, it means that you've seen them. Plus, stress makes it easy to drop forms, and clearly your friend over there hasn't yet. So you all are either committed to this gambit, or you're with them. So either way, you're what we want. That all you got to say?"

"Uh… well, that and uh… you ever heard of the silent shark gambit before?" Lulloyd asked.

"What" The guard was about to say more, but the sound of something striking the back of her head silenced her. Lloyd heard her collapse to the ground, and once she did, another voice came in her place.

"Okay, Lulloyd, next time you try that, don't actually say what I'm about to do," Monty growled, "If she'd turned around…."

"I didn't, know what else to say!" Lulloyd protested. Lloyd felt the water around his bindings dissolve and let him lower his arms. Once they had, something pulled the cover off his head.

"Next time you all make me get so close to someone wielding water again I swear I'm going to leave you to die," Monty growled, his hand shaking as he held the cover. Lloyd saw the bottom of it was slightly wet. The ghost flung it away fast, holding the SoS in the other hand.

"Monty?" Lloyd shook his head, "...Where's Jera?"

"It turns out that Jera is one of the guards for Acronix," Monty crossed his arms, "I told you. I have possession down. Had to make sure he doesn't leave anyone that might miss him, so to speak."

Harumi thrashed with renewed energy. Monty walked over and, instead of touching her, blasted her with wind. The water on her body from the binds was blown away, but in turn it left Harumi frazzled and pressed into the wall. Monty curled his hand towards him, causing the wind to rip the gag off her. Once she had her lips free, her eyes were furious.

"What was that?!" Harumi spat, "You could have just used the SoS to do it for you!"

"Okay, first, I never agreed to call it SoS," Monty pointed out, "And you were wet. You understand that if I get enough water on me, poof, right? You were captured by _Nya_ too. I would have gotten you out a lot sooner if I was sure I wouldn't have gotten blasted to… I don't even know where I'd go. Now show me those cuffs."

The three turned around and held their arms out with the cuffs on. Lloyd saw now that Lulloyd's cuffs were extremely loose given his rigid arms and barely even staying on. Monty drew the SoS and gave it a swing overhead twice for practice before he cleaved each of their cuffs in half with three strokes. With the connection broken, Monty took each of their hands and used the space between skin and cuff to blast wind inside until the cuffs finally strained enough they could be slid right off their hands. For Lulloyd, a simple tug was enough.

"Where are we?" Lloyd asked as he rubbed his wrists.

"From what I got, you're in a holding cell," Monty looked around the room, directing his attention to what looked looked like a regular room that'd been converted to a dungeon by putting bars on the door, "This building is basically a big meeting ground and inn all in one. I'm pretty sure that the Summit takes place here."

"So it's a place to receive foreign dignitaries," Harumi mused, "That's probably why Acronix picked up Nya."

"More to it than that," Monty crossed his arms, "I saw a few leaders when I was sneaking over here. Every elemental master from Chen's tournament is a leader here. Turner, Penser, Kai, Cole, Jay, all of them. They're all older too, or at least the ninja we all know. Well, not for you, Rumi," Monty waved his hand to her.

"Don't call me Rumi," Harumi narrowed her gaze, "Just… don't."

"Fine then, Hari," Monty continued, much to Harumi's annoyance, "This building was apparently built after the war, there was a whole plaque dedicating it to stopping Chen. Apparently this war that took place, it was against Chen. I tried to get more, but some guards came by when I tried to get more."

"Well… what's the plan now?" Lullloyd asked, "They took our weapons and my dragon, and we're already b-"

"They took the gun bag?!" Monty suddenly was up in Lullyod's face with a burst of wind, "Where'd they take it?!"

"T-They took it when we were on the carts!" Lulloyd took several steps back, "I, imagine Nya probably has it, or, her guards do."

"Great… great!" Monty threw his hands up in the air, "They have our weapons, Lulloyd's getaway and all the guns I took with me for the sole purpose of not being caught with just my pistols!" Monty put a hand on his face, sheathing the SoS in the process, "...Just, wonderful."

"Look," Harumi stepped forward, "I doubt they'd get rid of them. They'll probably try to present them as evidence against us. We need to get going so they don't take us before the Summit, assuming that's what the meeting is. They think we're the Raiders and the way we were treated, I doubt it'll be easy to give our side."

"We should sneak our way back to the carts and try to start them up," Lloyd surmised, "Forget meeting the Dragon Lord, we'll have to find another way. Right now we'll have to just get out of here and deal with getting to the Twins another way."

"Wait a minute," Harumi stepped in, "We don't have to leave, but we can at least sneak around and see what else we can find. We're in a literal world gathering, we can find something!"

"Lloyd's right, Haru," Monty turned to her, "We stay here too long, we'll be caught eventually. They know we're here, and I'm the only one who can disappear if I need to. We should just get out while we have the chance."

"You're just a mercenary!" Harumi growled, "Of course you'd want to leave!"

"I assure you there is a surprising amount of overlap between ninja and mercenary when you use silenced pistols," Monty threw back plainly, "We can hide near the building and wait until the commotion has died down if you really want to, but right now running is our best option."

"I uh, think Monty's right, Harumi," Lulloyd responded while looking partially at Monty, "We have to at least get out of here. It's the best option."

Harumi looked to the room dissenting with her. Lloyd wondered if her team ever disagreed with her the way they were, especially given that they all seemed to live in a time of peace. After taking the time to cool down, Harumi didn't say anything but gave a little nod of her head.

"Alright, let's get moving," Monty turned to the door, "I'll take lead. If I vanish, stay still, got it?"

The three had no objections. Monty opened the door to the room they were held in, showing a somewhat normal looking hallway Monty made his way out into the hall and down to the far right, looking around a corner and waving his hand for them. The three filed out after him, sticking close to the wall and letting Monty guide them through the building.

As the group soon found out, the building was multi floored with stairwells interspersed throughout it. The exterior was likely circular given the way the hallways seemed to all come to a point like the spokes on a wheel. Hallways perpendicular to the main ones were slightly circular as well, giving the impression of a wheel even further. They continued their way through the hallways, having to stop and make their way in a very roundabout path to finally get to the hall that seemed to stretch the circumference of the building.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me…" Monty growled under his breath.

The group made their way into the outer hallway, seeing that it had large glass windows at even intervals that stretched to the ceiling. Outside the window, they could see a massive thunderstorm pouring rain over a rather dry looking landscape with small trees interspersed throughout it. From the height, they were likely on the second floor, and out the left edge of the window, one of the metal water filled rails stretched out into the distance.

"That's… unfortunate," Lloyd looked over into the rails, "There don't seem to be any coming in."

"If the system relies on the current to be delivered right into the water then rain would make it impossible to use," Harumi groaned, "We're stuck here until the rain blows over."

"Also the fact it's basically raining death out there for me," Monty scoffed, "Ghost, remember?"

"Couldn't you just surround yourself in a blanket of wind and do it that way?" Lloyd pointed out, "I mean, not that we're asking you to but, is it possible?"

"If I lose concentration for one second, like, say, being attacked, then it'd drop and I'd poof instantly," Monty shook his head, "Not really a fan of that prospect."

"Let's see…" Lulloyd made his way up to the window, looking out curiously, "Guys, let's see if we can find anything we can use."

Lloyd and Harumi snuck up to the window, looking outside to survey the landscape. Monty stood still a good three feet from the glass.

"Look, you do realize that if I'm beside a window it'd be like you guys in the middle of a lake of lava, right?" Monty shook his head, "I'm not getting near that."

"I was just, saying it to the group, you know? It's, thunderstorming out there." Lulloyd responded nervously, "Didn't mean anything by it."

"Well how about we worry what's inside this place and not what's outside? Clearly something is up and we're in a gathering of literal world leaders," Monty scoffed, "Might be better to worry about our own skin rather than that. You're not exactly sneaking around like ninja."

"Don't go telling us whether or not we're qualified to be 'ninja' when you're walking around carrying I don't even know how many guns on you!" Harumi snapped at Monty, "We're trying to find a way out of here, you know! If we can't get outside we might as well see where we are!"

"Don't go attracting attention with your loud voice then," Monty rolled his eyes, "Look, let's just get moving and get out of here before someone sees us."

The three stepped away from the window and silently agreed, even if Harumi wanted to say more. They were about to do something, when a white flash suddenly appeared in front of Monty. When it ended, someone leapt up from it in the air and landed right against Monty. Monty's eyes widened as he instinctively reached for a pistol. Harumi took one look at the figure and quickly darted over and swatted her hand at him. Monty stopped drawing it only by the thought behind the gesture.

"You're a ghost?!" The figure, a child dressed in golden robes, gasped, "Hi! I'm Lloyd, Lloyd Garmadon, Dragon Lord and all that! What's your name?"

The group took a long moment to analyze the boy. The resemblance to Lloyd when he was still young was… uncanny. He had blond messy hair that attempted to be drawn into some sort of brush but seemed to simply refuse to do so. He was only as well as Monty's chest, lending credence to the fact he looked like a child. His eyes sparkled with green irises. His robes were a bright gold, with a pattern of a dragon wrapping around the back and up towards the left shoulder. His robes had a piece of cloth tied around his waist like a belt of a sparkling golden material_. _He had his hands in tight fists in front of his chin, eyes sparkling in adoration towards Monty.

"...Monty…" Monty coughed out, "You… you're Lloyd?"

"Yep! Lloyd, Dragon Lord, savior of the world, but forget all that, I've only seen ghosts in books, how are you a ghost?!" Lloyd leaned in, nearly pressing into Monty, "You're all green and see through! How?! Why are you here, why do you look like a flattened person, is this what all ghosts look like when they die?!"

"Sure," Monty stated plainly, his eyes still widened from the shock.

"Really?!" The boy gasped, "Oh my gosh, can you tell me more about it, please?!"

"You're, Lloyd?" Lulloyd stepped forward, "You're, the Dragon Lord?"

The boy turned, his smile still enthusiastic, "Yep! It's a pleasure to meet you guys! Whoever you are! Now, tell me more about yourselves!"


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, the story continues!
> 
> I wanted to make one quick note here: due to me having an abundance of free time on my hands, and thanks to the idea from a certain AO3 user, I have recently published a new oneshot called Number One Crime: Copyright Infringement. For those of you who have wondered how Skylar feels about the Mechanic using one of her father’s noodle trucks, I hope you take the time to find out!

"I didn't know ghosts existed! What's it like being a ghost!? I read they can't feel things, can you?! Wait, you're see through, how are you standing on the floor? Are your clothes ghost too?! That sword looks different, is it ghost?! Can you fly, float, can you walk through walls?! What are you doing in this place? Wait, no no don't answer those, can you possess people?!"

The young boy that the group had learned was none other than the famous Dragon Lord gasped as he continued to run circles around Monty. The ghost stood still with a blank expression, almost like a bored animal caught in the headlights. The boy was zipping around Monty with his eyes flashing entirely white in a way Lloyd and Harumi could easily recognize as the power of Speed being used over and over again. The group were in one of the many rooms in the building, having been escorted there by the boy after Monty's demand for a space to answer the questions.

"I can't feel anything unless I try, even then it's only a fraction of it," Monty responded with the most neutral tone that he could, his words stiff, "Yes my clothes are a ghost. Not, the sword is not, it won't turn into a ghost like I can. Yes, I can possess people, that's how I got in here. How do you know about ghosts?"

"Oh, the First Elemental Master wrote about a _bunch_ of things in his scrolls!" The boy beamed, "Ghosts, snakes, djinns, big animals, basically anything that could hurt his descendants! I got to read all of them since _I'm_ related to him. And his scroll on ghosts was so cool!" He gasped, "But we don't see them anymore! He got rid of like, all that stuff! And now I get to see it! It's like… amazing!"

Lulloyd and Lloyd were both stunned trying to make heads or tails of who was in front of them, both from the fact he looked nothing like them in body structure, and how his face seemed to be eerily familiar. It was like looking at a version of themselves both as children, drawn and then brought to life in front of them with more energy than either of them had. Harumi had already scanned him with her watch while he was talking and was furiously going through data from it.

"So… Lloyd," Lloyd began awkwardly, "You, uh… you're the Dragon Lord we've heard so much about?"

"Yep!" The boy answered happily, "Lord over all Elemental Dragons and such! But I don't wanna talk about me, everybody knows about me! I wanna know about _you_ guys! Look at you! You all look so… flat!"

"Should we tell him?" Harumi whispered fiercely to Lloyd. Lloyd paused to consider that notion.

"We're from another universe," Monty took the choice away by stating it plainly to the boy, "I'm Monty, that's Lloyd, Lulloyd and Harumi. You said you were Lloyd?" Monty stole a look at the Lloyd he already knew, "We're gonna need a nickname for you so this doesn't get confusing."

Lloyd rolled his eyes as Harumi went back down to her watch. The boy didn't seem to care, instead standing still. The action almost looked like his brain was a computer given an incredibly complex program it was trying to run through. When it finished, he looked up and his smile grew to proportions that none of them had ever seen.

"YOU'RE FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSE?!" The boy shouted, his eyes flashing cyan and his voice being amplified by sound. Lloyd had to cover his ears for a moment. The entire room vibrated from the sound before he realized his mistake, "Oh, oops, sorry! I kinda call on that without thinking…"

"Y-Yeah…" Lulloyd lowered his arms from his own head, "Uh… we're chasing down some people that got away from us and came to your world. And, uh, we were looking for you to give you information."

"You mean like assassins?" The boy suddenly grimaced,, "...Okay not exactly, I mean I don't think you all are trying to kill me. But I mean like, you tracked me down, hunted me, and got all the way here, just to give me information? Me?"

"You're thinking more of a bounty hunter there, kid," Monty spoke somewhat forced with the name, "Like I said, nickname, we need a nickname for you."

"A nickname?" The boy blinked, "But, I'm Lloyd! The one and only Dragon Lord and… hrm…" He rubbed his chin, "Well I have like, a lot of them! What sort of nickname?"

"I let them use a mispronounced version my dad uses," Lulloyd raised his hand.

"Hrm… " The boy rubbed his chin, "What do I wanna be called... well. I have one friend that calls me Mage, says it's magic that I can do all I can do. So… let's go with Mage for now!"

"Mage?" Lloyd blinked, "You sure about that? You don't do magic."

"Like I said, my friend uses it!" Mage nodded, "And it's easier to say than Monny!"

Monty crossed his arms, "I'm Mon_t_y, Monny sounds like the reject of some children's toy."

"Like you're one to talk with being respectful," Harumi scoffed, "Not everything you say has to be combative, Monty."

"Oh? But I know you can take it, Haruhi," Monty rolled his eyes, "Clearly you don't control the universe so don't go crying about it. I'm not working around you here." Lulloyd perked up.

"Sorry!" Mage quickly chirped up, "I'm really bad with names. I had to learn so many! I mean, up until a year ago I didn't even know anyone other than my mom, dad and uncle! And only my dad was ever around… never really anyone like I do now! I went from knowing three people to like, three hundred!"

"Did you live in a Monastery?" Lloyd perked up, "With your... dad?"

"Yeah, My mom is off doing things, and Uncle Wu had a big fight with my dad when I was younger and so it's just me and my dad," Mage sighed, then smiled, "But hey, I know there are people with no parents, so I'm glad to just have one!"

"...That, sounds like mom," Lloyd admitted, "I guess that's at least, a positive way of thinking at least."

"My dad is here too," Mage continued, "But he's also doing all the proceedings for the Summit. I never knew getting so many people together was this… difficult! I mean, when I was in a tribe I just had to ask and then set up the date! Leaders can be kinda stuffy."

"What is your dad like?" Harumi asked, "Is he Lord Garmadon?"

"Lord..?" Mage blinked, "Wha? No, he's just Garmadon! Or, I mean, he insists that you call him that. He's never been a Lord of anything. They tried to give him a title but he didn't get it!"

"This world is different," Monty stated plainly, "Clearly we're going to have as few points of reference with him as we have with Lulloyd."

"So… that means I finally won't be the one out of the loop all the time?" Lulloyd smiled gently.

"No, you'll still be out of it," Monty rolled his eyes, "Now you just have a friend."

"No one has addressed the elephant in the room," Lloyd spoke up, "Mage is using more than one elemental power. We talked to some traders on the way. It looks like everyone has only one."

"Oh, everyone can," Mage grinned, "But I'm the Dragon Lord! I wasn't born under a tribal dragon, I was born under the Firstbourne. I have the ability to master every element! And I know every element! ...Saying I've mastered them is kinda a stretch though," He awkwardly chuckled, "I can use them all just fine but I don't have the best stamina…"

"Wait…" Monty pursed his lip, "Does that include water?"

Mage raised one hand, a ball of water forming over his fingers and affixing to each of them like watery daggers, "Yeah, of course!"

"I see," Monty, now on the other side of the room, responded casually.

Mage paused and looked around, "So… what was it you all wanted to tell me?"

Lloyd, Harumi and Lulloyd all shared a look. After a moment of silent deliberation, Harumi stepped forward. She brushed some of her hair from her face, her features becoming serious.

"Mage, there is a pair of twins here that are trying to take over your world, or at the very least, destroy a part of it," Harumi shook her head, "They came from Lloyd's universe, and he's been chasing them down. We've come after them together in hopes of stopping them. They're going to try to undo everything, take over everyone, and then likely spread into other worlds as well. Mage… what do you know about Krux and Acronix?"

"Uhm… a lot," Mage crossed his arms, "I was around when Krux turned on his tribe-"

"The prisoners must have gone this way!"

Instantly, Harumi shot her hands up, forming small Rhotatae discs in her hands. As Mage marveled at them, Lloyd and Lulloyd rushed to the door, planting themselves on either side of it and leaning in. Monty silently drew a pistol and aimed it at the door, giving Lloyd and Lulloyd a nod of his head. The two inched towards the door to listen. The voice had come from outside the door in the hallway.

"They wouldn't get away from the building in this storm," A voice none other than Nya spoke with determined force, "They have to be in here somewhere. Spread out and search all these rooms!"

"What's wrong?" Mage looked out towards the door, "Wait… prisoners? Are you guys, did Nya take you prisoner?"

"We may have accidentally used Acronix's ride to get here and… may have hidden in her cart," Harumi groaned, "And they captured us thinking we were those Raiders."

"Raiders?" Mage squinted his eyes at her, "...Well now that you mention it, you guys do look you'd fit in that armor from back then…"

"We're here to stop the Raiders," Monty drew another pistol, "I broke them out to get here. We'd kinda like to remain hidden, or at least not captured. Take two steps to your right, Mage."

Mage complied, taking steps out of Monty's line of sight to the door. The ghost planted himself against the wall, ready to drop the SoS and leap through the wall if he had to. Lloyd charged his fists with green power, getting ready to flash them with light to stun them. Lulloyed looked around the room and kicked a small four legged table, rebuilding it into a makeshift hammer he likewise readied to swing. The four held their breath as Mage stood in confusion.

"Guys," Mage shook his head, "Look, I'll go explain this to Nya, she'll believe me! Trust me! I know all the leaders here, I'm technically the leader of this entire Summit."

"It isn't that simple," Harumi shook her head, "They think we're here to attack them, they won't just let us go! We've all been in these sort of situations before."

"I'm used to more piranha mechs being involved," Lulloyd admitted, "And more buildings blowing up."

"That's exactly what they'll do," Mage stepped towards the door, entering Monty's line of sight, "Listen, if they try to hurt you, I'll protect you. Nobody is gonna try to hurt the Dragon Lord. I promise, let me just go tell Nya I found you guys and got your side of the story explained, and that's that. I'll handle this... please?"

"Can we trust that?" Lloyd looked to his allies, "We can't afford to waste time getting caught here."

"If… Mage is who he says he is, then… it'd be the equivalent of the Royal Family issuing a decree," Harumi pointed out, taking in a breath and lowering her fighting stance, "If this goes bad, we can fight our way out."

Lulloyd slowly released his grip on the hammer, kicking it to turn it back into the table. Lloyd let his green power fizzle out, nodding to Mage. Monty continued to hold his pose for a few moments. After a bit, he relented steadily and hesitantly. He hid one gun, but Harumi noted he held onto the second one just in case.

"Just stand in the room, and let me explain this," Mage opened the door, "It'll just be one minute!"

Mage left the room. Lloyd and Lulloyd stepped away from the door and stood by Harumi. Monty stood behind all of them, not wanting to meet the master of water face to face. While the four waited with batted breath, there was the sound of scuffling outside the door. Footsteps approached it, and then stopped. From the shadows under it, two people were talking. When it opened, Mage stood beside Nya with a smile on his face. Nya looked into the room, her feminine, sleek and powerful body imposing on all of them.

"...These are those intruders alright," Nya slowly turned to Mage, "You're saying they didn't try to attack you? Not even once?"

"Nope! They actually were pretty nice. They said they're here to warn us about the Raiders," Mage pointed to them, "That's Lloyd, Lulloyd, Monty and Harumi!"

"Lloyd?" Nya cocked her head, "But, you're Lloyd. I thought that name was special?"

"Mhm, and if one of them has it, all the more reason why they're important to listen to!" Mage shrugged, "They tried to tell you, but I guess when you decide to ask questions later, these things happen," Mage sighed, "Just like the day you met me!"

Nya's face flushed slightly red. When she looked at the four of them, her eyes landed on an unusually tense Monty, "I didn't bring him with us. Where did he come from?"

"He was following you guys!" Mage lied quickly and without so much as a twitch on his features, "He's with them. They're here to warn us about some Twins that are trying to take us over. And they know something about the Raiders."

"Yes," Lloyd followed, "We're hunting two people that escaped from us and came here, we're here to try to stop them. We had to talk to Mage here."

"Mage?" Nya paused, then sighed, "Ah, that must be one of his nicknames."

"Yep, NyNy!" Mage grinned, "I think we need to hear them out. We called this entire thing just to talk about the Raiders. We need to use the information we have, and if they have it, we need it!"

Harumi stepped forward, "Will you let us explain ourselves? Hear us out, and if afterwards you find our story too far fetched, you can let us go. These Raiders are clearly a serious threat, right? We're here to help fix that, it seems," She paused, "This, may be an odd question, but are you familiar with Krux and Acronix?"

"Of course I am," Nya raised her eyebrow, "We've done business with the Time Tribe for years now. It'd be weird if I didn't know at least Acronix."

"Has he acted weird at all in the last few months?" Harumi waved her hand, "Anything at all? Has he shown any signs of not being himself?"

"I don't know him well," Nya shook her head, "I just do business with him. He was a little more tired than normal today, but that's it. I don't know what you're supposed to be asking here," She turned to Mage, "Are you sure about them?"

Mage shook his head, "It'd be easy for them to just try to attack me there! We've all seen these Raiders strike without any reason, right? Why would they suddenly decide not to attack me?" He crossed his arms, "They already tried to assassinate me once, and Acronix."

"Wait, what?" Lloyd blinked, "What was that about an assassination?"

"Good point…" Nya waved her hand, "Fine, I was going to present you to the Summit anyways. Telling me wouldn't be as useful as telling it to everyone instead. If Lloyd trusts you… we'll see how the others can tell your story to all of us, and it better be a good one. I still have plenty of cause to haul you all to a cell if it isn't."

"We want to cooperate with you," Lloyd stated firmly, "We have no intention of anything else, we promise."

"Well then…" Nya turned around, "Let's go."

* * *

As the group walked, it gave Harumi time to process what was in front of her. The Nya in front of her was more akin to the one she was used to: older, somewhat wiser, and appearing to be a bit more authoritative. It made sense, given that apparently she was the head of the entire Water Tribe. Her outfit was somewhat more what Harumi was interested in now that she was up close. It appeared to be some of skintight sleek gray material, with drapings of cloth over it to hide that fact. It was almost brazen with how it was made, and it drew her eye more than she realized. It was still very pretty on her, Harumi would admit.

As the group walked, Harumi looked to her companions. As far as the spectrum of liking them went, she already was going to put Mage above Monty even if she'd known him for less than an hour. Monty seemed to annoy her with every single little thing he said. It wasn't like she was trying to be angry with at least one person in their group, but… Monty just went out of his way to make her do that! He was useful, but beyond that she wanted this over so she wouldn't have to be around him anymore. It made her glad she wasn't still angry with Lloyd.

"Here's how we'll play this," Nya turned towards the group as she walked, eyes with actual irises in them coming across even stranger than her appearance, "I'm going to introduce the fact I have new information. Do not come in until I say so. I will have my guards tell you. Lloyd advocates for you, but my tribe is not the center of the attacks. If we do not play this carefully, we could very well be in big trouble. Understood?"

"Understood, Nya," Harumi nodded her head, "Or… is it, Master Nya?"

"Lady Nya," One of Nya's guards corrected.

"Sorry, Lady Nya," Lloyd smiled awkwardly, "We'll follow your instructions." Lulloyd blinked in agreement.

"If you think it's best, fine by me," Monty shrugged, "Better we follow you than get a one way ticket to the afterlife's afterlife."

"What?" Nya asked in confusion.

Harumi gave Monty another long look. She didn't doubt that he was going to follow orders, but at the same time the fact he had to make it so difficult and spark an entire extra exchange made her want to grip her fists. In a way she was almost glad she'd made up with Lloyd for now; she didn't have the energy to deal with being annoyed about both of them. When she put it like that, though, she sounded like someone difficult to get along with. At the very least Monty got on Lloyd's nerves too, making her at least somewhat more assured in herself.

"I just realized something," Harumi pulled up her watch, "Is your brother the leader of the Fire Tribe?"

"He is," Nya stated calmly, "Our mother is of the Water Tribe, and she met our father while on a mercy mission to the Fire Tribe. They needed someone with knowledge of medicine, and so my mother stayed behind. When it came time for her to be called back to the Water Tribe, she took me with her by my father's request. My brother and I just so happened to both be selected by the dragons."

"Are the tribes not hierarchical?" Harumi asked, "We were told the Speed Tribe selects their leaders by their dragon."

"If you aren't chosen by your tribe's dragon, it's a fast way to be doubted as a leader," Nya remarked, "The dragon choses based on their wisdom and foresight. Some dragons will pick multiple leaders and have them compete for the role. My brother and I were simply selected, and that was that."

Eventually the group reached a large hallway that they guessed was in the center of the building. It was completely circular, and had doors spaced along its circumference. A large number of people were already inside judging from the discussion taking place. Nya's guards lined up alongside a set of doors. Nya approached them and gestured for Mage to follow her.

"Do as I say and we can avoid most of the trouble," Nya narrowed her eyes at them, "The only reason I'm doing this is because the Dragon Lord trusts you. Don't make me regret this. There are people in there that have had their Tribes nearly break apart due to these Raiders. Don't waste our time, and don't you even think of lying to us."

"We hear you, Lady Nya," Lloyd nodded his head.

"We're on your side, we'll do what we need to so we can stay on it," Harumi affirmed, "Thank you for your help, Lady Nya. We really do appreciate it."

"I do have one question before we enter," Nya paused, "What was your plan before this? Sneaking aboard my personal escort was one thing, but what did you think would happen when you got here?"

"We would find the Dragon Lord, tell him about this threat, and then see if he'd help us," Lulloyd answered, "We usually make our plans loose to account for things like these."

"I guess you had a plan then, but not a thought out one," Nya pointed out, "Well let's make our plans align then. If this is the time for us to learn how to defeat these Raiders, so be it."

With that, Nya and Mage entered the doors, Mage giving them a wave before he did. The four were left standing surrounded by Water Tribe guards. Already, Harumi noted that Monty was standing at the back of the group to be as far from them as he reasonably could. Lloyd was standing with a determined look, while Lulloyd was looking around to take in more of the hallway they all stood in.

"I think, we can probably say that there are two Acronixs now," Lulloyd turned, "I, picked up on why you were asking that, Harumi."

Nodding to him, Harumi turned to the group, "If Nya says he isn't acting strange, and he looks like everyone here, then the one on the Speed Cars isn't the twin we're looking for. That must mean the actual Acronix and Krux aren't operating out in the open yet."

"But that's a problem," Lloyd paused, "We all saw it. I'm sure those Raiders are Vermillion. I mean, those bikes look like the tanks they built, now that I think about it. So the Twins have some sort of plan."

"And given that we don't know their plan, we're going in with nothing more than hearsay," Monty pointed out with a yawn, "Not a good image for us. Those empty armors after the battle also means those snakes are being careful not to get caught."

"I'm used to giving reports without time to research them," Lulloyd pointed out, "But, uh, if we have no evidence then, what'll make them believe us?"

"We need to start by telling them about the Vermillion," Harumi raised her arm to tap her watch, "Then we give what we have. Start with things they can believe, then go into things they can't. We can't get around the Twins, though. We say clearly that this Acronix and our Acronix aren't the same one. This is going to be confusing if we're not careful."

"When we deal with the actual Twins, we'll be careful," Lloyd pointed out, "Right now, let's just get ready to make a good first impression. I think you should take the lead, Harumi."

"Are you sure?" Harumi asked, "I mean, I will, but why not you?"

"I look too similar to Mage," Lloyd shook his head, "So does Lulloyd. Monty is a ghost and that likely won't look the best. You have the best image of all of us in that regard. You should do it."

Harumi nodded, seeing a guard waving them in, "Alright, then here's what I want. Lulloyd, to my right, Lloyd to my left, Monty behind me. We'll present ourselves in the best way. After I get done with the initial speech, then Lloyd and I will work out the rest. Anyone got issues with that?" Lulloyd rotated his head no, while Monty groaned. The doors to the room opened by the guard in front of them. Harumi stepped inside.

Once inside, all four were hit with the impression they had just walked into a very important place. The room was large, their eyes drawn to a massive crystal that pulsed with various colors the massive table was centered around. Seated all around the room was a collection of faces that Lloyd and Harumi knew well. She could recognize Turner, Penser, Karlof, Bolobo, Gravis, Neuro, she knew all of them. They were all the last generation of Elemental Masters. There were guards wearing all types of armor around the room, the colors they alone wore brightening the space and adding to the sense that this was an event seldom witnessed.

"We captured these strangers on their way to this very Summit to give us critical information!" Nya announced, "They say they have information on these Raiders that we have not found. We should hear them out!"

"You've let those who claim to be associated with those brigands into our Summit?!" Bolobo, whom she guessed was leader of the Nature Tribe, shouted, "Why did you not interrogate them for information instead?"

"I concur," Neuro, clearly Mind Tribe with his monk- like attire, added with his features completely blank, "We have given them an advantage they should not have had."

"If you refer to this meeting," Nya frowned, "We have kept no secret this is our Summit. If someone wished to cause us harm, they would have already. They have gained nothing coming here that they could not have already learned."

"It's still dangerous!" Jay of the Lightning Tribe added in, "My Tribe has had their supply lines almost completely cut off, and now you bring them into the Summit without telling us? Why didn't you tell us about them as soon as you arrived?!"

"Because other proceedings were occuring, and not all of you had arrived yet," Nya frowned, "Can we at least hear what they need to say before we come to any conclusions?"

"Is that truly wise?" Neuro frowned, "We should imprison them, not let them address us."

"They will be allowed to speak," A deep and familiar voice echoed across the room, "They have come this far, it would be foolish not to."

Harumi turned towards the voice. None other than Sensei Garmadon was in front of them, or rather just Garmadon. Rather than his normal dragon inspired clothes they were used to, he wore gray and purple robes similar to Lloyd had seen in old pictures. His attire mirrored that of Mage, who had taken a seat in a large seat beside his father. Garmadon eyed the four that had entered the Summit with curious eyes.

"Thank you, Garmadon," Lloyd bowed his head, fighting hard not to say 'dad.'

"Do not mistake this for saying you are welcome," Garmadon stated firmly, "Our situation is far more dire than you realize. Dire enough, in fact, that if you are indeed with the Raiders you will pay dearly for infiltrating so far into our core. I suggest you each choose your words carefully, for we will know if you are lying."

Garmadon nodded to Mage, who gave an apologetic smile and opened his eyes purple, "Sorry… it's something I kinda have to do. I'm the only one here not affiliated with any tribe, so I'm the most 'neutral' here. I'll have to use mind on you to tell if you're lying when you talk."

"How much do you need to read?" Harumi asked pointedly.

"Enough," Garmaodn replied with narrowed eyes.

The three turned to Monty. Monty didn't have an expression on his face, but he didn't immediately agree. The silence in the room started to grow as the realization that he could refuse dawned on them. If Mage found out about what Monty had told them… it could lead to rather bad situations for them.

"...Alright," Monty turned to Mage, "You take as much as you need, got it? I don't like having people poke around inside my head. It's all I got left from when I was living."

"I won't!" Mage smiled, "I just have to follow some trains of thought. I just need to keep an open channel so I can feel if you're lying or not. And uhm, you can't lie mentally, I'll know it right away. Got it?"

Monty gave another small nod. The four walked forward and stood still. Mage closed his eyes, and the four all felt something prodding them at once. Harumi, having felt Somnan do the same before, let him in instantly. Despite not having this done before, Lulloyd was rather calm and didn't seem to offer and resistance. Lloyd had to somewhat relax himself. Monty, however, seemed to be a roadblock, and even after the three felt the probe retract, Mage was left still staring intently at Monty with purple eyes.

"Can you, loosen up a bit?" Mage chuckled awkwardly, "You're kinda, blocking me out."

"Some of us have things we want to hide," Monty stated simply. The three knew exactly what it was he was hiding.

It took Mage nearly thirty seconds to finally get when he needed. When he pulled back, Mage had one eye purple and the other eye normal. He looked to Monty apologetically, gaining no reaction from the spector. Harumi, sighing, stepped forward, her friends arranging as she'd said.

"You may address the Summit now," Garmadon stepped back, "Choose your words wisely, strangers."

"Thank you. My name is Harumi, this is Lloyd, Lulloyd and Monty," Harumi stepped forward, Nya allowing her to stand at her place at the table, "As you can likely see, we do not come from this world. I know that it is difficult to believe, but we come from a world like this one, but different in many ways. The threat that you all are facing is born of those other worlds." The group turned to look to Mage, who nodded his head to say Harumi wasn't lying.

"Woah. She's either completely crazy, or this is something we ain't ever seen before," Turner waved his hand, "What do you know about these Raiders? This whole Summit is about how bad they are."

"They are from another world, just as all four of us are," Harumi raised her hand, "I know, that claim is as far fetched. I have something that might prove my point."

Harumi tapped her watch and then sat it down on the table. A massive projection formed a hologram on the table of a Vermillion. The 3D render of the warrior was enough to make several in the room tense up at the sight, and many others freeze at the strange projection. Harumi noted how many of them looked at it as though they recognized the figure.

"What… what is this element?" Tox of the Poison Tribe leaned forward, "Kinda looks like something from the Light Tribe?"

"Don't look at me," Paleman of said Light Tribe crossed his arms, "I've never seen that before."

"It's not any element," Harumi shook her head, "It's from technology. I come from a world that's far beyond this one. Most people don't have elemental powers, but almost everyone has these things. Many people, as well, can do this."

Harumi brought her hands together, forming a Rhotatae disc between them. The green disc crackled as she opened her palms, causings its diameter to grow to over a foot. She inhaled gently, and the disc evaporated. The room stared at her in complete confusion.

"Maybe I'm seeing things," Chamille of the Form Tribe spoke up, "But that looked like some sort of elemental power. The only one I know that's green like that is nature. What dragon were you born under?"

"None," Lloyd spoke up, "None of us were. We're not from your world."

The confusion that filled the room was enough to make Harumi take a step backwards. She shared a knowing look with Lloyd. The first step was done, and that was to make them at least think that they might be from another world. Mage was nodding his head in awe to everything he was seeing, effectively telling the room she wasn't lying.

Garmadon cleared his throat, causing the room to quiet down. A Fire Tribe guard entered the room, carrying something wrapped in a cloth. He handed it to Garmadon, who nodded in thanks to him. Garmadon unwrapped the item, revealing a piece of armor that he then sat down on the table in front of Harumi.

"Many weeks ago, there was an attempt on my son's life in this very building. He managed to fight them off, and we gained this for our troubles," Garmadon pointed to it, "Does this look like anything you have seen before?" Lloyd and Harumi shared a glance.

Harumi nodded her head, "It does. It looks nearly identical to the armor that the Vermillion wear," She tapped a few buttons, causing the hologram to vanish from the waist down to overlay it inside the armor to prove her point, "We've encountered your Raiders before."

"Vermillion?" Acronix spoke up, cocking his head, "What do you mean by that?"

Harumi tensed up as she heard that voice. She'd been avoiding looking at Acronix for all this time. She saw him, sitting across the room, and she'd seen him earlier that day. He had been intensely staring at them. Part of her knew it was because he had been there when they were captured, but another part of her was far more suspicious. He didn't keep his gaze off them. Harumi turned to Lloyd, who stepped forward in her place to explain.

"The Vermillion were bred from snakes," Lloyd explained, the irony of telling this to Acronix making him a bit uneasy, "They are snakes bound to a hive mind, and will move according to the will of the one in control. They curl up inside armor and make soldiers that can be struck down and slither back together. If you have fought them and they have disappeared, they likely are given orders to break apart and flee the second that they are attacked. They wanted to protect this secret. We've given it to you."

"Now that just sounds crazy," Kai of the Fire Tribe pointed out, crossing his arms, "You could just be making this up."

"While I have my doubts, the fact remains," Neuro turned to Kai, "That they do not look anything like we know. And they have indeed immediately vacated their armor the second they are defeated. We have been able to take no prisoners. Even the Smoke Tribe would leave traces of their existence. It is inhuman in a way that we have never encountered."

"But, snakes, curled up in armor, really?" Kai scoffed, "It's just so hard to believe!"

"It hard to believe months ago we would be in room like this," Karlof from the Metal Tribe grumbled, "Perhaps keep open mind to things hard to believe?"

"And they're telling the truth?" Harumi saw the speaker wasn't whom she expected; it was Bansha, whom she could only guess was representing the Wind Tribe. She directed her question at Mage.

"So far, they haven't lied, not even a once," Mage rubbed his chin, "Like, I can't even feel a hint they're hiding things. They're telling us everything right now."

"Maybe they are, but knowing this doesn't help us much," Cole from the Earth Tribe sat up, "What else can you tell us?"

Lloyd and Harumi turned to each other. This was the important bit. They both turned to look at Acornix, who acknowledged them by leaning forward. He looked friendly, amiable… the opposite of the one that had already caused them so much suffering. Lloyd nodded to Harumi to let him be the one to say it. Garmadon, sensing that they were saying something important, quieted the room with a hand.

"We know not only how they got here, but why they are here… and who leads them," Lloyd breathed in, "In fact we know a lot about them. They're two people, they come from my world. I fought them before, and they nearly won. They've taken to come to other universes to try to take them over since they can't take over mine."

"Who are they?" Jacob Penser -Sound Tribe- asked curiously.

"They're twins," Lloyd inhaled, "They're named Krux, and Acronix."

Acronix, in his chair, perked up. He leaned forward, staring Lloyd dead in the eyes. It was impossible to read what was in his head, but his gaze was intense enough to make them very uncomfortable and aware of it. As soon as he finished saying the names, however, the room erupted into chaos.

"You would insult the Time Tribe? Have you no shame?!" Shade -Shadow Tribe- snarled, "You mean us nothing but ruin!"

"Bite your tongues," Ash -Smoke Tribe- hissed out, "You insult us lying like that!"

"We should listen to them!" Paleman shook his head, and thus his hat, "They might mean something to us yet!"

"They're lying to us!" Kai shot to Paleman, "You're only saying that because your tribe isn't going hungry!"

"We've all been affected, Kai!" Zane of the Ice Tribe protested, "Do not say that one tribe's suffering is greater than another's during this time!"

"Dad!" Mage turned to Garmadon, "They aren't lying!" His purple eye flashed.

"Quiet!" Garmadon shouted, his voice booming around the room. The bickering leaders quieted down as Garmadon's harsh glares shot over them all. Those that weren't already strong of mind were forced to wilt under his gaze.

Acronix stood up, bringing attention to him, "Normally, I would dismiss this on the spot… but these are not normal times. If they say that there is another… there is possibly credence to that. Lloyd, was it? What do you mean, another Acronix is on the loose?"

While Lloyd, Lulloyd and Monty eyed Acronix with a mixture of confusion and slight worry, Harumi took point and bowed her head slightly, "It's like we've said. There is another Krux and Acronix, that look like us, but bear a resemblance to you. In our Lloyd's world, they were mad Twins that broke away from everyone and tried to take over. They were thrown into the Time Vortex, and when they reemerged they had been given enough time to find their way into this world." To prove her point, she pulled up a holographic display of the Krux and Acronix from the history archives of Ninjago to show the room. Acronix went silent as he stared at the pair in front of him.

"The Time Vortex…" Acronix rubbed his chin, "I know of this. It is a technique my dragon says my brother I can evoke. A dangerous one. Why? Why would they do that?"

"Because their power was stripped from them, and then thrown into the Vortex to ensure they would never be taken again. They managed to do so over forty years," Lloyd added.

"Stripping elemental powers?" Zane spoke up, "What do you mean by this? Only a dragon can do so. It is almost unheard of to have this happen."

"There is an element called Chronosteel that can do that in our world, but in our worlds there is only one elemental master per element," Lloyd continued, "The Twins in my world went out of control and turned on my father. They were forced to have their powers taken away."

"It is interesting you mention that," Acronix looked around the room, "For all of us here already know that my brother, Krux, was broken out by the Raiders previously," He turned to look harshly at Bansha, who simply looked back at him blankly.

"They have?" Lulloyd, finally brave enough to speak up, asked, "Why would they do that?"

"I would like to know that too, now," Acronix followed, "Since his powers were taken away by our dragon."

"They… most likely have a plan involving him, then," Lloyd nodded, "That has to be it. They're planning something with him."

"Do you know more about their plans?" Acronix leaned in, "Do you know why they would take him, any idea at all?"

"No, not right now," Harumi answered honestly, still feeling Mage's element in her head, "But given time we can figure it out."

"Given time?" Acronix sat back, "That is not of much help with our situation. The one thing we do not wish to spend is time."

"Speaking of help," Paleman crossed his arms, "What help can you offer us aside from your claims? This is already a lot to take in…."

"The Twins, they're planning something," Lulloyd stepped up, "Hi, I'm Lulloyd. We know they are. They… they hurt each of our worlds. All of us. We're trying to stop them. They wouldn't just, come here and then decide to not do anything. I know how bad guys works, that's not it."

"And if they're planning something," Harumi stepped forward, "We've been pursuing them for months now. We want to ask for your help to fight them."

"You want to ask for _our_ help?" Turner scoffed, "You remember me saying we called this Summit _about_ them, right? We haven't gotten far with them."

"We already know more than we did before," Nya pointed out, "We should take that as an advantage."

"On our way here, we were attacked in a trading caravan," Harumi pointed out, feeling her muscles ache in remembrance, "I'm… going to guess that they're attacking to… cut off trade, right?"

"If you just worked that out now, good," Shade nodded his head, "It's a miracle they didn't attack the Speed cars on the way in."

"We can show you how to fight the Vermillion," Lloyd added, "We can teach you how to take them out. And if you can do that, you can stop the attacks."

"We know that this is, just us telling you things, but knowledge is half the battle!" Lulloyd argued, "We want to help you by you, helping us."

"Just fighting them doesn't help when they attack at random," Cole sighed, "It's impossible to bring out men before they disappear too. Sometimes they're on weird contraptions, sometimes not!"

"Then we can work with that," Harumi put her hand on the table, "We've shown you we know them. We can work out a plan to help them. We're asking for your help, in return for giving you what you need to finish off these Raiders."

"Just because the Dragon Lord says you're telling the truth, doesn't mean we can trust you," Neuro rubbed his head, "You could be hiding things from us. Or only telling us what we need to know. One of you resisted the Dragon Lord, after all."

"They've already told us more than we could ask for," Nya argued, "And nothing they say has contradicted how the Raiders behave. If they're really made of snakes, it explains how they get out of that armor so fast."

"But not much else!" Jay chirped out, "We need more than that!"

"What plan do you propose to us?" Garmadon's voice cut through the air to the four, "Perhaps that would expedite this discussion."

"Plan?" Lloyd blinked. They… hadn't thought of one. He looked to Harumi, but she didn't have one either. The room began to draw out into silence, with all eyes on Lloyd. In those moments, Lloyd felt himself going completely blank and unable to form a thought as to what he wanted to say. Harumi, too, felt the pressure and couldn't come up with anything.

"We… uh…" Lulloyd gulped, "Well…"

"I got a plan that we can use. In fact, it's simple to execute, too.."

All eyes, including his three companions, turned to Monty. Monty had his arms crossed, yawning and patting his face to show it. He looked to each person in the room with a long sweeping gaze, then he stretched his back out and forced himself to stand up straight.

"What are you?" Bansha leaned in, "You don't look right. Are you using some weird power?"

"Nope, that's a ghost!" Mage declared, "They're talked about in the ancient texts!"

"And what would that be… ghost?" Acronix narrowed his gaze with a curious glare, "What do you propose?"

"I've fought the Twins, and I've inferred a bit about them," Monty looked Acronix dead in the eyes, "And it's rather simple. Their plan is to sit here and push the conflict to its breaking point. They want the tribes to fall apart and then pick them off one by one. It's honestly so simple it's working."

"Karlof not like ghost's tone," Karlof shook his head, "But Karlof want to hear plan!"

"Simple, metal guy, they're using these mysteriously disappearing soldiers to cut off your supply lines, trade and force you all into your own tribes, aren't they?" Monty stood up straight, "Clearly, they're either too weak to face you head on, a doubt given how many of you are affected, or they're simply going to play a waiting game. I've literally pulled that exact plan before. I say we make it clear they're actually playing two player on this one."

"Two… player?" Jay asked, "Like some kind of game?"

"Somewhat," Monty pointed to the crystal in the middle of the room, "The solution to all this is right in front of us. Us. You're all leaders of massive tribes, right? I say we use that power against the Vermillion."

"What are you proposing?" Garmadon asked firmly, "You are talking big, but your plan is vague."

"The Twins are hiding, we're going to draw them out," Monty looked around the room, "We're going to use old fashioned war tactics here. Clearly, they're going after isolated tribes. So, we need to not seem so isolated anymore. Show them we're strong."

"And what do you propose?" Garmadon asked.

"Dunno," Monty waved to Harumi, "She's the one that's good with details."

"Eh?" Harumi blinked, then saw once more the room's eyes were on her. She quickly stumbled through her head for something to say, "We… uhm, we… we show… show them we're strong by… by…"

Suddenly, a feeling of deja vu filled Lloyd, one that brought words to his lips, "...By, forming a group of people from each tribe to fight them!" There was a pause of silence in the room.

"Yeah," Lulloyd agreed, "We'll, we'll make a group. We'll do something about this. We'll… make a group of people, that are dedicated to only fighting the Raiders."

"You would have us divert the soldiers we desperately need to protect our tribes?" Ash of the Smoke Tribe scoffed, "In case you haven't noticed, we're suffering here."

"We wouldn't take many from each Tribe," Lloyd shook his head, "We wouldn't want a massive force. We'd want maybe… two or three. We'd make a group that operates, outside of the tribes. Like… a highly mobile unit that can go out and fight the Raiders."

"Two or three from each tribe would be roughly forty in total," Garmadon quickly totalled, "Is that enough for this… plan?" His skeptical tone forced their mental gears to turn faster.

"If we strike at them with a group that's always moving, then they can't corner them, and we take away the element of surprise from them," Harumi stepped in, "We can analyze where they're going to strike, and intercept them. We have the force operate out of here, so they don't look like they're from one tribe. The Raiders are operating on surprise, clearly. We need to break that surprise apart."

"So we're making a mobile batallion," Monty muttered, "We're basically making the 203rd." Lulloyd gave Monty a long look.

"You think you can do that?" Jacob snorted, "How?"

"Because I have technology that can predict things," Harumi tapped her watch, "I can put in everything that they've done and get an algorithm out of it. We can predict where they'll most likely be next. And even if we don't, the Raiders, if they're focusing on trade, will most likely be along the main road," Harumi recalled the large road on the map from earlier, moving the armor aside to turn the hologram to the map of the world, "We can focus on that first."

"So, we attack them while they're attacking?" Kai crossed his arms, "That's… not that bad a plan."

"It's a fine plan, but perhaps no more than wishful thinking," Neuro shook his head, "I have had my top scholars attempt to assess their movements, and found nothing."

"Plus, if it doesn't work, we could totally expose the fact we're weak!" Jay protested, "We don't wanna do that."

"Let us imagine that we were to use this plan," Garmadon looked to Harumi, then Lloyd, Monty and Lulloyd, "We would need insurance you would not run off."

"If we do this plan," Monty waved his hand, "We wouldn't leave the Summit."

"Oh?" Garmadon asked, "And why is that?"

"Because like she said, we know the people that are attacking you," Monty looked out to the room, "You don't need to believe us that they're another version of Acronix and Krux. But we do, and if they find out we're involved in this, they might leave. Like we said, we're pursuing them. We don't want them knowing we're here."

"I see," Garmadon nodded, "I personally am still straining to see the connection there, as are many in this room I'm sure. Given the doubt that has been expressed, I believe a vote is in order."

"Go ahead," Monty nodded, "Do it."

Garmadon gave him a long glare at his tone, but nodded nonetheless and stepped up to the table, "All those in favor of developing this plan, say 'aye.'"

What looked to be half the room spoke up. Mage counted.

"All those opposed, say 'nay.'"

Once more the room was counted. Mage turned to his father and blushed slightly.

"It's a tie, nine to nine," Mage looked around, "And I don't think I should vote."

"Well then," A female voice stepped in from behind Harumi and Lloyd, "Glad I got here just in time then."

"Skylar?" Lloyd asked in surprise. The girl looked like Skylar in face, but everything else about her was different. Her hair was still red, but it was cut close to her head. She wore what looked to be a set of orange painted sets of armor all around her body, and she had around her belt several implements to cause harm.

"Yeah, Skylar," She turned to Mage, "Sorry, Mage, had to handle some of those invaders on my way in. They ambushed me as soon as I left my house. Had to call your dragon to come get me."

"They're as bold to attack leaders now?" Zane asked in shock.

"Yeah, what were we voting on this time?" Skylar ignored him, much to Zane's confusion.

Mage filled her in on everything that had happened, giving the room some extra time to debate. When Mage finished, Skylar blinked at him and then looked to Garmadon.

"Well that's an easy choice, I'm in," Skylar raised her hand, "'Aye' or whatever you need to here. There, broke the tie."

"We should redo the vote," Garmadon turned, "All those-"

"Those wishing to change their vote, raise their hands, Mage knows who voted what way," Skylar cut him off.

Nobody did. Garmadon tweaked his lip slightly and then nodded, "Well then… the Summit hereby will move forward with the newcomers' plan. We will discuss having at minimum two members of each tribe that can provide them coming to this building and house them here. We will appoint Harumi as temporary overseer of operations. In the meanwhile, we will not give details of this plan to anyone outside of this room and those chosen."

"Those who are able?" Skylar turned, "I'll volunteer myself. Mage is going, so will I."

"That would not be wise," Garmadon began, "You are the last-"

"Clearly there won't be anyone willing to help me rebuild if they're too afraid to go into my borders," Skylar frowned at him, "You'll send you son but you try to tell me to stay away? Not going to fly. I'm behind Mage in this one. Besides, if I become an exception now, it sets a precedent for the future."

"If she wants to participate, let her," Monty turned, "Master of Amber, right? That'll be useful."

"The one and only," Skylar smirked, "Trying to make that not the case anymore, though. But I need to clearly protect the Tribes if I want to become part of them again, right? Think we can all handle that?"

"Yes," Garmadon sighed slightly, "We can. We will take a brief recess to discuss these terms. We will return in twenty minutes."

With that, Garmadon rapped the poduim he stood at with his knuckle twice, adjoining the room. Skylar turned to Mage as the other leaders began to filter out, rejoining their guards and going out in all directions.

"Come on, let's catch up a bit, I haven't seen you in a long time," Skylar smirked, "Your dad still training you hard?"

"Oh you don't even know!" Mage began eagerly, "He's been making me train with other powers while holding up entire walls of water! He builds this big pool and then opens it up and I gotta hold it up while practicing my other elements! And guess what; once I stop holding up the water, I gotta move it all the way back up and start again! It's exhausting!"

"I imagine," Skylar spoke, her voice drifting slightly away as she guided him out of the room, "You four are welcome to join us, by the way."

"We'll be a minute," Monty waved them on, "You two catch up."

Mage and Skylar eagerly left the room. Soon, it was just the four of them in the empty room. While they stood, Lloyd and Harumi turned to Monty.

"You wanna say something," Monty sighed, "Spit it out."

"Why did you say we'd stay in the Summit?" Lloyd asked, "That… doesn't make sense."

"Because you all failed four times to stop them all together," Monty waved to them, "Technically if we count individual failure, four for you, three for Lulloyd, two for Haru. If we show up, and the Twins see us, they might just up and leave," Monty pointed out with a groan, "And then we'll do this all over again. If we make the world seem like they're just fighting back instead, then the Twins will get stubborn and stick around to crush them. I've met their type before. They just want to show they have the power to subjugate this place."

"But this is assuming they can pull it off," Harumi countered, "We could just end up putting ourselves in a worse hole."

"How?" Monty gave her a sideways glance, "We lose nothing by doing this.. Even if this doesn't work, it at least makes the Twins movements a little more obvious and makes us not have to sneak around all the time. Maybe we should do that and actually try to win for a change."

"...I'm in," Lloyd turned to Harumi, "It's a good plan. We can make this work."

"Same here," Lulloyd nodded, "Anything it takes to stop the Twins."

Harumi stayed quiet for several seconds, then finally sighed, "Fine. We'll do it that way for now."

"Good," Monty turned, "Now come on, if we wait too long, I'm pretty Mage will-"

"Hey!" Mage suddenly appeared in front of Monty, his body blinking into existence from speed, "Come on, I wanna show you something!"

Before Monty could say anything, Mage had reached out and tried to grab Monty's wrist. He sped away, but Monty wasn't moved. About ten seconds later, Mage reappeared.

"Hey, you didn't come with me!" Mage turned, "Come on, I need to introduce you to Skylar! She's incredible, I think you'll all like her!" With that, Mage eagerly rushed out of the room at normal speed, guiding the four of them along on the next step of their adventure together.


	24. Chapter 24

"May I speak with you all for one moment?" A startlingly familiar voice stopped the group in their tracks.

The Acronix of this strange world stood in the middle of the hallway, having stepped out from a hallway to place himself between Mage and Skylar bounding ahead and the four dimensional visitors. Lloyd felt a tightness in his chest for a few moments only partially relaxed as he confirmed this Acronix was the one they'd encountered before. While the man had a smile on his face, his intentional step and firm posture made clear he wanted something from them. Skylar put ah and on Mage's shoulder to stop him from walking without even realizing it.

"Why?" Monty narrowed his gaze, "You heard the plan. If you have questions, ask later."

"Because I have other questions, ones that may not sound as important, but to me they are," Acronix shook his head, "I just need a moment. Can you spare that?"

Lloyd and Harumi shared a look. Even if the evidence pointed to this man not being the twin they were chasing, it was still uncanny talking to him like this. Regardless of his curvy body, tanned skin and young looking complexion said otherwise, he was still uncannily similar to their enemy. Lulloyd wasn't as offput, but was looking on as neutrally as he could.

"Fine," Monty yawned, "Make it quick then."

"This… other Acronix and Krux," Acronix shifted his feet forward, "If they are real as you claim them to be… what are they like?"

"Evil," Lloyd stated without hesitation, "Their plan in my world was to go back in time and completely change everything. They were defeated them after they turned on the Elemental Alliance. After that, they had their powers stripped from them and sent into the Time Vortex, and they jumped in after them. They emerged forty years later, and then went about building something called the Iron Doom to go back to the past and stop their defeat from happening. They were lost to time trying. Only, they reappeared again. They discovered how to jump other universes, and here we are."

"That… certainly is not a sane course of action," Acronix noted, "They sound like… well, madmen, if I'm being honest. What sort of thing possessed them to try to alter history itself? Did they not realize that would destroy their own existence?"

"I don't think they cared, at all," Lulloyd shook his head, "I don't know the full story, but, I've fought them. They don't look like they think things through other than their own plans. They're willing to wreck time and other universes, just to be on top."

"Hrm… well, I can assure you I am nothing like them," Acronix shook his head, "I, for one, respect that time is as dangerous to touch as a raging fire with bare hands. Attempting to toy with it like that is about as dangerous as it comes."

"I agree!" Mage perked from behind Acronix, "He taught me everything I know about time! Trust me, he's the last person that would ever even _consider_ something like time travel. Right, 'Nix?"

"Of course, Lloyd," Acronix chuckled, "You're a very good student."

"Mind if we ask a question?" Harumi crossed her arms, "In the meeting, you said everyone already knows what happened to your brother. Where is he?"

"Krux?" Acronix blinked, then with a crestfallen gaze he sighed, "Right, you claim not to be from the World. I suppose you should know," He took a small breath, "The short of it is that he was persuaded by Chen to join the war against my decision and led his followers into battle, committed a terrible act, and was imprisoned by our dragon for his crimes. The long of it is a bit more… complicated."

"We have time to listen," Harumi offered, "Can we perhaps make this a bit of an information exchange? We need to know more about this place. We can answer what you want to know. We should probably start with Chen."

"You… well then. You truly haven't been around here for any amount of time," Acronix brushed some hair from his face, "Very well. Come with me to my chambers. You might have a lot you want to discuss with me. You come too, Lloyd, Skylar," Acronix paused, "...You said your name was Lloyd as well, correct? Do you have some sort of title you would prefer?"

"They're calling me Mage!" Mage beamed, "Use that!"

"Mage? As in… magic?" Acronix shook his head, "Elemental powers aren't magic, Mage."

"Well dragons harnessed the magic of nature to give us these powers, so in a way, it is!" Mage smirked, "That's what Skys calls it. It's her nickname."

"Glad to know that I was apparently given the honor of naming people," Skylar chuckled, "Now I just have to come up with a clever name for my future cities and I'm all set. I'm invited too?"

"Of course," Acronix nodded, "You are as much apart of this story as any other."

With that, Mage, Skylar and Acronix led the group towards one of the many hallways they'd passed on their initial sneak around. Once there, Acronix reached out with his hand towards a door with a strange symbol on it. Around his right hand, a translucent clock made of light formed, and two hands on it twisted around until they both pointed down. The clock turned green, and when Acronix pressed his fingers against the symbol, the symbol turned green as well. With a heave, the door opened.

"Green?" Lloyd leaned in, "Did, you lock your door with forward time powers?"

"After the last attempt on my life in this very building, I have had to take precautions," Acronix explained to the confused onlookers, "This door will only respond to forward time energy, and only in quantities enough for myself, Mage or Skylar to produce. It has allowed me to sleep somewhat more soundly at night."

"I uh, should point out that's probably not enough," Lulloyd spoke up, "If someone's trying to attack you, it's better to have a decoy and then, be somewhere else in the building you can be alerted later," When Monty gave him a ludicrous look, Lulloyd sighed, "My dad, okay?"

"The Raiders determined that both my life and Mage's were important enough to take out," Acronix gestured for them to enter, "I will consider your advice. They have not attempted to attack again. Thankfully, we are both light sleepers now."

The inside of the room they ushered themselves into looked relatively normal compared to the door. It reminded the group of a hotel room of sorts, constructed without windows and electricity, of course. A large banner of green and blue hung on the wall, and a stand had armor painted in the same colors on it, a set which had the same curves and flair as the guards they'd seen back in the Time Tribe if looking of a far higher quality. Acronix gestured towards the single bed for them to sit as they entered. Monty stood by the bed while the others sat. Mage an Skylar moved to one wall, Skylar stretching herself out against it as she did.

"You should know I am indeed not the one you are seeking," Acronix narrowed his eyes as he caught Lloyd looking to the door, "Before we begin, that is. You shouldn't let people see your judgement of them in your eyes." Lloyd looked away in slight shame.

"It's uhm… it's not you specifically," Lulloyd spoke up, "It's more that, we've all nearly been murdered by, our Acronix? And, well, you're like, you look like him but with like, that weird way your body is constructed."

"Weird, huh?" Skylar scoffed, "You all look like something someone in the Form tribe made up as some weird art expression. You're all so… round and yellow."

"That's just how coming from other worlds goes," Lloyd frowned, "We're all not used to seeing anyone with your bodies outside of...uh," He thought of a comparable word, "Entertainment."

"Before we begin," Harumi looked over, "We need a way to refer to the Acronix here," Harumi waved her hand, "Since we might have to see them in the same place at some point."

"We'll call him," Monty pointed to the Acronix in front of them, "Acronix Prime."

"Wait, Acronix'?" Lloyd asked curiously. "...Why?"

"Ever heard of a derivative? The Acronix we're chasing came from your world. So let's say he's the Acronix we all think about. Therefore, this one here is an offshoot of that, a derivative. So therefore, Acronix'."

"Wait, Monty, you… know calculus?" Harumi blinked.

"Don't sound so shocked," Monty turned to her inhumanly fast, "I have nothing to do all day in that shop. So, when I eventually got bored of restocking, I decided to study. You'd be surprised how well reading old battle strategy, calculus and history books will do you for a mercenary. Maybe don't question my intelligence and I won't yours." Harumi was left stunned and unable to form a proper response.

"Calculus?" Mage cocked his head, "It sounds like they're talking about counting things."

"The only thing you need to know how to count are the number of bad guys on your tail," Skylar rolled her eyes, "If it's more than zero, you should rethink your day."

"We'll call you Acronix', that way if we see the evil Acronix, we can distinguish you two, got it?" Monty crossed his arms, "And no, it's not an insult to be a derivative, if anything you're the good Acronix."

Acronix', newly christened, slowly sighed, "I can see why your companion appears to be so speechless around you. I suppose it would be best for you all to ask what you want first," Acronix' waved his hands, "But first, I suppose you are asking about the war."

"Yes," Lloyd nodded as he took a seat, "What was the war about?"

"Simply put… nothing, and everything," Acronix' chuckled, "In truth, it was all the fault of one man and his daughter. Chen showed up one day to each Tribe, and manipulated us all. He exploited faults in the system of all of our Tribes, and that was enough to make us all on edge." Skylar's expression fell sharply into a frown, her body tensing against the wall.

"Just… Chen?" Harumi shook her head, "There's no way. Surely all of you noticed that he was doing this, right?"

Acronix' paused, "You have noticed we all live in our separate tribes, yes? That's not something we decided for ourselves. When the dragons came down and granted our ancestors all our powers, they rested where they felt would be best. Dragons, being solitary creatures by nature, spread the tribes across the land. It was not until at least a hundred years after the tribes were started that full contact between them all was commonplace. And because of that, each tribe was set in their own ways before we had ever met each other."

"But, even my dad couldn't go and do all that…" Lulloyd muttered, "How, did he do it?"

"He did what anyone would do," Skylar grumbled, "Make everyone think they came up with the idea first. Word doesn't travel fast around here. He had plenty of time to tell everyone what he wanted them to hear."

"The tribes have always been a complex web of alliances and conflicts," Acronix' frowned, "If one could see that, it would be easy to tug at a string and then step back to let the rest unravel. One of the first things Chen did was go after the Water and Nature Tribes. They'd always shared close relations due to the fact the Water Tribe is the only tribe equipped enough to deliver goods at sea. However, it was the Metal Tribe that supplied the goods for the Water Tribe to even build their elaborate structures. A threat by the Metal Tribe to break contact with the Nature Tribe, followed by staging false raids against the Fire Tribe by said Metal Tribe to take them out early. From there, allies had to either be picked, or fall apart."

"And by the time you all had proof he'd done it, it was too late?" Harumi rubbed her chin, "But… why? Why would he want to do that?"

"Skylar," Mage said, some of his usual enthusiasm gone, "It's, all about Skylar, really," Mage sighed, "Erm… Skylar, you mind if I take this one?"

"Go ahead," Skylar grimaced, "I'll see how much you get right."

"So… you counted nineteen tribes in there, right?" Mage smiled sadly, "Well, until the war, we thought there were only eighteen. Amber has the power to mimic other abilities. They can use whatever ability the person they mimic can use. It's strong if you pick the right person. And, well.. See, the problem is that…'' Mage trailed off, "That kinda, scared the other tribes. A really long time ago. It turned into a complete…"

"Genocide," Skylar stated bluntly, "All of them. Long time ago. My mom was there when it happened. Bunch of people from all the tribes found her and used an elemental seal to keep her locked away for centuries. When she woke up… her people were a myth. And, after she had Skylar with Chen she…. Died," Skylar gripped her fist, "Sorry. Really hard to hear that, but I know that these two won't say it."

"Oh…" Lulloyd looked aside, "I… oh. We didn't even realize that… oh."

"I hate how stupidly simple my dad's plan was," Skylar groaned, "The title of Dragon Lord isn't just some arbitrary one we've give Mage. If you combine all the elements together, you can control the elemental dragons. The dragons that watch over the tribes. Like, all of them. No questions asked. They'll do it. Even if that order is to wipe out everyone," She grimaced, "That whole war, all that you've probably heard about? That was my dad having fun while getting me to mimic as many elements as I could. Turns out, you don't need to actually be the Dragon Lord to do it, just have all the powers when you call them."

"I remember the day that he did it," Acronix' spoke revently, "I was fighting for my life. The final battle of the war was between at least one member of all tribes, south of this Summit. I was leading my men into battle. Atop a mountain overlooking the field, him and Skylar fought. I only saw a flash of gold as he shone brighter than the sun itself. I watched him rise into the air like some sort of god. And then, the roar of all the dragons was coming from all around us. The dragons surrounded him and carried him up into the skies, just like I imagine the First Elemental Master would have looked. And with a thunderous voice, he declared that the war would be over, and he would be the one to make it so."

"Gold?" Harumi perked up, "So it seems some form of the Green Power exists here."

"Wait, you, you can call, an entire dragon army down, whenever you want?" Lulloyd asked.

"Yep!" Mage affirmed, some mirth returning.

"...I'm, not gonna lie, that's honestly really awesome," Lulloyd smiled widely, "Kinda terrifying but, also like, really awesome. I'd love to have that power."

"I'm sure you got your own powers, looking like that!" Mage beamed, "Oh, what powers do you all have? I saw that discy thing you did, Harumi!"

"Later," Monty wanted to keep this conversation moving, "Are you serious? Chen was going to plunge the world into war and wipe them out? What point did he have to that?"

"I don't know," Skylar looked away, "I spent all those years being told how my family… was gone. My mother was swept away in a river when I was too young to meet her. My dad claimed to be doing all this for me. The thing is… I don't know if he actually thought that or not." As her words faded out, Mage reached up to gently wrap her in a hug.

"Perhaps it may be time for a new topic," Acronix' grimaced, "You've learned from us. We need ot learn from you. What I want to know, is why would this other Acronix want our world? Why is he here? Why is he doing this, at all?"

"They believe they're owed power," Lloyd, glad to get away from this subject, began, "They think that since they control time, they should rule over everyone. When we stopped them in my world, they only took that as a sign they had to do it to someone else. They want to show that no matter what, they are the most powerful. And that means they're willing to do, well, anything."

"...That's all?" Acronix' blinked, "You're telling me two murders are here, trying to destroy all that I have worked to build, all that we have ever created… because they believe they're the strongest, and that's it?"

"In our worlds, each element is only held by one person, in their case two," Harumi explained, "And that means they automatically felt that they were stronger than everyone. When they were forced into an event called the Serpentine Wars, they were shown how powerless the world could truly be. When they won, they must have seen it as some sort of… divine right. And then to see their element was stronger than everyone else, it was all they needed to turn on them and claim power."

"That's… it then…" Acronix' reached forward and placed his forehead in his hands, "My people are going to tear themselves apart at the seams, because two brats think they have the right to even call themselves the Time Twins?"

"No," Monty pointed out, "Because you're going to stop them."

"That's assuming your little plan here works at all," Acronix' pointed out, "You may have the trust of the Summit in alliance, but your abilities have yet to be tested. You have failed to stop this other Acronix before, and that is a worrying fact for me to swallow. Either you all are incompetent, or they are simply a powerful force to be reckoned with. Sadly, I believe either can be true right now."

Lloyd started to speak, but Monty stood up, "Well then," Monty shrugged, "You got anything to ask us?"

"One more thing, but I am sure I will think of more," Acronix' narrowed his eyes, "How dangerous are these two?"

"Very," Harumi stated without hesitation, "They're already murdered my friend, threatened to kill many more, and have shown themselves willing to do whatever it takes to win."

"I see…" Acronix' snickered, "I was like that, once. Before I became a true leader, I spent all my days sparing with my brother. We became so strong fighting against each other, it was a transformative experience. But it was only the first stage. True power is only half of the raw ability that one has, I've learned. To lead, to truly show power, the people require to believe in, you have to be able to restrain that power. To show only the force that is required, that is what I believe power is. I grew to understand that. If they haven't, they will fall to it."

Skylar suddenly pressed a hand to her head, her eyes flashing purple,"Hey, they're starting the meeting back up here soon, you guys might want to come along. Might wanna get moving too, G-Man wants to talk to you guys. We don't want any unforeseen consequences by being late."

"Let's get to it," Lloyd stood up and turned to the group, "Come on guys, we have a universe to save, and some Twins to stop."

* * *

If one had asked Lulloyd about Monty, the words to describe him would have gone in the following order: rude, abrasive, combative, and cool. Normally, he wouldn't have been spending so much time thinking of Monty like that, but at the moment, his brain was completely scrambled to think of anything else.

Eight hours. It's been eight hours since they'd restarted their meeting. It'd been so long guards were continually leaving the room to bring food and water to the leaders present. Lulloyd had taken a seat only ten minutes in out of the sheer amount of information being thrown about the room. As it turned out, having nineteen leaders, Mage, Garmadon, and his group there all continually talking, shouting, grumbling, and correcting each other was incredibly hard to follow.

Harumi looked rather worse for wear. While Lloyd was fielding the conversation as best he could with Garmadon's help -a fact which was a bit hard to comprehend for Lulloyd since he acted nothing like his dad- Harumi had been asking for reports after reports of everything that had been happening. She was continually typing things into her watch to try and make sense of the attacks by plotting them over the map she had. Upon seeing the random spread after hours of compilation, the look in her eyes could have made even the sanest of men duck out in , meanwhile, was working to get the leaders to give them both more information and agree on little things like housing the soldiers for the new force.

Instead of finding a pattern, Lloyd and Harumi began to look through the data and discuss what tribes were being put under the most attack and strain. They were continually asking this to other tribes as well to get their input, ending in more squabbles. That had been where Lulloyd had gotten so swamped and overwhelmed with information he'd decided to sit back and listen. He got some of the more general points over time, but his focus wasn't on listening, and had fallen far more so to looking towards the only person in the room that wasn't talking and just sitting back to watch the chaos.

While everyone was arguing and formulating the goals and tactics, Monty was casually playing about with his guns. Or at least, that was what it looked like to Lulloyd. He wasn't sure what Monty was doing, and the way he was spinning and rolling them about in his hands reminded Lulloyd of seeing his dad preparing for combat. That is to say, seeing his dad coming up with new and crazy moves to try.

Watching Monty gave Lulloyd something to do. He didn't know much about strategy, and what he did know came from experience that probably wouldn't relate. He wanted to voice opinions, but he wouldn't even know where to start. Rather than risking making a fool of himself, he just went quiet. Following the conversation was hard… but eventually, he heard the room quiet down. Living with someone like his dad meant he'd learned that sitting back, and being quiet was usually for the best.

"Then it is decided," Garmadon finally stepped forward, "We will provide four days for a selection process. At that time, all tribes will provide their two representatives for this united force. Are there any questions?"

The room, likely just as exhausted as Lloyd and Harumi looked, agreed. Garmadon called the group off, and with that most moved to retire to their rooms. Mage told them there were open rooms on the third floor where they could sleep, and so the two left to escape. Mage, somehow looking full of energy, had taken to talking to him quickly as Lulloyd left the room.

"That was boring, wasn't it?" Mage yawned, linking his hand and leaving his head against them, "I swore I was gonna pass out there. This is why my dad handles all the proceedings."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Lulloyd yawned, "It's a lot to take in."

"Well it's all over now, so let's talk!" Mage beamed, "Go on, throw me a question!"

"So… uh, what do you like to do for fun?" Lulloyd asked.

"Fun?" Mage paused, "Hrm… I like to see what I can pull off with my powers! Like, okay, listen to this: what if I jumped off a _really_ high tower and then like, used water while I'm in the air to form a big massive waterslide to like, then go flying into the air and see if Firstbourne could catch me before I hit the water?!"

"Uh… that sounds kinda… dangerous," Lulloyd pointed out, "Like, what if she doesn't?"

"Well then I'll hit the water and be okay! I can use gravity pretty well! See?" Mage reached out with one hand, his eyes turning copper as he lifted off the ground..

"Do you really like… know every element..?" Lulloyd asked in curiosity, "And how well?"

"I know every element at least a little bit! I'm no master though," Mage rolled his eyes, "The ones I learned first at the ones I have the most skill in. Some are kinda tricky. But I've learned as much as I need to."

"And… time?" Lulloyd pointed to Mage's left arm, "Acronix used like, a weird clock thing, can you..?"

"Hrm? Of course!" Mage raised the indicated arm, showing off the Time Matrix on it, "I'm best at using forward, but I can use slow okay too! I don't really know how to use pause or reverse though… those were Krux's powers and uh, Acronix doesn't want me training on my own."

"Is it, hard, knowing that you have to use all those elements?" Lulloyd asked, "Like, uh, back home I have to do tests and, if I have to know how to do a lot of stuff it's hard to do it all."

"I mean, kinda," Mage shrugged, "But I get to use them a lot. Using an element is sorta like breathing; it's really easy to do! But it's about finding cool ways to use it. Like, I could just freeze the air around someone, but if that person is using fire, then maybe I should use smoke and evaporate around them until I can land a hit! Or, or, maybe I should use gravity and then take them on in the air! It's sorta like one big puzzle and you gotta do what's gonna work the best."

"Then, you must be really smart," Lulloyd chuckled, "I kinda know what you mean about that. Like, not saying that I'm like, really smart or anything! Just that, I know that whole puzzle thing."

"Hrm?" Mage asked, "How?"

"Uh… well, you know Harumi could do that disc thing?" Lulloyd asked, "I can do something called Master Building. It's all about breaking things apart and rebuilding them in cool ways."

It was that one line that had sentenced him to hours of having Mage revel in delight as he watched Lulloyd rebuilding various items around the entire Summit. Lulloyd had started explaining how it worked and how he had to get in his head an image of what he wanted almost instantly, but Mage had been so taken with the idea he'd wanted Lulloyd to demonstrate and demonstrate.

"Do a dragon!" Mage ordered happily, "Now a mountain! A bed! Chair! Waterfall! Cart!"

"I uh, don't have the parts for those," Lulloyd sighed, knee deep in bricks from Mage's entire room broken down, "I can, uh, try the dragon and mountain though. And I broke down your bed and chairs to do this so, I'd just be building them back?"

"Make BIGGER ones then!" Mage clapped his hands, "This is so cool, so so cool!"

When it was over, Lulloyd had ended up collapsing and sleeping for a long while.

* * *

"Again!" Lloyd ordered, "You need to be able to do this perfectly every time! The Vermillion won't give you time to rest!"

Lloyd stood on his platform overlooking the training area, watching as the gathered soldiers of each tribe took their stances. Mage spread his hands out and called upon earth, his eyes turning brown, reforming soldiers out of the makeshift armor they'd quickly fashioned using some of Karlof's metal workers. The sand of the area pulled and formed the shapes in the armor, simulating the actual warriors.

A female soldier in light green armor hissed and raised one arm, causing acid to bubble up through her skin. She flung it into the sand in front of her, causing it to hiss and burn. As the sand began to crumble, her partner -a male Fire Tribe member- shot his hands out and loosed flames into the armor. The sand burst, and the man quickly grabbed the main breastplate and heated his hands up. As the metal began to melt, he let it begin to droop before tossing it aside.

"Good work, Varia, Dume," Lloyd nodded his head to them. Varia, the Poison Tribe soldier, smirked at him and turned back to her work.

Around the room, more pairings did the same. A 'warrior' was blown apart by water and then the armor electrified by lightning. A woman closed her eyes as her entire body lit up like a flashbang, giving time for her female Speed Tribe member to leap forward and do laps around the soldier and yank the armor off piece by piece. A soldier was frozen solid and then the armor ripped in half by metal, shattering the ice in every direction. Another was blasted by sound waves and rattled as plants sprouted from the ground to surround the armor in thorns. Similar demonstrations took place all around the room.

Lloyd walked back and picked up several more sets of armor and spun into Spinjitzu, stopping at the edge of his platform and sending them flying out to the sets of armor that were destroyed in the training. A few attendants carefully extracted the already broken bits to go and reforge for later.

"You're pretty good at this," Skylar smirked, carrying in another box of armor for Lloyd, "When did you learn how to command like that?"

"A few months ago, actually," Lloyd smiled awkwardly, "Had to step up and learn how to lead a Resistance, and well, training isn't hard when you've been doing it for years," Lloyd paused, "Speaking of which, where have you been?"

"Training," Skylar shrugged, "Decided to practice using Earth out there. Raising mountains is harder than it looks."

"Oh, I know," Lloyd replied casually, "Do you want to switch with Mage?"

"Nah, I'm good!" Mage beamed, "This is basically stamina training for me, so I shouldn't switch just yet!"

Lloyd looked over the group of soldiers. Just as promised, there were a total of thirty-six of them, a pretty diverse group of both men and women of different ages as well. Seeing so many elements in one place was overwhelming at first, but it was no different from the initial wave of terror stepping into the Tournament of Elements had been. Once he'd gotten over the first few jitters, it'd been simple enough to acclimate to.

"Think they'll be ready?" Skylar crossed her arms, "Not like they had that much time to train."

"It seems the fact there was almost a war means most of them are already trained,," Lloyd pointed out, "So it was just about adjusting how they fight. Mage was the one who started pairing up elements though. I wouldn't have thought of some of these."

"Oh, he knows a lot more than you think," Skylar chuckled, "You haven't seen him in action yet, but he's a fast thinker. He beat me senseless, after all."

"So, is that what you actually look like?" A male voice Lloyd oddly recognized caught his attention.

"Alacr?" Lloyd asked. The refined individual from the Speed Tribe walked forward, Nubit in tow.

"So it is you. I knew something was off about you," Alacr raised an eyebrow, his tone firm, "I didn't realize that you weren't even from our world."

"Oh, uhm… well, we had to move without raising attention," Lloyd answered, feeling very put on the spot, "And, well you were willing to help transport us and-"

"And so you lied to us," Alacr narrowed his eyes, then he sighed and put a hand on his sword, "Well, I guess it doesn't matter right now. Where's Skylar?"

"Right here!" Skylar leapt up from behind Lloyd, "Alacr! You bring Ray too?"

"Of course we did," Nubit rolled her eyes, "We brought the whole caravan, they're waiting over the next ridge."

"You called them?" Lloyd asked. Skylar turned and grinned.

"Course I did, they're the only guys that are willing to come all the way out to the Amber Tribe to supply me with goods," Skylar crossed her arms, "I actually joined their group for a little bit, while my dad was doing some of his things. They can throw down."

"She called us here as part of your plan," Nubit explained, "We're going to join her squad."

"We weren't deciding the squads yet," Lloyd protested, "We've only decided that you and Mage were leading squads."

"Well, I heard you were picking one for me, so I sent out a message to them," Skylar walked up and suddenly fell backwards, using Alacr as a sighing backrest, "They've all got lots of experience and they know me. So they're on my team. We were looking for a few more soldiers, weren't we?"

"Yes, but, you can't just…" Lloyd sighed, "You know what? If you trust them, good. They're yours."

"Sir!" A male Smoke Tribe guard, identifiable through the markings on his armor, stepped into the side entrance to the training area, "Harumi has called for a meeting!"

"Gotcha," Lloyd turned to Mage, "Come on, Mage, you should be there."

"Okay!" Mage closed his eyes, focusing and letting the sand harden into clay through pressure. He sighed and wiped his brow before happily padding his way to Lloyd.

"Guess that means me too," Skylar chuckled, stretching her back out and bending backwards until she was nearly horizontal before lifting back up, "Let's get moving."

Ignoring Skylar's either apparent lack of spine or flexibility to a level Lloyd didn't want to consider at the moment, Lloyd led the two out of the training area. The area had been erected just outside the Summit building and covered by a makeshift roof. The exit they used was one of the smaller entrances to the building that led to the outer hallway. Harumi had set up a war room on the third floor in the dead center, so the group found their way to stairs and made their way up. Mage, complaining about stairs, opted to summon gravity to simply float up the stairwell. Not to be outdone, Skylar summoned wind in her feet to launch herself up and grab his arm to drag him down, ending in them both hitting the third floor entrance and chuckling as Lloyd arrived.

Once the group had made their way to the room, they were greeted by an already full room. Monty, Harumi, Lulloyd, Garmadon, Acronix' (currently just Acronix given context), and Shade stood in the makeshift war room. Shade had been volunteered to help oversee the war room process and train the individual soldiers alongside Lloyd, Mage and Skylar. The nine of them stood roughly in a circle around the map. Lloyd did his best not to look too much at Garmadon; after experiencing the situation of meeting alternate versions of people, he'd found it useful to just not think about the strange connection he still felt towards them.

"Good, you guys finally made it," Monty yawned and straightened himself up, "Then let's get this meeting started. Harumi, where do we need to direct our forces?"

Harumi unfurled a massive map, spanning the entirety of a rectangular table as long as she was tall. The map was a blown up version of the map of the world, which currently was unnamed as they had found. The tribes simply called it The World when referring to it given it was unexplored outside the borders. With such a large map, it was easy to see the scope of the world, even if the distance looked almost smaller like this.

"Okay, after doing research on everything I could find," Harumi tapped her watch, pulling up a hologram that she projected onto the map in front of them, "The tribes that are most at risk are these."

Shade eyed the map, "So, the Metal, Time, Nature, Sound, Water and Smoke tribes, then?" He shook his head, "I was hoping you'd be a lot more precise here."

"It's pretty simple," Harumi pointed her curved hand -a sight Mage still stared at like it was an apparition- down towards the tribes in question, "They all are important to the main trading routes. Specifically, the Water Tribe controls all the shipping by water, and the Sound Tribe is where the main road ends. The rest of them have some important junctions on them. The only outlier is the Form Tribe, which lies right on the split of the trade routes, oddly."

Shade pointed his gray finger towards the junction, "Most of their territory is all plains and forests. Raiders attack in areas they can get a good foothold on. They favor areas where they can attack and force people out into the open, rather than starting in the open."

"That's a numbers thing," Lloyd pointed out, "They clearly have a lot of snakes. But if they showed all their main force, it'd alert people before they started. Once they get you in the open, I think they're trying to just run you down."

"Just like they did with the caravan," Harumi affirmed, "Which means we can't cover every tribe at once."

"The Metal Tribe," Acronix pointed, "They supply metal to build the new lines and our new construction. If they get taken out, they'll cripple our ability to build. That would be a priority to protect, yes?"

"Exactly," Harumi pointed herself, "The Water Tribe is harder to attack but if we lose them it could stifle our ability to transport our goods over the water. We can't risk them falling. But since they're connected by bridge to the mainland, it limits their options to attack."

"So," Garmadon stepped forward, "What do you plan to do, now that you know where people are needed the most?"

"Harumi and I came up with a plan," Lloyd stepped forward, Harumi nodding to let him take over, "We upped the number of soldiers we pulled in closer to a hundred. We're going to split that force into three sections, and put them into squads. With those squads, we can cover up to three tribes at once."

"And, who are you wanting to lead these squads?" Shade asked pointedly.

"Mage, Skylar and… we haven't picked a third," Lloyd admitted.

"You're not going yourselves?" Garmadon asked, "We have form users here. It would be simple to disguise you to look like any usual soldier."

"We don't want our identities getting leaked to these Raiders, even if we take precautions," Harumi admitted, "We want to, but part of this is making it so it's you guys who are fighting back. I know you still don't believe that it's another version of the Twins that are doing this, but it's true. They'll take revenge if they find out we're here."

"Then in that case, I will take one of these 'squads' you're making," Acronix stepped forward, causing all eyes to turn to him, "It's important that we have three. If your objection is that I am a leader of my tribe, Mage is of higher status than I am. I know these lands better than you, and I am more than able to lead."

"That would send a bad message," Shade countered, "Wasn't it because your brother tried to enter the war that all of your issues started?"

Acronix's eyes darkened for a moment, "Do not make me prove to you I am not my brother, nor these 'other Twins' that they speak of. If Mage is going to risk his life, I will risk mine. Teran will watch over my tribe in my absence."

"Is that wise?" Garmadon asked, "You should be there to help your people."

"These tensions will only boil over if these Raiders aren't dealt with," Acronix pointed out, "It's only for the best I deal with these raiders in my own way."

"Just let him lead the squad," Monty, sitting in the corner admiring his reflection in the SoS, called out, "What do you have to lose?"

"Thank you, ghost," Acronix turned away from him, "I assume that you plan to put us into a certain region of tribes, and rotate our forces based on any recent attacks?"

"Yes… exactly that," Lloyd blinked at Acronix having seen his whole strategy, "We'll split the regions up and handle them like that. The point is for you to be mobile. You move where you need to, make your own decisions. Don't let the Raiders figure you out. Strike them down and then vanish. Be like them, but better."

"Are you certain that my son should be leading one of these squads?" Garmadon asked, "He is a symbol of this world's peace. If he were to fall, then-"

"I can handle myself, dad!" Mage pouted, "You know me. I fought Skylar, everyone saw it! You've been training me almost every day to the point I collapse, I can handle this."

"You are partaking in something different from a war, this is an operation where no help will come to you," Garmadon began, "You must understand that."

"I know it sounds dangerous," Harumi pointed out, "But Mage here needs to be on this mission _because_ he's a symbol. If the Raiders see that he's partaking in the attacks, they'll pull focus from attacking the tribes. They tried to kill him once when he wasn't looking. Well… now he'll be looking with both eyes."

"I'm doing this, dad," Mage stated firmly, "I know you care about me, and I'll be as careful as I can. I can't sit by and let the peace that I worked so hard to create just, fall apart like this! These Raiders need to go away so all the tribes can stop worrying so much about them they can't work together. That's what's important now!"

"..." Garmadon went deep into thought, looking with the concern of the parent and the torn nature of his position to Mage in this world, "Very well. If you believe you are ready, there is no need for you to stay behind. Remember restraint though, son," Garmadon turned to Mage, "You may have to fight battles of simple endurance. You must conserve power. Both of you should only use what power if needed. We cannot have you collapsing."

"I'll keep the little guy safe," Skylar wrapped an arm around Mage's side, "He ain't going anywhere with me there."

"What about transport?" Lulloyd asked, "How are we going to, get them where they need to go?"

"I called some of my trader friends, and they can supply us with some of their carts to help transport the squads," Skylar smirked pointedly.

"Good," Garmadon nodded, "When do you believe we will begin this operation?"

"We'll start sending the troops out tomorrow morning," Harumi looked up, "All three of you will go with them. We'll send them to the tribes that get attacked most first. From there, it'll be up to you to handle it. If you don't have any attacks, pull back to the Summit so they don't see you staying in the region."

"Let's hope your gambit pays off then," Shade nodded, "I will remain here to oversee any operations that need doing."

"I will remain behind as well, in case they decide to attack the Summit," Garmadon nodded, "It is unlikely, but a possibility nonetheless."

"Then let's get to it," Lloyd leaned over the table, "Let's get the soldiers ready to leave in the morning. We're going to take back this universe, starting tomorrow."

* * *

Night had already descended on the path leading to the Smoke Tribe. The tribe was special, having their village located in what used to be a volcanic crater on the edge of the Fire Tribe's lava lands. Because of the existence of underground lava streams, the entire area was perpetually shrouded in mist from the lakes around the crater that seemed to eternally boil while the ground was riddled with sinkholes due to the volcanic underground flows. The path to the tribe was connected directly to the largest road, and unlike many tribes, was visible just from the path without any divergence. Several stations lay along the path, providing protection for those that walked past.

Only two carts did on that night. With the news of the Raiders, the two merchants had wanted to stay the night in the Nature Tribe, but upon hearing one of their associates had failed to make it on time they had been forced to check on them. After failing to find them before night fell, the two were hurrying to the Smoke Tribe for protection.

A long clanking sound began to sound from the rocks around the two. The two merchants dropped their carts and quickly fumbled around to draw their weapons. Using their carts as cover, they quickly leapt behind them, looking around anxiously for them. One merchant slowly lit a flame in his hand and launched it off towards the source of the sound to try to see the source. The other inhaled, ready to disappear into the shadows.

"There!" The fire merchant gasped as shadows began to form all around them. Several of those strange bikes everyone had heard about rolled up the road, surrounding the group. It was too late for them to get in their carts and make a break for it. The merchants went back to back, gulping as they readied themselves for battle.

"Is this it…?" The other merchant, a pale man of the Shadow Tribe gulped, "Is there where we…?"

"Don't think like that," The fire merchant growled, "Just… just get ready to fight! We can do this!"

From the darkness around them, two of the figures lunged towards the cart. The shadow merchant shut his eyes, disappearing into the shadows of his cart. The fire merchant threw a flame over the cart, striking one of them dead on the chest. The figure almost seemed to laugh and brandish a sword, bearing down on him. The fire merchant tried to pull away, but he tripped over the rocky ground, falling down. As his weapon went flying, he summoned fire in his fists, even as his eyes stared towards the figure barreling towards him with terror.

Suddenly, the warrior stopped dead in his tracks. Its body began to rumble and vibrate, rattling like something inside it was squirming. With a loud cry, the entire warrior suddenly crumbled to the ground. The fire merchant stared in terror as something began to rush away from it. Then, without warning, the armor it had been wearing was lifted up into the air and began to crumple violently inward on itself until it was nothing more than a wad on the ground.

More warriors began to rush towards the two carts. The shadow merchant appeared beside the fire merchant and pulled him to his feet, trying to rush the two away from the group. They rounded the cart, coming face to face with a warrior. Before it could attack, however, the entire area went white. The two shouted and covered their eyes in pain.

Something pulled them away. The two at first struggled, but when the force squeezed their arm, they realized it wasn't a warrior. When the two were able to see, they were standing on the side of the path. The two looked up to see the one that was pulling them was none other than…

"You?" The fire merchant asked, "Are you…. Are you Lady Skylar? What are you doing here?"

Skylar smirked and pointed to the path. The two watched, seeing that the burst of light had come from a Light Tribe user. The user closed their eyes, and suddenly they began to refract and split into three others. The four rushed forward, followed by what the merchants guessed was the Metal Tribe user. As the warriors were completely blindsided by the suddenly duplication in enemies and swung blindly at nothing, the warriors once more vibrated as a man placed his hands on his temple, causing them to collapse to the ground. The armor was either crushed by the metal user, or flashes of lightning stunned the snakes.

"We're taking back our homes!" Skylar grinned, "Get going to the Smoke Tribe, we'll handle it from here." The two obediently stood up and rushed away. Skylar inhaled and beamed as she pulled rocks from the surrounding area to surround her arms like gloves before leaping down into the battle below.


	25. Chapter 25

"We're surrounded!" A Water Tribe soldier shouted, raising his spear up. Water surrounded the tip as he bared it towards the encroaching Raiders

The two had their backs to a wall, having been forced away from their post at the front of the bridge to the Water Tribe's floating village. The bridge was beginning to fill with Raiders heading towards the buildings. Several Raiders surrounded them, wordlessly slashing and jabbing at them with their swords. Broken vehicles lay around the two, a sign of the struggle the two guards had already undergone. The other guard growled as she raised up her sword in one hand and water in the other.

"Get ready!" The female guard shouted, rearing her arm back to swing the blade, "Run as soon as I open up a gap! You have to warn the tribe!"

The male guard was about to protest, but suddenly the entire area began to rumble. The warriors stopped in confusion and turned towards the sound. The two guards watched with widened eyes as the waters underneath the bridge began to rapidly swirl together. When they stilled, for a moment all was calm.

The water then rapidly spouted into the air, lowering the water level under the bridge as someone pulled it into the air. The two guards watched in awe as a golden flash thrust his hand out towards the bridge. The waterspout smashed into it, sweeping across the surface and sending the warriors upon it flying backwards to solid land. When the figure landed, he thrust his hand forward, causing the water to fire forward and then freeze solid to block the bridge entrance. The figure ran forward and flipped over the barrier he created, landing and sending his arm out in a circle around himself. Any warriors still on their feet were sent to the ground as lightning shot out and electrocuted any metal it touched.

"D-Dragon Lord?!" The female guard shouted, only to grunt as she was forced to block an oncoming sword from a warrior that hadn't gotten the message.

Mage grinned and suddenly turned into a blur, racing forward using speed and appearing in the air by the warrior. He delivered a fierce kick to its head, sending it to the ground. Out in the open, nothing came out at first. Mage shoots flames to flick the armor, the unbearable heat causing snakes to flee out of the armor. As the guards revolted at the sight, Mage reached out with Nature, eyes green, and the grass grew to wrap around the armor and drag it apart. For the other warriors, he strained and reached out with his other hand, blasting them apart with wind.

"Yep!" Mage grinned, releasing both elements and smacking his hands together, "Get back inside the city and protect the entrance! I got out here!"

"But… you froze the bridge…" The male guard slowly pointed to the ice barrier.

"Oh… right!" Mage blushed, waving his hand and causing it to melt into water that poured back into the ocean, "Okay, now go! I got this!"

The two guards obeyed instantly, rushing back. Mage covered their retreat by standing directly at the bridge entrance. The warriors that Mage had blasted apart began to perform, hissing at him and rushing at him. Mage grinned and stepped on the ground, causing it to rumble and shake them off their feet.

"Alright you… snakes!" Mage grinned, drawing his hands apart and summoning fire in his hands, "Let's do this!"

* * *

"Let's do this!" Lulloyd beamed as he set the last chess piece down on the table.

Harumi on the other side yawned, doing her best to stay awake. After consecutive days of pouring over reports, she'd _finally _gotten some sort of schedule of the Raiders/Vermillion attacks. After she'd nearly collapsed just trying to eat, Lloyd had insisted she sleep and then take a long break. Given that it was already the evening but too early to sleep, and after protesting she didn't have anything else to do, Lulloyd had suggested they play a game to keep her up.

"Do you have chess in your Ninjago?" Harumi yawned, slowly straightening herself out, "I never took you as the chess type. I'd have thought this place wouldn't have it, but," She gestured to the uniquely styled but clearly rendered pieces, "Let's throw this as a universal constant down."

"I love board games!" Lulloyd beamed, "My mom would play them with me all the time. We got into the habit of playing a lot of them. And, uh, eventually that led me into tabletop roleplaying stuff. But, my mom and I always played games when we could! That, or puzzles. Puzzles are cool too."

"Any reason chess in particular though?" Harumi leaned forward.

"Uh… I've been hanging around you guys in your whole, planning room and all that," Lulloyd chuckled, "And, uh, I've been working on strategy. You two are coming up with so many plans I wanted to see if I could, outthink you! Cause, uh, you're kinda really smart."

"Really now?" Harumi sat up in her chair at full attention, "I should warn you, the only one that ever beat me at chess was Somnan, and even he had to use mind to do it."

"Well, I've been training at it and, thinking of strategies," Lulloyd leaned towards the table, "I'll do it! Come on, let's play!" Lulloyd set Harumi up with the pieces and waited for her first move.

Seven moves later, he no longer needed to wait.

"What…?" Lulloyd blinked at the board, his king somehow in chess with his queen gone, rooks in disarray, pawns split up, and his king in checkmate to Harumi's queen, a knight and rook.

"You left your left side wide open," Harumi shrugged, "I saw you were going for my knights, but you made it too obvious."

"Then… let's try again!" Lulloyd shook his head, "I know your strategy now!"

Nine moves later, he was once more staring at the board with a confused expression.

"You didn't notice my rook going into your back line," Harumi pointed out, "Try again."

This time, it took eight moves for Lulloyd to be stunned again.

"You sacrificed your queen, never sacrifice a unit that powerful that early on," Harumi pointed out.

Thirteen moves later, Lulloyd had his head against the table.

"You lasted a lot longer that time," Harumi smiled, "You even noticed my using my knight to distract you."

"How…?" Lulloyd lifted his head up, "I, I thought I'd at least, have a fair game…"

"I've been playing a lot longer than you have," Harumi sighed, "Dad taught me how to play this when I was four. Don't get down. You said you want to learn about strategy, right? Well this is a good practice."

"I'm not upset, I'm just… disappointed," Lulloyd sat back in his chair, "I thought, I was learning something."

"If you're referring to all of this stuff we're doing here, that's battle strategy," Harumi leaned on one elbow, "That isn't anything like chess. Chess is about guessing your opponent's next move, the move after that, and all the possible moves at once. You have to imagine all the possible combinations at any time and play to the most optimal move you can use and find ways to intercept their own moves. You can't learn it in a day."

"I... wanna have something to show my dad when I get home, though," Lulloyd shook his head, "I wanna, you know, show him I'm learning how to be a warlord."

"Why do you want to be one?" Harumi asked curiously, "I thought you said you were a ninja."

"I am, but, my dad really, really wants me to be one," Lulloyd paused, "Which, I uh, I guess sounds like I'm doing what he says. I mean, I just wanna show him I'm learning things and, I know he really appreciates warlords. So, that's what I'm focusing on, you know? I wanna get better at everything."

"Hrm…" Harumi paused, "Well, if you want to, keep shadowing us. You'll see practical battle strategy from that. In the meanwhile, I can give you some pointers on chess. How does that sound?"

"You'd… do that?" Lulloyd asked.

"Lloyd banned me from the planning room for the day," Harumi groaned, "So I don't have anything else to do until it's dark enough out to sleep. And I'm happy to help a friend."

"Really? Thanks, Harumi!" Lulloyd beamed, "Really, thank you, I mean it!"

"Don't mention it," Harumi waved her hand, "Go get me some paper, I'll start telling you about basic strategies in chess and predicting moves."

"Sure!" Lulloyd hopped up to his feet, "Oh, by the way, do you know where Lloyd is?"

"I think he said he's practicing his Spinjitzu and Airjitzu on the roof," Harumi was about to say more, but the sound of something thudding above them made the two look up, "That would be him, I bet."

"Heh… Spinjitzu is kinda cool," Lulloyd sighed, "I wish our Spinjitzu was more than just… I don't even know what it is."

* * *

The next day, Lulloyd got up early; rather, it was later than he normally did, but earlier than most. His mom -and later dad- had recently impressed upon him the importance of getting up early to train. Granted, it seemed for Lloyd and the others seven-thirty was apparently not early enough at times, but then again Lulloyd didn't have a clock in this world so he let his body naturally decide when to wake up. Having been given his sword and Mechdragon back from Lady Nya after they'd started their plan, he'd decided to go outside the building to train.

As soon as Lulloyd stepped outside, he heard a gunshot. Without even thinking, he flipped his hood up, drew his sword, and quickly leapt into the air. Bringing his fist down into the dirt, he broke it apart into bricks he used to build a plank on top of a small pile; throwing a chunk of bricks on the other end flipped him forward into the air at a faster rate than he could run. When he landed, he quickly shot forward around what looked like excavated dirt and leapt over them.

"Monty, I heard gunshots!" Lulloyd shouted, "And, uh, you're the only one that uses guns, so!"

Monty stopped and turned towards Lulloyd, a look of confused annoyance on his face. The area around him had been carved out by what looked like wind ripples, making a makeshift firing range. On the other end were stands of empty boxes. None of them were filled with holes. Monty's gun back, currently open, was missing two shotguns Monty held in each hand.

"You know, they normally tell kids not to run onto a gun range," Monty sighed, "Guess that's not common knowledge anymore."

"You… were, training, right…" Lulloyd stood up, sheathing his sword, "Uh… sorry."

"I figured I made this place far enough away from the Summit it wouldn't bother anyone," Monty groaned, throwing the shotguns in the air and catching them on his shoulders, "What do you want?"

"Oh, uh, I was just, coming out here to train and, uh, stretch, I heard the sounds and…" He paused, "...Those, boxes don't have holes in them."

"I'm using blanks," Monty scoffed, "I wouldn't waste ammo when I physically can't get in this universe, and I'm not going to waste time trekking all the way back to Dareth's place just to teleport out of here."

"Uh… do you know if we can just, open a portal, anywhere?" Lulloyd asked.

"Rumi said Fenwick told you guys doing it rips holes in the universe, so I figured our joyride around back to Lloyd's place was enough damage already to not try again," Monty shrugged, "One of us has to pay attention to those things."

"Yeah…" Lulloyd paused, "Wait, if, you're using blanks how are you training..?"

Monty suddenly spun, planting his foot on the ground and causing a burst of wind to slam up towards Lulloyd. As he stumbled backwards, Monty leapt forward and pushed the barrel end of a shotgun to Lulloyd's face. As Lulloyd stared down the barrel, he yelped out and fell backwards onto the ground. Monty lowered the shotgun in turn.

"Bang," Monty rolled his eyes, "Like that. I'm training my hand-eye coordination with lining up my shots. Since I don't have to feel recoil I have to make sure I can still aim the guns right."

"I was… wondering about that," Lulloyd gasped out, slowly getting to his feet, "I, uh… you, have rules as a ghost… what are they?"

Monty turned around and fired a shotgun. He did a backflip in the air and threw the just fired gun into the air to cock the one he'd aimed at Lulloyd. He fired that one, then spun around and caught the other shotgun behind his back. The entire action was only a few seconds.

"Got a few," Monty shrugged, "Rule one: only water and another ghost can kill me. Two: in order to hold something or stand on something I have to make those parts of my body solid. I stop focusing, then they go incorporeal. Three: whenever I'm solid, objects will hurt me like anything else. For example, if I get stabbed I will feel the pain of getting stabbed. But if you cut through my hand, it won't come off, but I'll feel it. So when using my guns my hands are most vulnerable. And four…"

"Uh… four?" Lulloyd asked.

Monty threw both shotguns at Lulloyd. Lulloyd caught them in each hand, only to see Monty had raced forward and leapt towards him. Monty kicked off the two guns, pushing Lulloyd to the ground and making him drop them. Monty landed, caught the shotguns, and then pointed them at Lulloyd again.

"Four: the only reason I'm telling you this is because I like you, so don't go telling the others," Monty sighed, "If we were caught, you're the only one that wouldn't tell the Twins. Lloyd would blurt it out accidently, and Harumi doesn't look like she's been tortured before."

"Uh...thanks?" Lulloyd asked, slowly reaching up. Monty groaned and grabbed Lulloyd's hand to pull him up. Monty turned around and placed the shotguns down and instead picked up a pair of pistols.

Lulloyd stepped back, watching Monty fight. Watching him was… oddly satisfying. Everything he did, he flowed his hands from one pose to the other. He threw his guns in the air to spin and catch them, whipped one out and spun it until his hand was in place. His body almost looked like it was snapping into place each time he fired a blank. It was… like his father.

"Monty!" Lulloyd stood up, "I, uhm. I want to ask a favor?"

"A favor?" Monty turned, raising his eyebrow, "I'm not teaching you how to shoot."

"No, I don't want to learn how to shoot! But, uhm… I want you to help me train!" Lulloyd requested, "I, uh, want you help!"

"...Why me?" Monty turned back around, firing again without looking at Lulloyd.

"Because… because everyone else here is so smart," Lulloyd looked aside, "Lloyd is just, he's a better leader than me. Harumi is so smart it's kinda scary. And… then you're over here throwing guns around like, bricks. I'm… I'm not that smart. But I can fight. If all I can do is fight, then I want to get stronger at that. And… you're doing all these crazy things!" Lulloyd gave a determined glance, "Help train me!"

Monty stopped, turning towards Lulloyd and looking him up and down. He put his guns away and the drew the SoS from his side. Lulloyd barely had time to raise his sword to block it as Monty threw it like a javelin right towards him. As it went spiraling in the air, Monty reached out and sucked it back into his hand. He sheathed the blade, then turned back around.

"I don't have time right now to give you full on lessons," Monty grumbled, "But I can point things out as we go along. If you wanna help me out with training, live targets are more fun. But we're not in a high school saving the world, we're on a mission to literally save multiple worlds right now. So don't expect me to devote time to you, got it?"

"Yeah, thank you, Monty!" Lulloyd smiled wide, "Really, thank you!"

"Don't thank me, I didn't do anything," Monty continued to pose before firing the pistol rapidly into the end of the SoS. As the blanks fired off, and Lulloyd took several steps back, "Huh. So you can shoot bullets off this thing and it won't get damaged. That'll be useful…." Monty turned to Lulloyd, "Go stand over there. I'm going to try to shoot you. Dodge."

"Uhm… not with real bullets, right?" Lulloyd drew his hood with a nervous smile.

"If you ask dumb questions like that a live round might just go in the chamber," Monty drew a large rifle, "Let's get started."

* * *

Lloyd stood on the roof. He panted hard, sweat pouring down his face. He had just taken a hard landing from losing focus of his Airjitzu, leaving his left leg with a noticeable throb. Despite that pain, he bit his lip and put his hands together, focusing hard as he did.

"Alright, come on, Lloyd!" Lloyd gripped his hands together,, "One more… time!"

Lloyd pushed his power out through his body. Slowly, the cyclone formed around his body and pushed him up into the air. The familiar feeling of soaring into the sky took him. Once he had gotten up a good twenty feet above the roof, he began to push himself, trying to continue the force putting him into the air. As his body began to strain, he focused harder, trying to push past his limit. Just as he felt he was about to hit that limit, his breath escaped his lungs and his cyclone flashed. He fell towards the roof, forcing himself to go into Airjitzu at the last second to minimize the impact. He still hit hard, and his left leg told him that a third impact would be the last for the day.

"That sounded painful," From the hatch Lloyd had taken to the roof, a familiar voice rang out, "You should perhaps be more careful."

Acronix smiled as he calmly made his way over to where Lloyd sat. Before Lloyd could say anything, he reached his right hand out, the clock appearing and the hands turning left. Lloyd's leg suddenly turned blue as time slowed around it, causing the pain to dull as each throb took far longer than normal.

"Thanks," Lloyd smiled awkwardly, "I uh, probably shouldn't push so hard."

"Training hard is a good tool, but pushing to the point of exhaustion can do more than you would know to you in the long time," Acronix chuckled, "I'm pretty sure everyone in the building can hear you training. What in the dragon's names are you doing?"

"Airjitzu," Lloyd replied, and when Acronix stared at him blankly he continued, "It's a technique that allows me to fly for small periods of time. It requires a lot of focus though, and I didn't exactly learn it the same way my team back home did. So, I'm kinda weak in it. I'm working to make sure I can use it more often."

"I see," Acronix nodded, "Your abilities and those of your friends are incredible. I wish we had more like them in this world."

"I would say being able to control time is better than flying," Lloyd stretched himself out, "You can do far more with that than I can do with Airjitzu."

"True, but I must be thinking constantly about what I'm doing. One cannot rest when manipulating the fundamental thread of reality," Acronix explained, looking off into the distance. Lloyd did the same, unsure what to say to that. As the two sat in silence, the wind blew against them.

The view in front of them was both boring and incredible at the same time. The immediate area was barren and dirt filled, leaving little to look at. But in the distance, glimpses of the wonder of the world could be seen. The massive jungles that the Nature Tribe inhabited, was a dot in the distance, and the rivers that led to the ocean of the Water Tribe was just barely visible. The mountains of the Ice and Form Tribes stretched out across the horizon like jagged teeth. Behind the two on the other side of the building, he'd be able to see the volcanic chain the Smoke and Fire Tribes called home, and the path that would lead to the open areas of the Mind and Wind Tribes. The world was a wonder to Lloyd, and one he both wanted to know more, and nothing more about to preserve the mystery it held.

"It must be hard for you," Acronix broke the silence, "Talking to versions of people you know from your own world, and the enemy that you've been chasing so desperately down, isn't it?"

"Uh… yeah, it kinda is," Lloyd admitted, "But I've also already done this four times now, so it's not as bad by this point."

"I see," Acronix shook his head, "Still, knowing what you do about your opponents, I can only imagine talking to someone like me. You make them sound almost… deranged."

"It's a little easier to separate your two," Lloyd pointed out, "You actually seem like a leader and have a way better vocabulary than my Acronix does. You also don't show the same traits as him."

"I would like to hope so," Acronix sighed, "I have to lead my people, I would hate to think that they're being led by an insane dictator."

"They've both always been like this," Lloyd admitted, "The Twins didn't show any remorse for their actions. I at first thought maybe we could at least try to save them but… it didn't work that way."

"That is preferable for the moment," Acronix admitted, "It will be easier if I must come face to face with him to fight someone so different that they might as well be a stranger. To fight someone that has a reasonable goal and motivations, is perhaps the hardest thing a leader can bring themselves to do. If it were to come to that, I would have to worry about the strength of my own conviction, let alone the strength of my element."

Lloyd wasn't sure how to respond to that, and Acronix gave him a small smile in apology for rambling. Once more silence seemed to dominate over them. It filled Lloyd with a slight pang of guilt, of all things. Was not wanting to talk to Acronix simply proving his point of him relating him too much to the other and showing how hard it was to distinguish everyone?

"Your… brother," Lloyd decided on, "I know that you must not want to talk about it but... I'd like to know a bit more about him."

"I suppose you mean specifically why he isn't here with me right now," Acronix frowned, "Well. I'll start from the beginning. Most tribes only have one leader. You have heard each tribe has a patron dragon, yes?"

"Yeah, is there like, a literal dragon that lives near your tribes?" Lloyd asked, "We saw the name Muto on one of your maps."

"Yes, these dragons are descendants of the first clutch the Firstbourne laid, those that blessed the tribes with the ability to manipulate the elements through years of studying," Acronix raised his hand up to let the Time Matrix form on it, "It is through our connection to them that we retain our powers. It's said that the stronger your element, the closer your bond with them is. The dragons mainly live in peace, but when it comes time to choose a leader, the tribe will send its candidates up to the dragon, and the dragon decides."

"My brother was the one that was sent," Acronix opened his fingers to the sky, "He was always the stronger one. But when he and the others went before Muto… Muto said he wanted both me and my brother to lead," Acronix's fingers tightened, "We were always special. Both of us could control two of the four powers. I have mentioned that most people in our tribe can only control one, and to a tiny extent at that, yes?"

"I've seen how long it takes a guard to reverse injuries," Lloyd nodded.

"Well, Muto took my brother and I off into the wilds beyond our tribes for years and had us train with one another," Acronix smiled sadly, "I learned how to fight against him. We learned everything with each other. Muto said that together, we would form the strongest tribe. We'd be the ones to make all other tribes respect each other. After we learned to fight with only our fists, we moved to weapons, then our powers. When we returned… we were indeed the strongest in the tribe."

"Now… when Chen came, the war was already beginning," Acronix frowned, "We have close relations with several tribes. I could see where the war was heading and said we would not fight. My brother disagreed with me. He said that as our allies, they were everything. We got into a big fight. When it was over, I had beaten him just enough to keep us out. It was just a sibling scrap. But Chen came in, right after that, and he convinced Krux simply that he should go and help regardless. A few days later, almost a third of the soldiers we had were gone, and Krux was off to battle."

"He went to help the Earth Tribe," Acronix's tone began to waver, "And while there he… it seems the Wind Tribe thought it was an ambush worthy to send their leader, Morro, out. When Morro arrived, they attacked. When the dust cleared, my brother was… standing over Morro's corpse, and claimed he'd killed him. That was enough to make everything… fall apart."

Acronix gripped his fists, "He said… said he did what he had to do. That he was letting the truth take hold of everyone. Muto was so enraged he stripped Krux of his powers and ordered him killed. I defied Muto's orders and locked him away. He wouldn't talk to me, or anyone. The troops that followed him came back to the city, but nobody wanted them. You must have been in my tribe, yes?"

"Yeah, we were saved by someone named Teran when people thought we were with those 'supporter' group," Lloyd paused, "Who is he..?"

"Teran is my cousin, and formerly a captain," Acronix pointed out, "He has been working to get this situation reversed ever since the Raiders began to escalate things. I'm sorry you missed him during his stay at the Summit. I'm leaving him in charge to keep the peace."

"That explains a lot," Lloyd nodded, "Especially why he helped us so, easily."

"There are many good people left in this place, even after the flames of war have died down and claimed the lives of many of them," Acronix turned his head forward, "I will defend those people as best I can. They need someone to stand in front of them. I'll move time itself to protect my people. Even… even if it means one day I must fight my brother again."

"You don't wanna fight him though, do you?" Lloyd asked, his tone turning sympathetic.

"Of course not, fighting family is perhaps the hardest type of opponent," Acornix grit his teeth, "It's… It would be nearly impossible for me to raise my time or my blade against him. I would sooner lay back and allow him to take my life from me, than to fight him once more."

Acronix stood up, his eyes distant and his fingers curling into his palm, "If you will excuse me, Lloyd, I must return to some of my own preparations. I simply needed a rest from the proceedings. Thank you for allowing me to vent some of my frustrations, however dull they may be."

"It's no problem," Lloyd began to say, but Acronix turned the hands on his clock down and sped forward in time, leaving Lloyd alone on top of the roof.

Lloyd sighed, leaning forward on his knees. Part of him wanted to try to discern the position that Acronix was in. He knew what it was like to face a family member, his father's defeat still fresh in his mind. Yet at the same time… he still looked to Acronix and saw Acronix. It was something he hated himself for, especially seeing how different they were, yet they looked so similar, talked with the same voice, and even had the same eyes. It was like talking to a painting of someone, painted by a completely different artist. He wanted to give Acronix the benefit of the doubt, but he couldn't!

The anger eventually got to him enough he wanted to go inside, but then he remembered Lulloyd saying Monty had been training on the grounds around the Summit building. Needing to practice Airjitzu anyways, Lloyd took a deep breath and then ran forward, leaping off the roof. As he let gravity take hold, he spun into the cyclone. As he approached the ground, he simply let the art slow his descent until he landed on the rocky terrain unharmed.

Making his way around the building, he soon came across the area of dirt that Monty had excavated to make his shooting range. The telltale sound of gunshots going off as he approached meant Monty was all but revealing himself to all those around him. As Lloyd crested the dirt, he looked down to see the ghost standing with an assault rifle in hands, aiming down the sights before muttering and reaching up to adjust the scope he'd attached to it.

"Monty," Lloyd called out, "You busy?"

"Lulloyd went inside, so not really," Monty called back, smacking the scope in frustration, "What do you want?"

"Lulloyd was here?" Lloyd blinked, "Well, I mean, we never got a chance to pick up my shooting lessons… think we can now?" Lloyd slid down the small slope of dirt to Monty, "Or at least something?"

"Sure, actually this is a pretty good opportunity," Monty pointed to the gun bag, "You're going to learn how to reload all those guns and throw them to me."

"Just… throw them to you?" Lloyd asked as he walked over and withdrew a set of large pistols from the bag, "Why?"

"In battle, the biggest drawback to guns is close range combat and reloading. I can't change the first thing but I can use you all to get rid of the second," Monty gave up on the scope and slung the rifle onto his back using a strap, "Since I'm not going to wait around for you in battle to do things for me, I need you to be up to my speed. Better I have all of you be able to reload guns and throw them to me so I can cover myself than we all be out of luck."

"But, that can't be too hard, right?" Lloyd crossed his arms, "My team back home knows how to trade weapons in battle and use them."

"I'll be using wind at the same time," Monty narrowed his gaze, "I'll be moving fast. You'll have to get good at throwing. Let's start with pistols. I've made due with blanks, but right now, we'll just get you used to the action of reloading and throwing. Stand down by the targets and get ready to throw."

"You aren't going to shoot at me, are you?" Lloyd asked, even as he walked downrange.

"That's why they're not loaded," Monty rolled his eyes, "Though if they were I might want to see how close I can put a bullet by your head before you tap out. Ronin and I did that with paintballs. His record is a centimeter. Mine's half of one."

"You're a ghost though, that's not exactly a fair challenge," Lloyd held the pistols up dramatically, "Alright, just tell me when to throw!"

"Hold them like a normal person first," Monty rolled his eyes, "We're not on a movie, these will be actual fights. Just because I've trained to be able to look cool doing cool things doesn't make you cool by comparison. Now throw them."

Lloyd felt the weight in hands and threw them as he would shurikens, angling them just slightly upwards to account for their shape. They were slightly short, but Monty didn't take them standing still. He ran forward and then spun in the air horizontally, grabbing the two guns and a burst of wind from his chest pushing him up into the air. When he landed, he stuck the guns out to either side and then threw them back to Lloyd. The action was so fast Lloyd ended up not registering the guns were thrown until he'd already ducked out of the way.

"That's how fast I'll be using them," Monty stood up, brushing his hair back even if it didn't move from his actions, "So get ready to grab them fast and reload even faster. I'll do that again, don't dodge them this time."

Lloyd didn't say anything, instead quickly rushing to grab the guns and nod. Monty once more caught the thrown pistols, striking a pose and mimicking firing them before flinging them back. Lloyd this time was able to catch them. When he hesitated with what to do with that, Monty groaned.

"I'm using semi-autos, when I get done firing, the slide on top will go back," Monty pointed to a small tab on the side, "That's the magazine release. Push that down and pull the clip out the bottom. I'll give all of you an extra clip. You press the clip back in there until it clicks, pull the slide back and let it go forward, and then you throw it back. Give the magazine a small tug before you throw it back. If that magazine isn't pushed all the way in it'll tear up the gun if I try to fire it. Once you get used to it, it'll be one motion. Do it."

Lloyd used the tip of his hand to pull the release down, and with his other hand he slid the clip out. Monty nodded in approval. He put the clip to his belt to mimic grabbing another clip, then slid the clip hard up into the pistol until he heard the click. Monty pointed, and Lloyd gave the clip one tug to make sure it wasn't coming out. Once it was, he reset the slide by pulling it back until it stopped and let it jerk forward. He quickly threw the guns again to Monty, who caught them and aimed them again.

For nearly ten minutes, Monty forced Lloyd to repeat the motion. Lloyd started to see why it was Monty called it a fluid motion; once he got a second empty clip and exchanged them on his belts, he started to see how he could reload the gun with just one hand if he worked it right. Monty was patient for the moment, even if Lloyd's arms got tired during it all.

"I think you'll get it right half the time now, so shotguns," Mnnty tossed the guns aside and went over to pull out a shotgun, "Now, I normally quad-load, but I'll have you two-load. Break actions are ones that you probably are used to," Monty held up one and 'broke' it open to show the two barrels, "These are easy. When you open the gun up, it'll eject the casings. Just put the casings in, close it up, and throw it. Pump actions, though," Monty tossed that gun aside to pick up another, "Turn it upside down, open the slide, and shove them in one by one until you can't. Close it, and then toss it."

Lloyd picked up the break action and began taking empty casings Monty pointed to. Just as he went to load them, Monty shook his head towards him.

"Safety," Monty pointed, "You aren't familiar with these guns. When you catch them, put the safety on. I'll take it off when you throw it. Once you get familiar, you can do it without the safety, but right now I don't trust you not to accidentally shoot yourself."

Lloyd paused to find the safety and memorized the position. Once he loaded the gun, he tossed it to Monty who mimicked firing it again and tossed it back. Again the two rotated through the process, letting Lloyd get used to it all.

"Rifles," Monty held one up, "Bolt action. Simple. Rotate the piece up, pull it back, and load in a round. Push it in, throw it. They're good for long range but bad for when you have to take on a bunch of people. Go."

Lloyd soon got his arms into the rhythm of loading and unloading the gun, throwing it to Monty, and repeating the process. Monty nodded and then picked up something more militant like. The gun was sleek and black, and looked far more dangerous than anything so far.

"Semi-auto rifles," Monty held his hand under the gun, "Eject the clip," He hit something to cause the clip on the bottom to pop out, "Grab a new one, jam it in, release the action and then throw it. It's easy to reload, probably the easiest. Just don't mess up the clip. Got it?"

As Lloyd found, it was actually easy to do with another clip on hand. It was as simple as ejecting, stuffing it, cocking and then throwing. He knew Monty would likely cringe at those terms, but it was how he got used to it. Of all the guns, he was able to master it in the shortest amount of time.

"Now we get to the fun part," Monty pointed to the guns, "I'm going to throw random ones, you do it. Let's go."

Over the course of another hour, Lloyd found his arms burning with hatred for repeated motions and continual catching. Monty wasn't letting up on him, constantly cycling through firearms and making Lloyd always check the safety when he did so. The sun had moved in the sky when Lloyd stopped, panting and covered in sweat as Monty finally gave him a small clap.

"I don't get it," Monty rubbed his forehead, "You were able to throw the guns at me nearly straight. You clearly get how to adjust for shape and weight when throwing. How come you can't understand how to aim a gun?"

"Because throwing a shuriken is easy," Lloyd sat on the ground, panting as he got his breath back, "Aiming is hard. Plus you usually aren't throwing from so far away."

"Well, you seem to be decent enough I can count on you to not get killed," Monty nodded, "Next time we go into battle, you'll carry two rounds of reloading for me on your belt. Do it as we practiced and we'll be good. If I have to stop and reload in battle I weigh us down. So just remember that."

"Yeah…" Lloyd groaned, "I think I'm gonna go inside and… just try to get some water."

"Oh, you want me gone that badly?" Monty shrugged, "Didn't know the Green Ninja had murder in his toolkit."

"To _drink_, Monty," Lloyd groaned out, standing up and walking his way up the dirt mounds, "If it's anyone that you need to worry about poofing you, it's Harumi."

"I know, she really has anger issues," Monty drew the SoS and began slicing it through the air, "Tell Lulloyd when you see him to come out and train once he gets done with some lessons or whatever he's getting from Harumi."

"Sure, it's not like I have anything to do now that the squads are out and about," Lloyd frowned, "It feels like we should be doing more than just sitting around."

"No, and don't think about doing anything. This plan only works if the Time Twins think it's just this world doing this to them," Monty pointed out again, "You'll get your chance. Right now, let's just focus on winning."

"I know, I know," Lloyd frowned harder, "I was saying anything I could do now, I already know that. You've been very apparent about this."

"Well it makes it so you have less room to blow me off," Monty shrugged, "Now go tell Lulloyd what I said."

Lloyd sighed and began to walk off, leaving behind Monty. While he felt exasperated again from talking to him, he felt as though he'd gained a slight bit of experience with him. At the very least, he knew next time this would only strengthen them for when they went to confront the Twins once and for all. For hopefully the final time.

* * *

"Hey, Monty!" Mage shouted as his body appeared in front of the ghost.

Monty looked up from the corner of the planning room. The map of the World, as Mage called it, was currently covered in various little figures, items across the table, and smaller maps pinned in certain places. Harumi and Lloyd were in the room, with Harumi still staving off exhaustion while Lloyd was currently reading over what Mage briefly skimmed to read was a report of recent battles. Upon seeing his own name on there, he beamed hard as he recalled the memory of defending the Water Tribe entrance from the warriors for nearly three hours. It'd been wonderful practice for him!

"What do you want?" Monty sighed, leaning into the corner, "Weren't you on a patrol?"

"I was, Firstbourne insisted on picking me up, so I got back really early!" Mage smirked, "You hear about how I beat those warriors down?"

"I did," Lloyd responded from the table, "The fact they're now willing to attack openly is a big improvement. It means we're on track."

"They were so scared of me!" Mage threw his fist into the air, "A little water here, then a little stomp here, oh and don't forget me giving a really hard punch filled with gravity! You know when you punch someone with gravity, it basically triples your power?!"

"Good to hear," Monty muttered.

"Still, why haven't we seen bigger forces yet?" Harumi looked over to the table, "We're still encountering the smaller Raider groups, even after all of this time."

"Maybe, they're gearing up for something?" Lulloyd hopped off his seat, walking up to look over the map, "Like, they're getting ready for something?"

"But why would they do that?" Lloyd asked,"They have Vermillion, they could easily just make one big move on one tribe and end us."

"Uh… what's going on here?" Mage asked, walking up to the table and peering over, "I thought you said it's going to plan?"

"It's going to the first part of the plan, where we draw them out and make them attack in the open," Monty sighed to Mage, "But they haven't been doing big attacks. Nothing massive. We're still basically in the opening shots of a battle, and they're taking too long to call in the bigger guns."

"I… what's a gun?" Mage asked.

"You haven't seen one?" Monty blinked, then pulled out a pistol from his armor, "They're basically-"

"Heeeyyyy!" Lulloyd quickly snatched the pistol from Monty and put it on the table in front of him, "So, what you're saying is something is up?"

"Not yet, but we might have to start rethinking out strategy if this keeps up," Monty looked over, "Where exactly would they be hiding?"

"Somewhere big," Lulloyd muttered, "That Iron Doom can't just fit into a normal place. We have to think of what places are even big enough to hide it."

"Iron Doom?" Mage leaned over the table, "Uh. Well, if you want to know big places I can tell you that!"

Mage reached out for some pins Harumi had in a pile. Mage manipulated them using metal -his eyes turning gunmetal- and hovered them over certain tribes. When he placed the pins down, he had six tribes labeled.

"Only six places are big enough to hide something like that!" Mage explained, "The Form Tribe lives in the mountains, so they could hide there. The Time Tribe lives in mountains too, so it's kinda the same! The Sound Tribe lives in a remote place so they could hide around there. There's the Wind Tribe, they live on this huge MASSIVE plateau that gets winds through it like crazy, they could hide somewhere around there. There are a lot of unexplored places in the Amber Tribe region where Skylar lives… Oh! And the Ash Tribe, the area is totally filled with sinkholes."

"So, you're saying the other tribes wouldn't hide something big?" Harumi asked.

"Well not exactly," Mage shook his head, "I've been all around the World. All the tribes could hide it somewhere. But these tribes they're the ones that will hide them the best! Like, they could sneak in and out from those places and not get caught! I figured that's what you meant."

Monty scoffed and nodded his head to the boy. Lloyd began to pour back over his pages, getting lost in them once again. Lulloyd would lean over the table and stare at what Harumi was doing, then look across the table. Mage watched it himself for nearly two minutes before his boredom set in. As he turned to leave, something began to fall out of his pocket. Once he felt it, he quickly perked up and turned back around.

"Well," Lloyd stretched, "For now, this is all going to plan. Let's just hope it stays that way."

"Mhm!" Mage gripped his fists and nodded his fists, "Don't worry, we know this world! It'd take a lot to throw us off our game! We'll have this place saved in no time!"

* * *

"Do you know what we're asking of you?" The elder voice asked.

Krux looked down to the blade he held in his hand. From what he'd been told, it was some sort of 'Time Blade' that let him use one of the four powers of the Time Matrix. It didn't fit perfectly into his hand, a bit tight for his liking, but just holding it up to see the power flowing through it told him he was holding an immensely powerful weapon. He leveled the blade towards the sky and activated it.

When he reappeared, Krux was behind the two speakers. He panted heavily, his heart racing from pulling it off. He'd just used a power that only his brother had held. He looked back to the two figures, who were both grinning madly at him. He swallowed hard, lowering the blade to his side.

"You've done an amazing job of giving us information and directing our forces," The younger voice crossed his arms, "But now, these shifts in our plans need… correction."

"Can you handle it?" The elder voice asked, "You will be going up against him."

"...The hardest thing to do, is to raise your blade against family," Krux inhaled, "I said that I would stand against him. And this is me showing that I do intend to stand against him. I said I would fight for you. Do not doubt my loyalty."

"Then you have your task," The younger voice pointed, "Go, and send a message to everyone in this world. Those who dare to defy the will of Time…"

Krux raised the Time Blade, "...will fall."


	26. Chapter 26

"You won't get away from me!" Skylar shouted, raising her palm. Violent crackles of electricity shot from her hand, lighting the area blue as they soared straight into the bikes of one of the Raiders. The bike violently sparked and burst, sending its pilot into the sky. When the Raider landed, it immediately scrambled to start running away.

"Oh no you don't!" Skylar went to race after him, but the sound of more Raiders rushing at her stayed her pursuit. She let out a 'tssk' and then leapt backwards through the air. When she landed, she thrust both of her hands forwards and then pulled them back, causing the earth underneath them to jerk upwards and toss two Raiders towards her. They both met her fists to their faces, crumpling them to the ground.

The errant driver quickly rushed towards another bike that had been abandoned in the battle. Skylar's patrol had intercepted them in the middle of a raid on a small outpost in the middle of Wind Tribe territory. Of the fifty or so Raiders in the initial group, all but ten of them were downed. The pilot, seeing that this was going to meet the fate of the other groups, rapidly moved to the bike to retreat.

"You're finished!" Alacr shouted, closing his eyes and bending forward into a running stance, "Speed of Steel…!"

Alacr activated his speed elemental power, causing his body to go soaring straight towards through the air. When he reached the fleeing driver, he drew his blade. The next time that anyone could see him, he had his blade fully drawn and out behind him. He stood up, reaching to slide the sword back down into its holster. When he finished, the Raider burst apart at the middle, causing half chopped up snakes to go flying.

"...Flash." Alacr finished.

"You can't just do that, Alacr!" Ray shouted, "Charged Sword, Skyward Strike!"

Ray was standing nearly ten feet away. He raised his sword up to the sky, the jagged length sparkling with electricity that caused the blade's steel to look almost like it was made of crystal. He shouted and thrust the sword towards the ground. From the sky above the fallen snakes, lightning shot straight down to cut into the ground, shocking the remaining snakes. Those that weren't killed immediately on impact rapidly retreated, too broken to fight back.

"Haaaauuhhh!" Nubit, her arms made of metal, launched forward and grabbed the helmet and shoulder of one of the raiders. The snakes inside attempted to hold themselves together, but Nubit forced her arms apart by sheer strength. The helmet ripped in half, and the few snakes inside began to bundle up and launch towards Nubit's face.

"Slow!" A woman, dressed in glistening pauldrons over black leather armor with a blue mark on the back of her hand, thrust said hand forward. The snakes inside the armor were caught in the slowed time field. The woman thrust her long locks of blue hair backwards, letting out a grunt as she looked to Nubit. Nubit, understanding quickly, brought her hands forward and rapidly smashed the snakes in the air with metal fists.

As the snakes fell, there was a moment of silence. Skylar, standing over her two defeated Raiders, looked across the battlefield. The bikes were either empty or broken; it seemed lightning had a way of making them not want to go anymore. There were no more Raiders standing, and those on the ground were beaten so badly it would be impossible for them to do anything more to them. She let out a long huff and looked across to the field.

"Is that all of them?" Alacr asked, turning about while his white, knightly robes flared out behind him.

"Heh… if there are, I vote we let Ray deal with them," Nubit panted, removing the metal from her body and tightening her cloth straps around her chest.

"Hey!" Ray protested, "I did just as much as you did, Nubit!"

"You sure?" Nubit blinked, "I'm pretty sure that Dorian did even more work than you did."

"Eh?" Dorian, the woman in the Time Tribe colors, quickly stood up and waved her hands in front of her, "Nonononono, I just helped! Ray did even more work than I did!"

"You all did fine," Skylar called out, "Come on, let's make sure that the outpost is okay and then we'll see about setting up camp for the night."

The four quickly nodded, moving about to quickly clean up all of the armor in the area to send to the Metal Tribe to discreetly melt down. While they did, Skylar reached out with her mind power, scanning the battlefield for the number of thoughts. There were twenty, including her friends and excluding herself. That was the amount of people she had in her squad, so it checked out. She also immediately felt Dorian ping in fear as her mind touched her, so she pulled back quickly.

Skylar made her way up the hill. The group were in the middle of the large, windswept savanna-like plains that the Wind Tribe called their own. In the distance, she could see the large cliffs that led to the plateau that the majority of people lived in. The massive distance up to the top meant that Wind Tribe members were taught how to use wind to propel themselves through the air to 'jump' up to the top. She could confirm many of them actually did.

"T-Thank you so much!" The three Wind Tribe guards stationed at a small structure looking like a shack all bowed at once, "If you hadn't showed up, those Raiders… they'd have…"

"Don't mention it," Skylar waved her hand, "But keep a watch on these open spaces. The tall grasses make it easy for them to sneak up on you."

"W-We were!" The older one of the group stepped forward, Skylar guessing he was a captain, "We would have died if it wasn't for your help. Thank you, again!"

"Like I just said, don't worry about it," Skylar sighed, "Do you know why they were targeting this area?"

"Uh, uhm, this is the closest outpost to the actual tribe itself," The younger male of the trio of guards spoke up, "If they took this out, they'd have the last line of defense gone."

"I see, you should probably go and fix that then," Skylar crossed her arms, "Trust me, you don't want them to get that close again. We won't always be able to help you in time."

"We are very grateful!" The last guard, a younger girl, shouted, "Is there anything we can give you, for your help? Let us repay you!"

"Indeed," The captain grunted, "We would have been goners if you weren't here."

"You guys really lay it on thick…" Skylar groaned, reaching up to rub her temple, "Just take more care of this place. That's all you really need to do. We'll get these guys cleaned up, then it'll be up to you guys to handle yourselves."

"Yes, ma'am!" The three drew a symbol of a blowing breeze in front of them together, then hit their left shoulder in the Wind Tribe salute.

"Yeah, yeah," Skylar weakly and sloppily traced the same motion and began back away, "Stay safe here."

Skylar didn't want to partake in that anymore than she already had. She left the three and hopped her way down the slope towards her allies. In the short time that it'd taken her to have that conversation, Alacr had already filled up one of the carriages with the claimed armor while the two earth users in the squad buried the snakes under the dirt. Nubit made her way over to one of the bikes and focused. Her hands shot out and made grips in the metal exterior. She let out a loud heave and slung the bike into a pile of them. Once she finished, two fire users came over and lit the ground under them with flames. Soon, the bikes caught ablaze and a roaring flame was licking up at the sky.

"Manage that fire!" Skylar shouted to the three guards, leaping her way through the group to one of the carriages. Once she sat down, Alacr stood up behind her already in the carriage, along with Ray.

"Finish that cleanup and lets get going," Skylar ordered, "We gotta get out of this area and move onto some other territory so we don't make habits. What are you all thinking?"

"The Shadow Tribe territory is nearby," Alacr suggested, "But we're almost out of water. We need to head towards the river in Metal Tribe territory. We can drop off the armor that we have collected while we're doing that."

"Did I hear we're heading back home?" Nubit swung herself up into the back of the carriage, "I know a small mining settlement there, if we need supplies. We can easily find a good night's rest there."

"Hrrm…. Sure, why not?" Skylar shrugged, "We need to make sure we vary up where we are anyways. Let's do that, if we can help out around there we can. I haven't gotten anything from my scouts anyways."

With their destination agreed, it didn't take very long for the rest of the group to finish up their own jobs of cleaning up the Raiders. Skylar took hold of the reins to their horse and gave a crack with them. Soon, the four carriages that comprised her squad were rapidly running through the yellow fields of grass that the Wind Tribe called home. The winds swept over the plains as they went, causing the ripples to appear over them like things out of a painting. The carriages were on the main trading road, but soon Skylar took them into the grasses themselves. The paths they cut through the fields were blown away by the winds that seemed to never end in this part of the world.

"Is it just me, or is anyone else wondering just how many of these Raiders there really are?" Ray complained, having crawled in after Alacr and Nubit.

"I-I'm sure they'll stop coming!" Dorian smiled meekly, "We'll turn them around soon!"

"Glad you guys are optimistic," Skylar groaned, stretching herself out, "I for one wanna go back to the Summit and take a few days to just lay back and relax. We've been running ourselves crazy for a month now. Feels like it won't ever end, will it?"

"That's life for you," Alacr sighed with a smile, "When you finish one trade, you move onto another. Right now, we've exchanged trading for fighting, that's all."

"That's rich coming from us," Nubit waved her hand, "We decided to keep going and delivering supplies even in the middle of all of this. We made our own fights doing that."

"Well, we can't avoid fighting, now can we?" Alacr ran his hand over his sword, "Better that we pick our own battles, rather than have them picked for us, right?"

"Still," Ray groaned, rubbing his stiff shoulder, "I'd like it if we could fight a little less."

"A… bath would be nice, given how much running around we've been doing," Dorian admitted with a blush, "It's, a little awkward to have to be racing around all the time without rest…"

Skylar threw her hands up, "Alright, alright. When we get to that settlement, if they got a place for us to stay, then we can stay! But if the scouts find someone we leave immediately, so don't get all too comfy there, right?"

"When have we ever?" Alacr grinned.

The carriage shared a long laugh together. Skylar took ahold of the reins again as the grasses around them began to dwindle off. Soon, they were in the middle of a land of rivers and rocks (LORAR, as Skylar liked calling it). The Metal Tribe territory was one that bordered the edge of the World, though Skylar knew now that if one kept going northwest they'd enter the large and impossibly steep mountains that Mage lived in. The Metal Tribe was known for their mining operations, similar to how the Earth Tribe lived underground in massive caverns. The Metal Tribe was built on stilts over a massive hole in the ground that spanned almost a half mile in diameter, with massive cables that would carry them up and down from the mines underneath. Large slides that had been built up over generations extended all the way over the hole and out to the surrounding areas, where mined ores were melted and turned into usable materials. The tribe was the main supplier of building materials, making them perhaps one of the wealthiest tribes ever since the ability to turn metal into buildings had been discovered.

Stemming out from the main town were massive rivers that wove in and out of small underground caverns. Small patches of trees and forests were scattered around the region, which was where Skylar had come to understand the majority of their food came from before the Nature Tribe had taken over the main source of food production. Even before the Summit, all the tribes depended on one another in some fashion, primarily in their ability to produce materials.

The main trading road passed through the eastern part of their territory, with long paths that carried them up and over the gravel hills and greenergy patches towards the actual massive tribal center. Given that the Metal Tribe was difficult to reach from the mainland, as the only way in and out of the tribe relied upon carts that metal users physically pulled along rails back and forth from their settlement, the majority of Raider attacks here had been on the main path itself to stop metal supplies from getting out of the tribe. Skylar had been in the area a few times thwarting the attacks, but with their need to keep moving to intercept as many as possible, she hadn't spent much time there.

Being in the Metal Tribe itself, watching the hills roll by and the strange way that life peeked up through the region, it was almost nostalgic to Skylar. This had been one of the first tribes that she visited and, consequently, one of the first elements she'd actually learned. Metal was useful in some cases, mainly for defense, but it was difficult to manipulate the small patches of metal that were often used in armor. It was funny, then, given that the people that metal users would fight would be likely wearing metal armor supplied from their tribe. The World was an interesting place.

Skylar looked back to the people in the carriage. After she'd first met Mage, her father had ordered they split up. The next morning, she'd been abandoned, with her only note saying to follow Mage. She'd wandered into the abnormally dark region the Shadow Tribe resided in, where she'd been found by Alacr and the others. They'd taken her in without any question or payment, and told her they'd help her find her father as they traveled. She'd been with them for months, specifically months in which she constantly left or made excuses to go and try to stop Mage from doing… anything, really.

Her grip on the reins tightened a bit. Her father. The shadow of him still hung over her. She knew that what he did was wrong now, and what she had been talked into doing was wrong. She knew that what he had wanted from the beginning wasn't all about her. Yes, he claimed it was revenge for what happened to her mother's tribe, but… but that didn't make the idea of wiping them all out right. It wasn't like she didn't know at the time that she was going to be committing geoncide on everyone at the time. She'd just… ignored it.

Thinking back, when Alacr had first found her, she hadn't been anywhere near like she was now. Without her mother and a home to go to, all that kept her moving back then was her anger. She could only focus on how utterly enraged she was at what happened to her mother, her people, and what she was going to do about it. She hadn't told any of them about that at the time. They didn't know anything about her back then. And she only knew what her father had told her.

"I still don't know why you talked to me after finding out about Chen," Skylar sighed to herself, "Still not sure why you even liked me to begin with."

"Because you weren't evil, just misguided," Alacr responded, "That was easy to see."

"Huh? Alacr?" Skylar blushed in embarrassment, having not intended for him to actually have heard her. Alacr urged her to scoot over so he could sit down beside her. As she did, he looked up towards the sky and then towards her.

"It was easy to tell you were just a kid that didn't know any better," Alacr looked back to the group, "To be honest, not all of us are that beyond kids ourselves. We could see that you were hurting for something. We took you in because of that."

"Yeah, but then you found out about Chen when he finally caught up to us and I just, left," Skylar's fist trembled, "I mean, I just left. I didn't even let you all know anything. Months of getting close to all of you and then I just… left you all."

"We won't lie and say that didn't sting," Dorian smiled sadly, "But, none of us thought you were an evil person. I mean, you were kinda, rude and, didn't really talk much. But you were opening up!"

"You also would steer us all over the place," Nubit rolled her eyes, "We caught on pretty fast you had something to do with the Dragon Lord."

"You don't get to be where you are without doing a few questionable things," Ray stated as he cleaned his sword, "But the four of us are a family. You're just as much apart of that family as any of us, Skylar."

"Then you should have said five," Skylar rolled her eyes, "You can't even count right with you rubbing your head all the time."

"The amount that I rub myself doesn't change how smart I am!" Ray protested. It was approximately ten seconds of the rest of them staring at him that he quickly sputtered and muttered, "T-That came out wrong."

The rest of the carriage let out a loud laugh. Skylar remembered laughing with them like that. When Chen had come to pick her back up, he'd told her she couldn't see them again. She'd fully readied herself for that at the time. It'd only taken a reminder that her mother had been murdered by tribes refusing her entry during that storm and… and she'd almost been made to forget about them. It'd taken Mage to come in and fix her anger by… well, punching it out of her with elements combined, she supposed.

"Let's leave the fancy speaking to Alacr, hmm?" Skylar nudged the knightly man, "He's the face of all of us, after all."

"I'd argue now that you are so widely known, you have even more clout than I do," Alacr smiled, "Most people would recognize the one that stood toe to toe with the Dragon Lord over a former candidate to the Speed Tribe leadership."

"Yeah, but only one of us can do half the stuff you do," Skylar chuckled.

"Huh?" Dorian blinked, "Did you, mimic him, Skylar..?"

"I was saying that he's the only one that can do like, all of the stuff that he does," Skylar groaned, "I'm not mimicking any of you!"

"What, are not good enough for you to mimic, Skylar?" Nubit joked, cleaning her own spear that had gotten damaged in the last battle.

"If I could mimic anything about you, it'd be that big set of 'em you got hanging off you," Skylar made a bouncing motion on the seat. Nubit looked down, realizing what she was talking about, and then grinned.

"It's not my fault I grew into a beautiful woman," Nubit drew a hand up her body, "You'll get there one day, Skylar."

"A beautiful woman with a heart made of metal," Ray grumbled.

"Excuse me, what was that?" Nubit grinned, "Which one of us has had a date in the last few months, hmm?"

"That girl from the Poison Tribe was into me!" Ray protested, "You all said we had to make it to the Mind Tribe the next day! I would totally have had her if you hadn't stopped me…"

"Uhm, are you sure you want someone from the Poison Tribe?" Dorian asked meekly, "I mean, I'd be scared, being around someone that can cover their body in acid at anytime…"

"Hey, don't go talking bad about the Poison Tribe, you know we have some in those carriages behind us!" Skylar smirked, "Maybe I should let you both go train with some of them."

"N-N-No I'm good!" Dorian raised her hands, "Y-you know my, my element isn't, really that strong!"

"And we've told you time and time again, Dorian," Alacr sighed, "You're far stronger than you know. Controlling time takes effort. Even if it isn't a fight ender, any support is invaluable to our group."

"But, I don't even have any cool names for my attacks, other than Slow…" Dorian mumbled.

"That's just something guys trying way too hard to look flashy and Ray do," Nubit shook her head, "A real fighter doesn't need to scream the name of what they're about to do to their opponent, or tell them when they're coming at them."

"If you feel there is something wrong with the way that we fight, you are free to fight in your own way, Nubit," Alacr raised an eyebrow, "And there are many benefits to fighting like that. You will see them in time."

"Oh, I'm sorry mister 'Speed of STeel, Flash!'" Nubit mimicked drawing a sword with her hand, "What am I supposed to shout? Metal Arms? Metal spear?"

"Spear of Metal!" Dorian offered. When Nubit gave her a confused glance, Dorian went red in the face, "I-I just, I mean that, you could turn your spear into metal and then yell, 'Spear of Metal!' and then, attack that way."

"Isn't that just me using a metal spear?" Nubit asked out of confusion.

"Y-Yeah, but it's still a move you're using!" Dorian protested, "Naming your attacks makes them more personal! And, if you get famous for a certain attack then, it's easier to say that name then 'that attack they used!' and that stuff!"

"Yeah, yeah," Nubit waved her hand, "Sure thing, time girl."

As Dorian and Nubit began to argue, both Skylar and Alacr smiled and listened in. One day, Skylar would have to ask all of them to settle down in the Amber Tribe when she got around to it. Having some traders in town would attract some people. In a sense, they were her people. It'd been so long since she'd gotten to just sit down with them and talk. The last time was after the war when she'd needed a place to stay, if she remembered…

"Skylar," Alacr snapped her out of her thoughts with a firm command, "Look over there."

It didn't take Skylar very long to see what Alacr was referring to. A massive plume of smoke was billowing up towards the sky, and one that was coming form the direction they were heading. The scouts from the Speed Tribe that Skylar had sent from the squad were in the opposite direction. Just from the size of the smoke and the distance they needed to go to get there, it had to be some sort of attack.

"Tell the rest of the squad to get ready," Skylar ordered Alacr, "We're going to be heading there, fast! It has to be a Raider attack!"

"Understood," Alacr nodded his head, leaping up to his feet and making his way back through the carriage. Skylar stopped the group so Alacr could spread the message. Her eyes analyzed the smoke, confirming in her mind that it was indeed coming from the mining settlement that she knew it had to be coming from. When Alacr returned to her, the two shared a nod while Nubit, Ray and Dorian all readied their weapons.

"Let's go!" Skylar slapped the reins, causing them to lurch forward. The squad rapidly descended across the landscape, flying towards the plume. As they got closer, Skylar could begin to smell the flames that had to be coming from the settlement. Alacr stood up, drawing his sword and holding it out in both hands. Ray rubbed his head to charge up his blade, while Nubit placed one hand on her spear. Dorian fitted what looked like blunted claws on gauntlets over her hands, charging them with blue energy.

"Get ready!" Skylar ordered, seeing the gap in the rocks they would squeeze through. The smell of the burning settlement only grew more and more as finally Skylar and the rest of the carriages burst out into the open. As soon as she saw what was happening, her breath felt as charred as the flames in front of her.

What was once a small settlement of maybe four buildings centered around a mine entrance was now completely ablaze. The flames were bright enough that it blotted out the light of the sun. All across the area, however, Raiders were walking out in the open with large, red jagged blades. People from the Metal Tribe were strewn all across the ground… most of them run through with swords. All of the people of the settlement were either dead, dying, or were being dragged out by Raiders towards the flames. In the middle of the path was a massive, triangular shaped device that looked almost like a massive bike, with two large protrusions on the top that wound back and hurled rocks into the buildings to collapse them further.

"M-My… my people…" Nubit's eyes began to brim with tears, then she violently shook her head and looked up with eyes filled with rage, "What have they done to my people?!"

"It… hold on!" Skylar gulped, pulling down the bile that rose in her throat, "We… we'll take them out! Hold on!"

Skylar raised her hand, letting out a flash of light. The carriages behind her immediately fanned out to her left and right, forming a row of four. The carriages stopped, and from the back the users poured out from the back. Skylar leapt from her carriage along with her four friends. As her squad formed up, many of them gave similar gasps and gags to the sight of carnage in front of them.

"Fire, water, ice!" Skylar ordered them based on their elements, "Get in there and, and work on those flames! The rest of you, work on defeating those, those Raiders!"

Skylar couldn't keep her voice from breaking while she spoke. She could see the people in front of her, the death that was directly in front of her eyes. From the settlement, the Raiders began to stalk towards them. The fire, water and ice users broke off from the main group, working to sneak their way around to control the flames. Skylar summoned water in her hands, preparing to attack the disorganized group of murders.

Suddenly, all of the Raiders stopped. Skylar, having just put a foot forward to charge, stopped. The Raiders all paused, then they moved and formed into organized rows for four each. They each held their red blades towards themselves and then marched forward. The massive bike turned towards Skylar and the group, with several Raiders moving to load rocks into the lobing devices. The sudden show of such precisions and discipline was enough that it made Skylar pause.

From the group, a Raider stepped forward. Just from the curve of her armor, Skylar could tell it was a she. She reached up to touch her helmet, then lifted it from her head. Her glistening red eyes shone hard as her head, filled with writhing snakes that rapidly spat and flailed about as they were freed from the helmet. She took several steps forward, holding a massive battle axe that was even taller than she was. She stopped just in front of the Raiders, raising her hand up in the air. The Raiders froze in place as she put a hand to her chest.

"Forgive them… they can be rather rowdy when they aren't given proper direction," The female Raider hissed out, "It is such a pleasure to meet you, Skylar. You've been causing my warriors a rather large amount of trouble lately."

"They talk?" Alacr asked, still holding her sword out in front of her.

"That one looks like a woman… I didn't even know they had genders," Ray growled, "I thought they were just snakes."

"W-What's with them forming up like that?" Dorian asked nervously, "We've, never fought ones that did that before…"

Nubit didn't say anything. Her breathing was harsh and unsteady, and metal was creeping up her body like fire through her veins. Alacr, seeing this, made sure to stand in front of her to prevent her from just blindly charging right in. Skylar could sense and share in her anger, but at the moment, both her disgust and confusion were enough to make her stop.

"Hmmph," Skylar forced her normal persona back into place, "I didn't know you Raiders could talk like this, or be this organized. Have we finally driven you back enough you're trying to take us in force?"

"Oh, it would be so easy for you to think that, wouldn't it?" The female Raider hissed, "I suppose that now that you've seen me, you already know the truth about our nature. Let us drop this silly word of 'Raider.' We are the Vermillion. You will address us as such."

"So you have a name now?!" Nubit shouted, her enraged word making her breath come through clenched teeth. Skylar had heard those guys at the Summit using that name before. Hearing it from the mouth of the female, however, somehow made her feel sick.

"We have always had a name, you simply did not have the right to know it," The female planted her axe in the ground, then gave a long bow, "You may refer to me as Commander Machia. You should know the name of the one that is about to destroy you, after all."

"Machia, then?" Skylar confirmed, "What makes you so sure that you'll win? We've been taking you Raid… Vermillion out left and right."

"Unlike you, I have a reason not to fail," Machia gestured to her body, "It is only by their good graces that I am allowed to be whole once again. I have to ensure that I produce results, lest I wish to return back to that horde."

"She looks like the others…" Alacr stated, changing his sword to be raised up by his head, "She must be from his world."

"Don't say anything!" Skylar hissed, "We can't let them know that the others are here!"

"Is there something interesting, girl of Amber?" Machia asked with a cock of her head, "I have heard so many stories about you from the people that my warriors have devoured. It is such a wonderful thing, being able to read the memories before they fully break apart."

"You…!" Nubit looked ready to shatter apart just standing there. Skylar raised her arm, doing her best to keep her stayed, even if she wanted to rush in just as badly as her friend.

"You're pretty bold to give yourselves away like this!" Skylar shouted back, "You realize now we know more about you than ever before, right?"

"A commander never does anything without planning ahead," Machia drew her battle axe again, "Right now, I believe that your other group should be getting the same greeting from those two incompetent fools. The boy isn't active right now, it seems," Her eyes glowed, framed against the flames, "The foolish copy is, though."

"What?" Skylar growled, "You mean you're attacking Acronix right now?!"

"That and… far more than you know," Machia's snakes undulated, as though they were silently laughing at her, "But I believe we've exchanged enough pre-battle banter. Come and meet your demise, soldiers of this strange world!" She lifted the massive axe up with one hand, pointing it towards Skylar, "We will show you the true might of the Vermillion!"

"What do we do?" Ray asked, his hands trembling, "If they're attacking the other squad right now, then-"

"We can't worry about them right now!" Skylar shook her head, "We have to focus on them. We'll take down this Machia chick and, and then we'll go worry about them!"

"If you are too cowardly to attack.." Machia's eyes glowed, and suddenly the massive bike began to turn, "Then I will inform you that one of these buildings has survivors inside. If you wish to save them, you should act fast. My tank is very accurate, and very quick to fire."

To prove her point, Machia closed her open fist. The 'tank,' as she called it, suddenly launched a massive boulder into the building roaring the most with flames. The stone crashed through the wood and metal structure, causing its already weakened form to cave in on itself and send a massive cloud of ash into the sky. Already, more Vermillion moved to load up another stone to fire. As the wreckage of the building died to the flames, the tank turned to another.

"Time is wasting, daughter of Chen!" Machia laughed, "Come, and face your doom at my hands."

"Skylar?" Alacr asked nervously, the situation getting worse. Skylar gritted her teeth and lowered her face, sweat pouring down it from the heat of the flames and the fear inside of her. When she raised them, her eyes were filled with anger mirroring that of Nubit's gnashing of teeth.

"ATTACK!" Skylar shouted, "SHOW THESE VERMILLION WHAT WE TRIBES ARE MADE OUT OF!"

Skylar shot one hand out, forming a large sword made of stone. She flashed forward with speed, racing across the battlefield to bring the sword down against Machia. The commander calmly raised her battle axe with one hand to meet her strike. Skylar sent lightning up her hands and through the blade, directing it down into Machia's metal armor. Machia let out a hiss, but when the current stopped, she remained standing with a calm smile.

Alacr and the others let out a loud battle cry, racing forward towards the Vermillion. Without even moving, Machia ordered the formation to march straight towards the oncoming squad. Alacr sliced a Vermillion up the torso, but as it began to fall, the one behind him pushed him back upright. Alacr leapt backwards as it slashed at him in retaliation. Two gravity users caused one Vermillion to soar up into the sky, only for one Vermillion holding a crossbow to fire and strike one of them in the shoulder. An acid user attempted to burn through one of their armor, but when it didn't stop, the Vermillion ran them through. The acid user clutched at their chest, gagging out before collapsing to the floor.

In the settlement, two fire users, a water user and ice user were attempting to quell the raging flames. Seeing the destroyed building was a lost cause, the four moved to the next building. The ice user kicked the door open. A second later, he fell over, gurgling as a crossbow bolt was now sticking out of his neck. Several Vermillion exited the door, brandishing their blades towards the remaining three users. One of the fire users shouted in anger, forming a fiery shield and racing forward to try to avenge the fallen comrade. While he blocked one of them, the other Vermillion weren't as willing to let his two remaining allies come in time to help him. By the time the two reached him, he was already cut down.

Dorian slashed with her claw gauntlets down into one of the oncoming Vermillion, causing one to be slowed in time for a brief few seconds. She leapt out of the way as Alacr moved and struck the Vermillion through the head. Both of them backed away as a light user flashed the entire formation to stun them, letting the gravity user that was still standing attempt to pick them up again. Another rain of crossbow fire was blocked by Dorian slowing them in time with a massive whimper just long enough for everyone to scatter out of the way.

"I should mention," Machia added her other hand to her battle axe, suddenly doubling the pressure she put on Skylar's sword, "These Vermillion are from my personal selection. They're top notch warriors and won't stop for anything. They're nothing like the ones you've fought so far. I believe my scouts told me you had a total of twenty, yes? You're down to seventeen…" She paused, feeling from the other Vermillion the other fire user and his ally were gone, "Make that fifteen."

"Y-You!" Skylar threw her sword away and ducked under Machia's attack. Machia responded by bringing her metal armored foot up to kick her straight in the chest, sending her onto her back. As Skylar coughed from the impact, she summoned ice in her hands and shot it out to try to freeze Machia solid. Machia held her axe out in front of her to let it solidify, then smashed it onto the ground. The shattered crystals only reflected the orange light of the burning settlement.

"We've done our research on you," Machia calmly explained as Skylar got up, "It is impressive to see so many elements from one person. Yet it seems you lack the ability to go beyond a threshold when you're fighting. You're down to fourteen."

"Shut it!" Skylar focused, pouring mind energy into Machia. Machia blinked for a few moments, then swung her battle axe towards Skylar. Skylar, unprepared, threw her body to the side. With a clang, Skylar saw Nubit's spear above her, and a very enraged Nubit holding it up.

"SPEAR OF METAL!" Nubit shouted, turning her spear into solid metal and swinging it straight towards Machia. Machia readied her battle axe, the arc of the spear pushing her across the ground. She remained standing even as Nubit swung it all the way around and over her head down towards her with a scream. Machia reached up with her free hand, catching the spear in it. Nubit bent forward over the spear, coughing as it she attempted to wrench it free.

"Spear of metal? Such an unoriginal name…" Machia sighed, "But I suppose it is fitting, to an extent."

"Y-You!" Nubit screeched, "You murdered them! You murdered my people!"

Machia nodded, "I see. Do you wish to avenge them, then?"

Nubit didn't respond. Instead, she reached out with her metal power, trying to constrict Machia's armor casing from within. As soon as Machia felt this, she took her axe in her hand and swung it around. Nubit, her spear being held in what felt like a death grip by Machia, wasn't able to pull it away in time. The blunt edge of the axe struck her side, causing her to cough blood as she felt her bones cracking. She was flung hard off across the rocks until she came to a stop with a small crash.

"I suppose that means you're now at thirteen," Machia nodded, "But she isn't dead yet, so I suppose that I can say thirteen and a half."

"NUBIT!" Skylar quickly began to race towards her friend. As soon as she did, Machia's battle axe came down in front of her, smashing the ground and preventing her escape. Machia, now weaponless, gestured to the state of the battle.

Skylar shot her gaze there. The formation of Vermillion hadn't yet broken, and it looked like Alacr was leading the remaining members of her squad to retreat closer and closer to the carriages. If they got there, they could easily cut off their means of escape. Skylar shot her gaze back towards Machia. The Vermillion was outlined by the roar of the flames behind her and the corpses that littered the settlement. She placed her hands behind her back, and began walking forward towards Skylar.

"One that can't win their battles shouldn't be ready to interfere with others…" Machia raised her head, "Your opponent is me, Skylar."

Skylar gave a long growl of anger, then thrust one hand forward, unleashing a massive burst of wind. Snakes suddenly shot out of Machia's feet, biting down into the rocks underneath to steady her. Seeing this, Skylar ran forward, letting out a cry as she rushed Machia with a metal fist. Machia readied herself to defend. As soon as Skylar reached her, Skylar suddenly turned into smoke, soaring up and reforming behind her. She filled her fist with fire, bringing it straight towards the back of Machia's head.

Her fist was caught by Machia's own. Skylar felt the grip on her first increase to crushing levels. She let out a cry of pain, turning her foot metal and kicking Machia hard in the back to force her to let go. Machia held on, the snakes in the ground retreated to let her turn to face Skylar. Skylar responded by blasting first lightning, then fire, then sound waves and finally filling her fist with acid. Machia twisted Skylar's arm out, nearly breaking it to stop her.

"Your overwhelming force may work on a warrior, but I am their leader," Machia applied more pressure just to make Skylar scream, "You'll never be able to match up to me."

"L-Let go… Let go of me!" Skylar screamed, trying to pull her arm back. Machia just held on, giving her an evil look. She raised her other hand, the metal fitting coming off to let snakes pour out. They pointed towards Skylar, looking very hungry. Skylar attempted to turn into smoke, but as soon as she did, Machia just turned her arm until she heard a pop. The pain made Skylar loose her concentration to do so.

"You're down to ten," Machia grinned, "You should remember this night well, daughter of Chen. Remember the night that you were bested by Commander Machia! It will be your last memory!"

Suddenly, the pressure on Skylar's arm was gone. Alacr stopped just beyond where the two stood, his sword drawn. Machia's arm had been cut straight off, leaving the angry snakes hissing. Machia turned her face towards Alacr with a look of calm rage. Alacr reached out and grabbed Skylar's arm, flashing them both with speed and racing them away from her.

"We need to leave," Alacr demanded, "We have to get out of here. We're… we've lost too many."

"B-But… but the people…" Skylar gasped, "What about-"

There was a loud crash. The tank had fired again, taking out yet another building. As it collapsed, Skylar's eyes widened. The tank suddenly released a second volley to crush another. The only building left was what looked like a small trading post, and the flames had already begun the lick from its windows.

"If there was anyone… they're… they're gone now," Alacr grimaced, "We have to go… we can't stay. She'll slaughter us if we stay!"

"But… but the…" Skylar gasped, her mind flashing with regret, "...Nubit…"

"Ray got her," Alacr declared, "The others are ready to go. We have to leave before they destroy the carriages!"

Skylar looked around. Machia stood with that calm, unwavering smile, even as her arm began to stich itself back together by adding snakes to it. The large formation of Vermillion continued to go forward, pressing further and further onto her group. She could see the dead users everywhere, mingling with the corpses. As if knowing that there was no need to see if she was bluffing, Machia didn't even have the tank fire on the last building. Tears built up in Skylar's eyes as she dragged herself out of Alacr's embrace and nodded.

"Retreat... " Skylar whispered, then opened up her mind power, _RETREAT! _

Quickly, everyone began to load up the carriages, expecting this outcome. One of them was damaged from the fighting, but they didn't even need it now. Skylar climbed up onto one quickly, seeing that Nubit was in the back, Ray watching over her. Alacr swung Dorian up into the carriage and, with one last look of shame, the carriages fled the scene, leaving behind the flames, the death, and the smile of Machia that none that saw it would ever forget.

* * *

Acronix inhaled slowly as he looked across the battlefield. The Vermillion soldiers were long since broken apart, leaving only himself and the two soldiers from the group that had come with him. He hadn't expected to get into a fight, and upon seeing the overwhelming numbers, he'd been forced to pull his squad back. Several cuts on his body were bleeding, and he was panting from overuse of his elemental power. His breath was heaving, and he would have collapsed if there weren't others around to see him do it.

Of his squad of forty, he counted that twenty seven remained. It was a devastating loss. Almost a third of them were gone, and they'd barely managed to escape. They'd fled into the mountains of his tribe, taking refuge in a valley off the main path. He'd ordered them all to scatter once they were rested, each of them either fleeing to the Time Tribe, Summit, or some random direction in case the Vermillion were in pursuit.

"That… that one that called himself Blunck…" Acronix gasped, "He… he said that Skylar was under attack. We, we need to help them…" He stood up, coughing as he forced his hazy vision to come together.

"Sir," A female member of the Sound Tribe inhaled, "I'm detecting one more warrior is approaching from the south. They… don't seem like 'Vermillion,' however."

"I suppose… Harumi and Lloyd weren't lying saying they were called Vermillion... get ready then," Acronix raised his arm, summoning his Time Matrix and turning the clock hands to the left to summon slow-mo in his hands. He readied himself for battle as best he could.

The sound user and their partner, a member of the Nature Tribe, formed up around Acronix. The three looked towards the south, where the path they were on sloped down and to the right. As they watched, the air around them stilled. Acronix readied himself to throw a field to slow down the warrior so they could get a good look at who they were. He saw the faintest hint of a shadow starting to crest the corner, and he raised his arms up higher.

A flash of green in front of him caused the two soldiers to cry out and fall to the ground. Acronix stood, stunned, as he watched the two of them fall over, large gashes in their chests that bled onto the ground in front of them. Neither looked fatal, but certainly painful enough to keep them down. Acronix looked around quickly, his brain racing as to what he just saw.

"Show yourself!" Acronix shouted, "Face me like a true man!"

"Oh, brother… we both know you're the only benefiting from that."

Something struck Acronix directly in his lower back. Acronix shouted and collapsed onto his knees, his breath knocked from him. As he hit the ground, something struck him in the face, causing him to nearly fall backwards as he tried to get breath into his body. Once on the ground, a hand grabbed him by his chest plate and heaved him up. The world around him went green, and then he was suddenly against the rocky wall the figure had emerged from.

"All alone, you can't even put up a fight…" The voice sighed, "You truly are pathetic."

"N-No…" Acronix gasped, "Please… don't tell me you… you're…"

A face with black hair and a small mustache grinned down at the figure. He shared the same features of Acronix, right down to his eyes. The two looked nearly identical, their height, proportions, their noses, lips, cheeks, all of it. Yet painted around the eyes of the one holding Acronix were green flames that gave him a distinct image compared to his captive.

Krux grinned at his brother, "Oh, I am. Your little plan is about to become undone, brother…" He raised his hand up towards him. In the hand, he held a two pronged blade that crackled with green energy. Acronix stared at it in total confusion, "...Right after I have some fun."

Acronix focused. His Time Matrix appeared, and on it the hands started to turn. Almost immediately, Krux moved forward and jammed the two prongs around Acronix's arm. Acronix looked down, stunned, only for Krux to reach out and use the blade as a point of pressure as he savagely yanked the arm straight upwards.

The snapping of bone made Acronix cry out in utter pain. Krux grinned down at his brother as he feebly clutched at the broken limb. In his pain, the Time Matrix fizzled out. Krux gave one more laugh as he gripped Acronix's neck with his other hand and squeezed.

"Let's not go reliving our fun before we've had it now, shall we?" Krux raised his time blade, "After all, we have all the time in the world…"


	27. Chapter 27

Mage looked down to Acronix laying on his bed, chest barely rising and falling. His mind failed to process what was there. The tribe leader was covered in bandages, all his armor removed to expose all the injuries he had. His chest was covered in so many bandages that there was hardly any skin shown, and one arm was in a cast while the other was covered in bruises. His left leg was in a cast and the right one covered in more bandages. One of Acronix''s eyes was covered in a patch to heal, and his hair looked matted to his head. His right wrist he normally summoned the Time Matrix on had been twisted so far backwards it was being held in place to heal.

"Who… did… this…?" Mage asked quietly, his words barely announcing to the air in front of him.

Two members of Acronix's squad sat in chairs opposite of Mage, neither willing to look at their Dragon Lord. Both of them had awoken long after Krux had left, and Acronix had already been like that. It'd taken them nearly three hours to drag him to the Time Tribe to get him treatment, and more hours just to disguise the state of the tribe's leader to prevent anything from leaking out. It'd then taken them nearly five hours just to get Acronix basic treatment, and the two were ashamed of themselves as intensely as Mage was horrified.

"Mage?" Harumi opened the door to the treatment room, Lloyd in tow. Monty was with them, with Lulloyd just behind. As the four entered the room, the sight was enough to make Harumi freeze up. Lloyd turned away, while Lulloyd pressed himself up against the wall. Monty's expression went unreadable. Each of them had read the report already from the squad, but seeing it in action was something else.

"Harumi…" Mage whispered, "Is… is he going to be..?"

Harumi walked up to Acronix's side, looking down at his broken body. Without medical equipment, he was being treated by time users, reversing his injuries as much as they could. The severity of them, however, made the process agonizingly slow, and dangerous as well. When she arrived at the bed, Mage reached out and tangled his fingers in the sleeve of Harumi's gi.

"H..Harumi…?" Mage whispered, tears starting to fall from his eyes, "Is… is he going to be… is he going to be okay?"

Lloyd stood beside Harumi, looking over the battered body. Both of them could feel the weight of how dangerous this was. Harumi, unable to answer Mage's question, remained silent.

"W...Why would someone do this to him?" Mage focused towards the beaten form in front of him, "He's a good person, he's… he doesn't deserve this…"

"Nobody does," Monty spoke up behind them, "Horrible things happen to good people all the time. Right now, I'm pretty sure that Krux wanted to send us a message with this."

The other two in the room flinched. All the way back to the Time Tribe, all Acronix had muttered as the name 'Krux' over and over again. While neither had seen the injury, it wasn't difficult to piece together who Acronix had to be talking about. Even more delirious ranting during his initial treatment had led to one of the Mind Tribe members looking into Acronix's memories and confirming that indeed, it had been the Krux this universe knew.

"A message by hurting someone?" Mage gulped, "I know that… I heard that while I was traveling, but I never had it happen to me."

"Well you should get used to it, Dragon Lord," Monty explained, leaning against the wall, "You're a symbol for the world. Anyone you care about is in danger. Thankfully right now, all your friends are powerful people. But if someone wants to hurt you, they'll do it through someone else. If you can't win a duel, kill their support. This sort of thing is going to get pretty common for you if you don't think about it."

Mage withdrew his hand from Harumi's sleeve and looked to Monty with a look of horror on his face. He took a step back from the bed, then looked over to Acronix. The longer he looked, the more he felt tears starting to well up in his eyes. Before Harumi could say anything, Mage gasped and closed his bleary eyes to open them silver. With the power of speed, he was gone from the room and off to somewhere to cry.

"Monty!" Lloyd stomped over towards the ghost, "What was that?! Why would you say that?!"

"Had to be said," Monty muttered to himself, "He's a kid with the power of a god. Wish I knew what that was like."

"You didn't have to say that right now!" Harumi protested, "He's a _kid_, Monty!"

"You both were kids when you had to step up and fight the Overlord," Monty pointed out, "He has to learn the lesson now that he has to be strong enough to protect people he cares about."

"You can't say that to him while his friend is… dying!" Lloyd found himself unable to say the word, "Just because you kicked it doesn't mean you get to-"

"Get to what?" Monty growled, "Get to tell him what might happen? Skylar just lost half her people. That entire settlement is _gone_ and the Vermillion are organizing themselves. The guards that dragged Acronix here were both nearly cut apart by Krux too. This situation is getting dark, and fast. If he can't handle his friends getting hurt, he shouldn't go flaunting his power and calling him a Dragon Lord."

"...I'm going after him," Harumi stated firmly, "Someone here has to actually care about making a kid cry."

"Just be glad that he isn't actually dead yet," Monty said as Harumi left, "Otherwise we'd have to deal with another you on our hands."

Harumi froze in the hallway, gripping her fists and then opening them to charge Rhotatae discs. They crackled with that black emotion lightning -as she'd taken to calling it- pumped full of rage. After long, harsh deep breaths, she finally forced herself to put them away and make her way calmly after Mage. Lulloyd moved forward and stood directly in front of Monty.

"That, was too far, Monty," Lulloyd raised his arm, "Even if you think Mage should be, dealing with this, that doesn't give you the right to remind Harumi of that! You don't know what she went through."

"You're right, I don't," Monty growled, "Unlike him, I actually died."

"..." Lulloyd turned his head to the side, not wanting to argue further with Monty, "I'm… I'm going to get some guards, to watch over Acronix in case something happens. If Krux was willing to attack his own brother, they might try attacking him here too."

Monty waved his hand, "Fine. We need to talk to Skylar when she gets back from getting healed, so don't take too long."

"Alright," Lulloyd stepped out of Acronix's room and turned back to Lloyd, "Do… do you think, we can still win this?"

"I… I hope so," Lloyd inhaled, forcing himself to think, "We've come this far already. Acronix told me that he didn't want to fight Krux. Right now, it looks like they're escalating this situation faster than we were planning," Lloyd gave Acronix an angry glare, "Let's make sure this wasn't for nothing."

Lulloyd, feeling the anger from Lloyd, nodded, leaving the room to go and get more guards while Acronix lay, clinging to life, hurt by his own brother's hand.

* * *

It wasn't hard to track Mage to his room. Harumi had all but learned the layout of the Summit, especially after learning how simple the wheel-spoke design was. Mage had set up his room on the first floor after beginning his squad attacks so he could get moving quickly. The rest of his squad were dispersed into other rooms, likely having heard the news. As she approached his door, she found it slightly ajar. With a small inhale, she steadied herself and opened it.

"Mage?" Harumi asked curiously as she entered, "Are you in here?"

Mage was sitting on the room's bed, only a mattress there with the sheets torn off. He held a chunk of metal she didn't recognize. Mage's eyes turned gunmetal and tore a piece of metal off, then went navy and blew with the power of wind to send the metal across the floor. When it hit the opposite wall by the door frame, he would let his eyes go copper and raise the object up using gravity and hover it back towards him. Several of these metal shards were strewn across the room.

"Yeah," Mage stated lifelessly, "I'm just practicing my elements. My dad gave me this chunk of metal to help me with my 'precision' and 'dexterity,'" Mage made weak air quotes with his left hand, "I need to get better at using them all. I'm still bad at using more than one at once."

"I see that," Harumi noted the shards across the floor, "Is there a reason that you're doing that?"

"Because if I'm doing this, I don't have to think about the people that…" His voice cracked, lifting his head up slightly to show tear streaks on his face, "...that, will get hurt, because of me…"

Harumi's eyebrow twitched, "Do you mind if I come in?" She ignored the fact she'd already entered and gently crossed her arms over her hips, "I'd like to talk a bit about that."

"Mhm…" Mage mumbled out. Harumi took that as a yes and walked over to him. She gently moved his metal chunk and instead sat down beside him. She placed her change of clothes aside, and instead put her hands in her lap.

"I know what he said hurt, and it should. He wasn't trying to be nice. He's not entirely wrong," Harumi said simply, "But he's not entirely right, either. Sometimes people get hurt, yes, but that doesn't mean it's going to be because of you."

"How do you know that…?" Mage leaned his forehead down onto his knees, "Everyone is gonna get hurt around me…"

"I don't know why you'd think that," Harumi continued, "Did what happened to Acronix happen because of you?"

"It happened cause of all this fighting…" Mage muttered, "And I'm apart of it…"

"But you didn't cause any of this, did you?" Harumi pointed out, "And the Twins we're fighting, they probably don't even know you two were friends. Acronix got hurt fighting to help everyone, Mage, not just you. If he said he was going out to fight for you, then maybe Monty would have a point. But he didn't, did he?"

"But, he's hurt…" Mage gripped himself tight enough his fingers turned red, "What… what happens when… when Skylar gets hurt? Or… or dad, or the other leaders, my squad, or… or…?"

"When they get hurt, you make sure you deal with the person that hurt them, and you train everyone so they don't get hurt like that again," Harumi stated firmly, "You can't stop people from getting hurt, only stop them from getting hurt the same way. That's something you have to accept." Mage started to curl up again.

"But," Harumi continued, making Mage looked at her gently, "When you fight alongside allies, that's a risk you take. That doesn't mean you stop having allies, or even friends. Part of having friends is knowing that you'll be there for them. If you're afraid someone is going to get hurt, you be there for them. Everyone around you is strong, Mage. You're around leaders and powerful people. What happened to Acronix, we won't let it happen again. In fact, we're going to do everything we can now to make sure it doesn't. But you need to keep your head up for him. It won't do him any good to see you crying over him, will it?"

"N-No… he'd… probably tell me that the only time you can cry is when it's raining or something weird like that…" Mage slowly raised his head and looked to Harumi, "You… you're sure, they won't get, hurt like him?"

"Not again," Harumi smiled, reaching out with her hand to gently place it on Mage's shoulder, "You can count on me and all of us. We came here to save your world. That means the people in it, too. All of them."

Mage, starting to look better, turned his head away, "How… how can you smile, right now?"

"I've been through a lot of pain, just like this, Mage," Harumi explained, "And what I've found is that every group needs someone who keeps smiling. When things get bleak, they need someone to look up to. That's not normally my thing, but I smile because people like you need to see that. When people look up to you, a smile lets them know everything's alright."

"I… I want them to be able to look at me like that," Mage inhaled, "I want them to see me smiling and know that everything is alright."

"Then hold your head up, smile, and show them it's okay. When you need to cry, find people that you can let that smile down around," Harumi explained, "If you want to be a symbol like that, then be willing to smile, even through the toughest pain."

"I… you, you're really helpful…" Mage pointed out, gently stretching out and fully unwinding, "Do, you have friends too? I mean, outside of the ones here?"

"I have an entire team of friends, they're actually around the same size of the Summit here," Harumi chuckled, "I think you'd like them. Especially the Serpentine. I bet you've never even seen a snake-person before, have you?"

"You… have snake-people?" Mage asked curiously.

"Yep, I have two of them in my team," Harumi paused, "I'll tell you about it, but I want to get some food. Why not come with me so I can tell you about it?"

"Maybe later… right now, I know that, there's someone here that needs help," Mage looked up with a smile, "I'm going to go find Skylar. I think I'm better now. I wanna talk to her a little bit. If she lost all those people she… she needs someone to lean on."

"You don't have to go that far," Harumi explained, "You maybe do wanna talk to Skylar but, that's only if you're sure you're okay. It'd be bad if you broke down talking to her."

"I wasn't hurt… she was," Mage inhaled, "And that means that I need to be here, as her friend. As her best friend." He gripped his fist, "The only way, we'll get through this is if we're together, right? I can't go leaving her out, just because I'm a bit sad someone got hurt."

Harumi considered that perspective. On one hand, if it was being spoken by someone that was trying to push away their feelings, it was a dangerous sentiment that would lead to repression. Then again, that was her speaking more from experience. Mage was still a kid, and he likely wasn't thinking like that. He was pushing his worries aside to be there for a friend, that was it. So she just nodded her head, and as if that was the go ahead for him, he turned and darted out of the room.

"Now where is that ghost?" She growled as soon as she was sure Mage was out of earshot, "He needs to get a lesson in how to talk to kids, for… ugh, what did they say? Dragon's sake?" She paused, "...Why not? For dragon's sake!"

It was only a few steps outside the door that Harumi froze, seeing her least favorite spector standing in the hallway. He tapped his foot, as if he was some sort of impatient parent that'd been made to wait on a kid. Harumi, too stunned at seeing him so quickly, was racing for the right words to say, only for Monty to take that initiative.

"I came here cause Lulloyd and Lloyd forced me to," Monty groaned, "I don't think what I said was wrong. The first thing that people who build up the 'power of friendship' do is break down if a friend gets hurt. He's leading a secret mission to topple a group of invaders. It's not like this wasn't going to happen to someone at some point. He just got lucky until now. He basically went out on a job and made it all the way to the vault before triggering an alarm."

"Aren't you able to possess alarms?" Harumi scoffed, "I remember Uncle Cole saying that he could possess locks for awhile there."

"Cole's a third rate ghost, he's lucky if he even remembers that he can turn invisible," Monty snapped back, "And that's not the point. What I'm saying is if you were coming to get me and give me a peace of your mind, don't bother. I told him what he needed to hear. If you all think that was harsh, then fine. But he's clearly in a position now where getting to see people get hurt is going to happen. He fought in a war already."

"It doesn't matter if he fought in a war, he ended that war, and I'm getting the impression that he was more concerned with Skylar than he was anyone else," Harumi crossed her arms, "You're not going to apologize to him, then?"

"Nope," Monty stretched, "You got a problem with that?"

"No… I just thought Ronin liked kids," Harumi pointed out, "He seems like the guy that's good with them."

"Mage is old enough to fight in a war, no need to see him as a kid," Monty growled, "But… yes, Ronin does have a soft spot for kids. One kid managed to poison his drink at a restaurant we stopped at. He was so proud of the kid for making a poison he couldn't detect, he never even went after them."

"...That's, a little off putting," Harumi shook her head, "Well, Mage is going to talk to Skylar right now."

"Good, she was the one that suffered the most," Monty turned around and began walking towards the closest stairwell,"She got to see them up close. And apparently, she ran into someone named Machia."

"Machia?" Harumi blinked, "I've never heard of them. Was she a Vermillion?"

"Yeah, Lulloyd didn't see to know who she was, either," Monty shrugged, "Probably someone that is new to this place or Lloyd knows about. There are a lot of things about this attack that don't make a lot of sense, though."

"What do you mean?" Harumi moved to start climbing the stairs while Monty hovered beside her, "She intercepted Skylar, right?"

"Not that," Monty shook his head, "Firstly, Machia named herself and the Vermillion. There's no reason for her to do that. Even if she was being stuck up, it doesn't make sense. And there's the fact that she wasn't attacking a trade route. She was hitting an actual settlement of people. As in living, breathing people. I don't get why."

"Maybe the Twins feel they've been pushed enough, and this is them fighting back?" Harumi suggested, "This could just be them telling us that they're done staying in the shadows."

"Why now?" Monty asked, still ascending, "They have an advantage being in the dark. Even if it was just Machia doing, something, then it doesn't explain their actions."

"If this whole thing was to send us a message, then it's a clear one," Harumi shook her head, "They've figured out that we're specifically targeting them and we're not coming from one tribe. They could just be trying to scare us."

"Hrm…" Monty shook his head, "It's like they suddenly switched plans. They have to be operating on someone else's plans. You don't change tactics like this on a whim."

"And what are you basing that on?" Harumi asked as the two finally ascended the stairs, "You're not exactly a war veteran."

"I've worked multiple jobs with other groups," Monty turned to face forward, "When you have two minds in the same place, you get two plans. When one plan stops working, you switch to the other. It's the reason why the cops can't ever pin down what Ronin and I do since we change plans all the time. This looks to me like someone with them decided to change plans."

"Was it KRux?" Harumi blinked, "I mean, ugh, Krux', since we're talking about the one from this world."

"Bingo," Monty led the two to the war room, "Looks to me like the Twins are putting him out on the field. I'm pretty sure they broke him out in the first place and kept him on the bench until now. I've done that before with tagalongs. If he's out doing things, this is going to start going south."

"Once it gets out that Krux' is running around, we're in trouble," Harumi surmised.

"You were in that Time Tribe with me," Monty nodded, arriving at the door to the planning room, "If word gets out that Krux' is leading the Raiders now, then all those guys, Teran especially, will get driven out or worse. Then, without Acronix in the picture, the Time Tribe falls apart. And then that spreads panic through the world. Pretty simple domino effect, all things considered."

"So we need to nip this thing in the bud, and fast," Harumi affirmed, "Which means we need to get their attention and figure out where they're hiding."

"Well, the good news is I didn't come here just to chat," Monty stretched his back out, "There's been some other stuff. I came to get you so we can talk about it. Come on, let's get to the planning room."

Not after too long of walking, Harumi opened the door to the planning room. Inside was Garmadon, Shade, Nya, Lloyd, Lulloyd, and a few guards from the Shadow and Water Tribe. All of them were looking over the new reports that were coming in, and from the faces, it wasn't looking good. Monty walked over to his corner in the room and leaned back, leaving Harumi to take the lead again.

"Harumi," Lloyd started, "This is bad. More settlements were attacked and… it doesn't look like they're taking prisoners. We've taken in some refugees here in the Summit right now."

"More of them?" Harumi moved to the table, leaning over to quickly take stock of where all of the attacks were coming from. Little red marks had been put all over the world map, showing that in the last twenty four hours alone, there had been eight attacks, including the one in the Time Tribe and Metal Tribe. Just from that sight alone, Harumi was counting the potential dead in her head… and starting to balk at the idea of it.

"Your plan is backfiring," Shade spoke up with what sounded like barely contained anger, "The Raiders… Vermillion, I guess they're called now, they killed almost thirty of my people. They're not just attacking trade routes anymore. They've completely blocked off the path. They have these gigantic bikes that launch things at anyone that comes by. They won't move."

"Tanks," Lloyd explained, "The Vermillion back home had tanks as well as bikes. But they didn't have that many to just, throw around. Why are they making such an open move like this? Wouldn't they want to stay hidden?"

"I don't think they're going to keep staying hidden," Harumi pointed out, "I think they've changed their plan for simply scaring people away from villages to scaring people _into_ their villages. Look… look at the map."

The group looked to the large map, and Harumi moved her hand across all of the borders, "All these settlements that were attacked, they're all on the outside of the territories. Most of the tribes are usually in the center or edge of their territory, right? These settlements are close to the edges. If, that's right then that means they're provoking us."

"..." Nya moved over and pointed her finger to a marker on her territory, "This is a small port we established along the river that connects to the trade routes. The Vermillion somehow managed to get over the walls we built there for when the floods came. It was like they were somehow… inside everything."

"That's the thing about them, they did that same trick to us," Lloyd cupped his hands together, "All they need is a suit of armor, a sword, and snakes. They can just launch cocoons filled with those over your walls, and then they break open the Vermillion form inside and then…" Lloyd mimicked breaking a cocoon open with his hands, "They ambush you."

"You said they weren't willing to show they were snakes," Shade pointed out, "Now you're saying they're willing to abuse that fact to attack us?"

"They're changing their plan," Harumi leaned over the table, "They're not trying to just, scare you now. They're trying to terrify you. They want to bring this situation to a boil. They're full out attacking now, just to show how easy it is for them. Whether or not someone sees them as snakes, how do you think a tale of a soldier saying they cut an enemy in half, only for them to get back up, would seem?"

"Like something that would kill the morale of those fighting," Garmadon groaned, rubbing his chin, "This is… troubling. I fear we may have kicked the nest. They were simply doing damage before, now they are taking lives. This situation is getting out of hand."

"Not yet," Harumi put her hand down, "Because they made a mistake by letting us know that they have a plan now. According to what Skylar reported Machia said-"

"Machia?" Lloyd stopped her, "Did you just say Machia?"

"Does that name mean anything to you?" Harumi asked.

"The Vermillion are a hive mind, and while the Twins were gathering power, they assigned three generals to command the hive mind for them," Lloyd explained, "Well, Machia was the worst one. She became Commander Machia by the time Kai and Nya went back in time to stop them… erm, my Kai and Nya," Lloyd smiled awkwardly at Nya.

"Don't stop just because you made an error," Nya narrowed her gaze, "Tell us more!"

"Right," Lloyd hurriedly continued, "Well, according to Kai, he saw the Twins break Machia apart into snakes and feed her into the Iron Doom. I'm assuming it was so they could use those helmets to control the Hive Mind directly. But, now that they plugged snakes into themselves, they don't need those helmets anymore."

"They did what?" Shade gripped the table, "Plugged… how?"

"You don't want to know, like we said, they're crazy," Lloyd shuddered at the memory of the sight, "If they let Machia out, I can say that she was the smartest one. We managed to steal two of the Time Blades, and Machia took them both back in one move. She's not one you want to deal with."

"So they've decided to let a commander begin to lead the army from the front, rather than the rear," Garmadon summarized, "What does that mean for us? How does that help?"

"It means that the Twins are taking a more active role on the battlefield," Harumi began, "And… that means that we need to be more active too. We need to find a way to meet them."

"Are you seeing what's happened when we've met them so far?" Shade stuck a finger to the red marker on his territory, "Are you telling us to throw lives away now?"

"No… but we'll make it look like we are," Lloyd spoke up, "We'll find out where they're operating from, by getting them to show their biggest weapon."

"...I'm not following," Harumi shook her head, "What are you talking about?"

"Okay, it's, there was this video game, Jay was playing," Lloyd explained, "Well, in the plot the bad guy sent forward a ton of his biggest guys to come after the player, and like, you did a bunch of action stuff, and then they used the guys to track where their orders were coming from, to figure out where the main bad guy actually was."

"You're… suggesting that we goad them into sending a big force at us so we can trace back where all their main force is, then?" Harumi asked skeptically.

"Yeah, exactly that," Lloyd pointed to the Metal Tribe, "They're not afraid to attack our squads. Skylar already… learned that. We'll pull back the squads, divide them up again, and then we'll march them out into the open. When the Vermillion attack, we'll drive them off and then have someone follow them when they retreat and go figure out where they're coming from."

"That would be a fine plan, if we hadn't already tried that," Shade growled, "Do you think that we haven't sent scouts to figure out where they were coming from? They disappear. They must disappear into snakes and then just pick up the armor after everything is over."

"Yes, but these Vermillion will be different," Harumi was starting to see the plan unfold in her head, "They're trying to march out and make big attacks, which mean they have to be operating from some sort of base. If they have time to put together tanks, they have to be storing them somewhere… even if we found one of the places that they're hiding, that's enough." Harumi looked up, "If we can lure them out and drive them back, we can finally get a chance to attack them directly!"

"...Let us assume we follow this plan," Garmadon began, "The squads alone are not strong enough to take on the Vermillion, as we have seen. What would give you the confidence to say that you for certain attack them in full?"

"We'll put more than Mage and Skylar in charge of the squads," Lloyd looked to Nya and Shade, "We'll recruit leaders to join all three of them."

Almost immediately, Lloyd could feel the confusion that came from Nya and Shade. Garmadon gave Lloyd a long look, almost as though he'd said something insane. Lloyd, unabated, shook his head and nodded to Harumi to take over. Harumi, seeing what was happening, picked up on it yet again and moved forward to look at the map. She pointed towards the Summit, and all the lines that led towards it.

"We need to give them something big enough to care about, but also strong enough to fight against," Harumi explained, "We won't take all the leaders. Just the leaders that have been attacked outright like this. So… let's see here," Harumi looked up, "You two, Karlof, Paleman, Griffin, Neuro and Bansha," Harumi looked up, "If we use only the leaders that have been attacked, this will look like we've broken up for revenge. If we do that, then we can easily make this look like we are just trying to swing wildly at them."

"So, you want us to pretend like we're marching troops down, out in the open, to openly attack them," Shade groaned, "If they were to figure out what we were doing, it would be all over. We wouldn't be able to follow them when they retreat."

"Only one of you will," Lloyd explained, "If all of you do, that's suspicious. But… Shade, you, Mage and Skylar can all use shadow to follow them, right?"

"Of course I can," Shade, to prove his point, suddenly melted into his own shadow on the floor before reforming as if from liquid, "We pride ourselves in our stealth in my tribe."

"Then that's what we do," Harumi looked down at the map, "We pick three territories, and have them march through. We need territories that will look feasible to be hiding the Vermillion in. Places that would fit within the criteria of being somewhere we'd logically go to look, but not obvious as to what we were doing."

"The Smoke Tribe," Nya pointed to the Smoke Tribe territory in the southeast of the World, "They've not been attacked in this way yet. It's close enough to the Time Tribe territory that it would make sense for us to look there. The entire region is filled with sinkholes as well. It would be a perfect place to hide."

"Nature Tribe," Shade pointed to a territory wedged between the Water and Ice Tribes, "That entire place is a mystery. It's right between an ocean and the ice fields of the Ice Tribe. It wouldn't be unreasonable for us to search there, given that they would have access to the main trade route from there. It's a mixture of forest and jungle, not someplace we'd expect them to be hiding."

"It'd make sense to investigate the Time Tribe as well, given that Krux is involved," Garmadon leaned over the map. Almost immediately, Harumi shook her head.

"Too obvious," Harumi waved her hand, "Both the Smoke and Nature Tribe are in the southern part of the world. We need this to look like a manhunt. We'd need somewhere that's wide open we can look. I'd say it's better to use the Metal Tribe, since that's where Skylar made personal contact with them."

"I can see the logic in that," Garmadon consented, "Fair enough then. Yet we are taking a big risk by doing this. If they were to find out what we are planning, it could all fall apart."

"It'll be fine," Lloyd stepped forward, "We need to make this look like a revenge plot, though. We need this to start as early as tomorrow, if we can. We'll still use the three squads, just augment them with leaders. That way we can make this look feasible. And we'll have them all actually go and search, to add the believability factor."

"It isn't unreasonable for the tribes to go hunting for the Vermillion," Harumi affirmed, "There's no reason for them to suspect we're doing something here. This is us striking back, and doing it quickly so it looks like we lost our heads. This will work."

"As long as I get another chance to go after Machia," Skylar, walking into the room with Mage in tow, stated loudly, "I'm game with anything you all come up with."

Harumi quickly looked over Mage. He didn't look worse for wear, and in fact looked more concerned for Skylar. It was easy to see Skylar had been crying, but that didn't jump out at first. She looked like she'd somehow pushed all of the sadness off, and right now was running on anger. She looked tense, her hair was a bit wild, and her eyes were filled with fire.

"We were just talking about this, Skylar," Garmadon began calmly, "We must strike at the Vermillion now, to hold an advantage. We will redistribute the squads and have some relevant members of the Summit go with you. The goal is to goad the enemy into attacking, then follow them discreetly when they retreat to find their base of operations. We'll use this chance of them thinking they've wounded us to launch a surprise attack."

"...Sounds reckless," Skylar thrust her fist into her palm, "I'm ready for it. When do I leave?"

"We need to gather the leaders first," Lloyd explained, "But we want you to leave asap. If we can move fast we can make this even more believable. We just need to find where the Vermillion are located, and then we can make a strike to finally put some pressure on them."

"Like I said, I'm ready," Skylar growled, "I need to pay Machia back for what she did to my squad… and Nubit."

"Calm down," Monty called out from the corner, "You'll get your chance. Right now let's talk some more logistics before we go charging straight in without a plan."

"I'll do whatever it takes to get me back out there," Skylar growled, "Whatever it takes."

Harumi noticed that Mage was standing behind her, nervously looking on to her. After a bit of watching his curios posture, Harumi gently stepped back from the table and towards him. Garmadon noticed the action, but remained silent. Harumi stood beside him, gently whispering down to him as the room began discussing the details with Skylar.

"Did your talk go well?" Harumi asked quietly.

"She… she was crying, really badly, then she just… just snapped up," Mage bit his lip, "And, just started to say she was getting revenge. I… tried to ask Alacr what was up, but he said he didn't know. I know Nubit's okay but, she might have some permanent damage and… that's not sitting well with Skylar."

"She's angry… it happens, Mage," Harumi mumbled, "Some people deal with this stuff by getting angry. You just, have to let her ride it out for right now."

"...I don't know…" Mage gulped, "She's… she's sounding like, she did when we first met."

Skylar was standing firm, not showing any of the sadness from earlier. She looked completely normal, sans for her red face and the anger filling her muscles. Harumi knew what this was. She'd gone through it herself, as one of the stages in her getting better. She knew that it wasn't a good thing, but she also knaw that trying to tell her anything would likely result in Skylar breaking down further into her own hatred. For now… Harumi knew that she needed to let this ride, or so she felt she should.

"Just, hold on for right now, and when you get the chance, just remind her that everything is okay, alright, Mage?" Harumi whispered, "She'll be okay, she's just… she saw something horrible, and she has to deal with it."

"Mhm… okay," Mage muttered, sounding unconvinced.

"Join us, son," Garmadon called out, making both Harumi and Mage snap to attention, "We have much to plan. But before we do, I have not asked since you haven't come to me… but, are you alright after what happened?"

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine, Dad," Mage smiled to him, "Sorry I didn't go to you first."

"You know that if you need me, you may always come to me, right?" Garmadon reminded his son, "These are busy times, but you are still my son."

"I… I know, dad," Mage sighed slightly, "It's okay. I'm okay right now. Can… we talk after this, though?"

"Of course," Garmadon smiled in relief hearing that.

With his mind a bit clear, Mage forced himself to straighten up and join the table. Harumi did the same, stepping back into the fray of planning. The tables were starting to turn, and now, they were trying their best to keep it from flipping over. It was now a matter of whether or not they could turn it back before all their pieces were gone.

* * *

"Are you sure this… plan of yours, will work?" The elder voice asked, watching Krux as he padded along alongside the newly built tanks, "You are taking a grave risk with this."

"I have proven my loyalty to you by harming the one thing that would tie me to this world," Krux snapped back, "And in doing so, I have struck fear into this land, just as you intended. I am doing you the service that you asked of me. Is now the time to question my plan?"

The younger voice chuckled, "Is now the time to question your plan, brother?"

The elder voice scoffed and rolled his eyes. Krux made his way through the last of the tanks, fully inspecting them. He had relinquished his hold of the Time Blade from earlier, and instead traded it out for a simple sword. When he finished looking through the tanks, he looked to the massive rows of Vermillion in the room. So many were there, right at his temporary disposal. So many he could send out in the world, break up, and order as he needed.

"My plan will not change for now," Krux put his hands behind his back, "We have our spies in every tribe. When they retaliate, that's when we strike. We'll let them make the first move,, and after that?" Krux grinned, "I promise, you two will have exactly what you deserve right in the palm of your hands. Let's see what the tribes have to stand against us, shall we?"

"I _really_ like him, brother!" The younger voice laughed, "It's like looking into a mirror with you!"

"You've made that joke before," The elder voice groaned, "But yes, indeed. We will be given what we deserve. We will rule this land, this world… this universe."

"By your command," Krux bowed, stepping backwards. As he did, the Vermillion began to stir. The sound was enough to drive out all other noises around them.

"Then by our command," The elder voice rumbled, "Proceed, Krux."


	28. Chapter 28

"Remind me again why _we_ got sent to the Jungle?" Griffin complained as he batted away plants, "Did they forget that _speed_ and _nature_ don't mix very well?"

"Because this is meant to be us striking back without thought," Nya reminded him, "And our tribes are the closest ones to the Nature Tribe."

"Yes, but Lady Skylar here lives all the way down past the Time Tribe, and she's here!" Griffin pointed to the leader of their pack, "And it just, you know, seems a bit off."

"I'm closer to your territories than I am to the Smoke and Metal Tribes," Skylar called back to him, "Now stop complaining and keep moving."

Skylar stood at the front of a medium sized procession of troops. Beside her walked Alacr, Ray and Dorian. Behind her were Nya and Griffin. Of the original 100 from the three squads, there had been only closer to 60 when all was said and done. Thus, Skylar now had all of the users from the Water, Speed, Nature and Time Tribe. With herself, her three friends, the two leaders and the others, they had approximately twenty people. From the way she had them marching straight through the jungle, it was made to look more like some sort of hunting party rather than a calculated effort.

"Alacr, you saying that you're not hot at all?" Griffin asked, "This is nothing like our home!"

"I have spent many years traveling," Alacr smirked and looked back to his cousin, "And that means I am rather used to being in hot, unnatural places. You wouldn't last a day in the Fire Tribe territory if this is enough to make you sweat."

"That's why we don't go to the Fire Tribe," Griffin muttered, "That place is one giant lava field, I don't know how anybody lives there."

"Is it not unbecoming of our people to speak with such complaints?" Alacr replied back, "We are the Speed Tribe! We will survive, no matter the heat or environment."

Griffin Turner tensed up, looking to Alacr, who was barely hiding a smirk on his face. Ray looked between the two and then rolled his eyes.

"I've been to the Speed Tribe," Ray sighed, "Big white cities, lots of open space… I would say the close quarters of the Jungle is likely the opposite of your people."

"Our cities are built as though they lightly rest on the hills, just as our feet barely touched the ground," Alacr corrected Ray, "We float above the ground in all ways without leaving it."

"But… the Lightning Tribe lives in literal rocks floating in the sky," Dorian mumbled, "I think it has something to do with the metal rocks they built their homes on? We uhm, couldn't get the wagons up there because of that. And, all those home just kinda drift around this big wasteland of, lightning and, all that."

"Focus on the other tribes when we go to deal with them," Skylar turned towards her friends, "Right now we're in this hot miserable jungle, let's just get done with it and let that be that."

"So you do find it miserable!" Griffin protested. Nya just sighed and resisted the urge to retort.

Alacr and Ray both gave Skylar a long look, but did as she asked. Both of them could see behind her large smile, Skylar wasn't thinking about anything other than this mission. Both of them also understood why. They hadn't fought Machia directly, but she'd torn through their squad like a leaf in the breeze. With Vermillion that had previously just been pushover Raiders once now evolving, Machia had taken them down to almost nothing. Very few of their original squad was able to be dispersed to the three temporary ones.

"Lady Skylar," Nya called out, "I would like to ask if you recall the plan."

"First off, I'm not a Lady. I just look tall," Skylar threw back, "And you know the plan. We march out here, find the Vermillion, then we go after them to find their leader," Skylar stated firmly, "And we take them out."

What Skylar said was only partially true; given that there could be someone tailing them, she'd left off the fact they were going to track them upon retreat. Nya gave a small nod upon hearing it. She was content enough that Skylar wasn't angry enough to forget the fact this mission relied upon the success of them playing the part of them going after the Vermillion for nothing more than revenge. Whether or not Skylar could keep it just an act was to be seen.

"Uhm… after this, I think we should go back to my tribe," Dorian spoke up, "We never got the chance to really trade at the Time Tribe, it might be a good idea, right?"

"Hrm… indeed, we could stand to do that," Alacr nodded, then turned to Skylar with a coy smile, "We always keep the majority of our supplies stashed elsewhere. Even if the wagon is damaged, we still have a business."

"Assuming that we still make it back there," Ray muttered, "I hate hunting like this. I mean, Skylar was the one that always wanted to hunt!"

"Mhm," Skylar responded plainly.

"Well… it could work!" Dorian smiled, "We just have to readjust our routes. Nothing too bad. There's a bunch of places we can go! And, we can even take you with us, Skylar!"

Skylar said nothing. Her three companions decided to drop the idea of talking to her.

The jungles of the Nature Tribe were thick and dense. The tribe lay between the Great Ocean, Water Tribe and Ice Tribe. If one climbed the trees, they would be able to see the massive icy plains the Ice Tribe inhabited, and just barely even the beginnings of the large ice spikes they called home. While the Nature Tribe had small territory, it was incredibly dense with life. Their main settlement was in the middle of a large rock formation that had formed from a basin, with waterfalls feeding a large ring of water around the tribe that poured out into one of the larger rivers in the area. Skylar recalled that it was common for boys in the Nature Tribe to leap from the waterfalls into the pool of water and see who could go the longest getting swept by the rivers until they needed rescuing. The challenge wasn't as fun as it looked.

That settlement was to the west. Currently, the group was moving east, towards the Form Tribe territory if she had her bearings right. The jungle became more dense as one moved away from the sea, and "Sir" Bolobo had said it was to protect against the icy winds of the Ice Tribe. How a jungle developed right up against snowy plains was beyond Skylar; the world was a rather strange one, the more that she thought. For now, it just meant that Alacr's speed-enhanced blade was quickly cutting paths that Skylar didn't just snap away, while Nya was doing her best to keep the humidity off them. Regardless of her attempts, almost everyone was soaked with sweat from the heat.

"...So, how long do we keep this hunt up?" Dorian asked meekly, "It's, a large jungle, right? Are, we sure they're here?"

"We walk until we find them," Skylar replied, "And when we do, we follow them. There's nothing more to it. It's a simple mission."

Dorian fell silent. Alacr gave Skylar another harsh look, but knew it would have little effect. Nya and Griffin both felt a bit of unease watching the daughter of Chen like that. They had both met her back before the war, and more importantly known her anger. This side of Skylar was far more in line with the version of her that Chen had toted around: angry, snippy, and feeling more like a bow that had been drawn taut and ready to fire rather than the more rude but charismatic girl she'd turned into. Nya wished Mage could have been her; he would have stabilized her, she was sure of it.

Alacr stopped moving. The rest of the group stopped as well, sensing what he felt: a presence. Skylar stopped a few feet in front of the group, then closed her eyes. She mimicked the power of mind, reaching out to feel the minds around her. She didn't have enough power with this to alter minds like Neuro or his guards could, but she could at least sense them. She could sense the lives of everyone around her. Everyone, perfectly in line behind her, and the one over-

"There," Skylar growled, then her body turned to shadows as she switched mimicry from mind to shadow. Her body traveled from shadow to shadow of all of the trees present, then reappeared directly in front of a tree off to the group's right. She opened her mouth and then hissed, causing poison to spray from her tongue and onto the bark of the tree. There was a shuffling noise, and Alacr saw a flash of red moving among the plants.

"Dorian!" Alacr drew his blade.

"On it!" Dorian inhaled, then reached out with her power. The flash of red was caught in the effects of slowed time, causing its shape to be fully revealed. In that time, the rest of the group turned their attention to what happened. Dorian held on for a few seconds, giving them enough time to zero in before she was forced to let go. As the red shape took off, Skylar snarled and took off in pursuit.

"Follow her!" Alacr ordered. Quickly, the group began to rush into the trees, weaving around each of the large stems, massive roots and plants that seemed to be growing in every direction and size. No matter how fast any of them ran, however, Skylar's anger focused gaze was leaping fast between and around every tree, never letting the escapee get away from her. Alacr, for a few brief moments, wondered what might happen if Skylar caught their target.

After a minute of intensive running for all those not of the tribe used to such, the Vermillion they were chasing broke the treeline. He darted into a large clearing, with what looked like a small tributary to a river running underneath a large wave-shaped outcropping of rock. The small stream of water ended in a pool underneath the outcropping. The Vermillion, seeing this, doubled his running speed and turned to go around the outcropping.

Skylar shot her hand out, mimicking the power of water. The pool of water underneath the outcropping shot up like spears, slamming into the Vermillion and knocking him to the ground. As he did, he revealed he had been carrying a crossbow when it flew off into the dirt. Skylar rushed up to him and planted her foot on his back, driving him into the dirt. The snakes making him up let out a collective snarl before going limb as he saw the water nearby rising again.

"Skylar!" Nya called out as the rest of their group fell in line behind her, "You… caught him?" It had looked like they were using this warrior to get to the main group of Vermillion.

"I did," Skylar looked up, "Because this is a trap."

Alacr felt the hairs on his neck rise. He turned back to the treeline they had just emerged from. In it, the leaves began to rapidly rumble and shake. Those users they had with them that were unlucky enough to be closest to the treeline suddenly found snakes slithering out and grabbing their legs. Four of them shrieked as they were suddenly dragged towards the thick underbrush, and the likely death that awaited them there.

Alacr, rather than using speed on himself, instead ran forward at normal speed and then threw his sword in a spiral. The blade was engulfed in the telltale streaks of speed, spinning through the air like a large saw. It cleaved straight through the snakes dragging away their fighters, moving until it buried itself into a tree. A second later, Alacr's body streaked over to grab the sword and pull it out of the tree, spinning around and leveling it towards the underbrush. The four attacked users got up to their feet and hurriedly drew their weapons.

From the trees, figures began to rise. Seeing this, Griffin and the other speed users sped up to the treeline. Griffin drew a chain with a metal sphere on the end, spinning it rapidly and threatening all who came close, while Alacr and the others held swords and spears towards the trees. The rest of the group moved to form up underneath the outcropping. Nya, seeing the pool, stood in the center of it, causing the water to start to swirl around her.

"Oh, how wonderful it is for you to join us…" A voice that caused Skylar's eyes to boil sounded from the trees in front of Griffin purred, "I would say I'm shocked that you came to us like this… but that would be a lie."

"Machia…" Skylar's fists tightened, flames flickering out from her palms.

Griffin heard a swipe, then grabbed the end of his chain to block the massive battle axe Machia single handedly wielded. Machia stepped out from the trees, a grin on her face and her snakes writhing as if happy too. The other speed users pointed their swords toward her, and Alacr in particular drew his sword up to his head and pointed it along the length of his arm towards Machia.

"I remember you," Machia, barely paying attention to the struggling Griffin, turned to Alacr, "You were at one of my raids, weren't you?" Hearing 'one of' sent broils if rage down Skylar's spine.

"So a monster like you remembers faces?" Alacr smirked nervously, "I didn't believe that was possible."

"I'm not more of a monster than any of you here," Machia tssked, "Manipulating the world as you do is… unnatural. It is far more simple to raze the world anew, rather than twist what you already have."

"Is that… what you call what you… Vermillion are doing?!" Griffin strained out, still holding back her axe.

"You have not begun to see what the scope of this conflict is," Machia frowned, "It is beyond any of you simple minded beings!"

Machia delivered a punch to Griffin's stomach, causing him to gag out. He stumbled backwards, clutching at the pain her metal covered hand had dealt him. Machia took the chance to swing her axe, knocking Griffin backwards onto the ground as he gargled out in pain. Alacr shot forward, his sword catching the tip of her axe before she could follow up. Feeling just how strong she was, Alacr swung his swords towards the ground, throwing off her balance and letting him spin his blade to swipe at her. Increasing his blade with the power of speed, it just barely missed cleaving through one of the snakes on her head.

Machia's locked her axe with his blade in retaliation. When he tried to move his hand again, Machia used her free hand to reach out and grab hold of the hilt of Alacr's sword. Alacr's hands were kept still, forcing him to keep himself pressed into Machia's attack.

"Impressive… you must be a speed user," Machia's snakes writhed, "Unfortunately for you, my snakes see everything."

One of the speed users accelerated behind Machia, shouting as they moved to drive their spear through her back. One of the snakes on Machia's head opened their eyes. From the treeline, a single whistle sent an arrow straight through to strike the back of the assailant. The user gurgled, then collapsed to the ground. Alacr's eyes widened, then narrowed in anger as he shouted, pouring speed energy into his blade to force Machia to withdraw. Both of them leapt backwards, holding their blades out as they took slow breaths.

"My… intelligence says that one there is leyourader," Machia pointed to Griffin, still holding his stomach, "Are you certain that you are not the one we should be after?"

"Sorry, but I'm just a traveling merchant," Alacr grimaced, "I don't have anything to do with leading."

"I see…" Machia nodded, "In that case, I won't need to bother asking for your name."

Alacr sensed something dangerous. He flattened his body down to the ground just in time to see what looked like some sort of gray cocoon fly right where his head had been. The cocoon flew over the group and smashed into the rock outcropping, breaking it open. Knives that had been placed inside went scattering over the group, causing the users to shriek as the blades came down on their heads.

A massive sheet of water flew straight overtop of the group, dispersing the blades' momentum as they clattered down. Nya's eyes had turned fully blue, and both of her hands were out to her sides. The water from the pool she stood in was now in the air, shielding the group. She withdrew the water, instead raising large tentacles of water that spun around her inside the pool rapidly. Machia narrowed her eyes at this, then raised a hand and closed her fist.

Volleys of arrows came flying out from the treeline, signaling more Vermillion still hidden among the trees. The water tentacles shot up into the air and spun, draining the pool's water level as they smacked into the arrows. The force of them being struck sent them scattering off into the air. Two tentacles moved in front of the group, shielding them from the oncoming projectiles. Nya withdrew them all when the volley was over, turning her body to the side to point towards the trees and extend her hand out, warning Machia of advancing further.

"Form up!" Griffin ordered, "Defend Lady Nya!"

The users, all soldiers from the tribes, obeyed. They rapidly moved and formed a simple semicircle around the pond where Nya was, putting themselves between the trees filled with Vermillion. Their formation stretched all the way to both ends of the rock outcropping. Griffin stood in front of them, holding his chained weapon. Alacr, Dorian and Ray moved together backwards to leap behind the formation in front of Nya.

"Get ready!" Griffin shouted. As soon as he did, however, Skylar moved forward and shouldered her way through the formation.

"Skylar!" Ray shouted, but Skylar didn't hear him. She walked out of their defensive line, straight into the middle of the space between the outcropping and the trees. Machia's eyes opened and her lips curled into a massive grin just seeing her. Behind Machia, a row of Vermillion soldiers emerged, each holding swords. They leered at Skylar as she approached. Skylar held her gaze down towards the ground, burning flames in them as she did.

"You…" Skylar pointed her finger directly to Machia, "You killed all of them in that town. They had nothing to do with this," She raised her fiery gaze, "I'll show you that your actions have consequences!"

"You would like a rematch, then?" Machia ran her hand down her blade, "I'm not sure… I generally don't concern myself with those our horde tramples."

Skylar shot both her hands out, mimicking gravity. Machia found herself raised up off the ground and, before she could react, Skylar spun her body around. Machia was flung directly up onto the top of the rock outcropping. Her body impacted with a crash and a cloud of dust. While she didn't break apart, she opened her eyes long enough to see Skylar leap up into the air with lightning bursting from her hands. Machia scrambled backwards just in time not to be electrocuted by the burst of lightning that scorched the rocks. The two stood on top of a large slope of rock that overlooked the formation that the users were frantically taking.

"We have to help her!" Dorian shouted, turning to rush out for her. Alacr's hand stopped her. Dorian turned to him, her eyes widened as she shook her head, "Why?!"

"Skylar took her up there so she couldn't interfere with this fight…" Alacr shook his head, "If she's up there, she can prevent them from getting behind her. We need to focus on what's in front of us!"

As if on cue, the wave of Vermillion that had stepped out at Machia's command rushed forward towards their line. Bursts of water from both Nya and the water users, flashes of weapons from the speed users, and a few concentrated efforts of slowed and paused time from the time users struck back against the wave. What Vermillion weren't stopped by Nya's water constructs smashing into them were thrown back by the wave of weapons standing firm together. Alacr held her sword out and turned towards his companions.

"Dorian! Ray!" Alacr growled, "You two focus on keeping any arrows off of us!" He pointed to the metal tipped arrows on the ground, "Slow them down and shock them out of the sky! I'm going to distract them!"

"Wait, what?!" Griffin turned to him, "You can't! It's too dangerous!"

Alacr didn't say anything, instead just directing Griffin's gaze to the trees. More waves of Vermillion emerged, walking out in organized lines that charged their formation. Nya focused. The straight, glossy fabric she had draped around her body suit suddenly began to suck water into it. Previously unseen tubes in the fabric filled with water, then the entire garment began to spin around her neck. As it did, the water filling those 'tubes' suddenly shot out like bolts, striking Vermillion. While they burst into water on impact, the strikes were enough to knock most of them off their feets. The waves, however, were hardly slowed by the time and water elements being thrown their way

"We're going to outlast them," Alacr stated with fabricated confidence, "Let's see what we can do about those archers!" Alacr inhaled, then he leapt up into the air. Speed carried him forward, making his jump just enough to go over the line and land on the ground. He rapidly ran through the Vermillion waves, his sword cleaving out as he slashed as anyone that he got near. He waved his way around, making his way towards the treeline as best he could.

"...Great," Griffin began to spin his chain in one hand, the ball accelerating with speed as he did, "I'm not going to be outshone by a merchant!" He similarly leapt up into the fray. The speed of the metal ball swinging was enough to cave holes into the armor of the Vermillion he struck. He soon joined Alacr, the two of them weaving in and out rapidly through the Vermillion waves.

As the battle raged below, Skylar snarled and leapt forward into Machia. She had no sword, and instead mimicked metal to turn her forearms into gauntlets to strike directly into Machia's attacks. With a cry of anger, Skylar rapidly began to punch her arms into Machia's defense, causing the wind around them to gather up and blow out with the force of each blow. Machia planted her feet into the ground, twisting her axe to block them or using her own forearms to guard herself. Skylar inhaled, then let out another cry as she sent her strongest punch into Machia.

Machia shot her hand up, grabbing the fist and stopping it. The force sent her sliding backwards several inches. When she looked up, Machia was panting with a grin on her face. Skylar, filled with anger at her attack being repelled, tried to bring her other fist up to Machia. The strike hit Machia's battle axe and, with a screech, broke it straight down the middle. The two halves flew away from them.

"Normally," Machia spoke calmly, "I would have your head for breaking a gift from my masters themselves… but you have been the first true fighter that has ever stood up to my strength before. I commend you for this… and will let that slide. I'll kill you for my own personal enjoyment."

"Glad to know that I'm that special to you," Skylar snarled, "But I'll have to break through that delusion of yours that you're stronger than me!"

Machia took a strong step forward, forcing Skylar to draw her fist back. Machia gave Skylar that infuriatingly calm smile, then let go of Skylar's fist. Skylar swung her body, putting her back into a punch that soared straight beside Machia's head. Machia turned to look at the metal fist that had been aiming right for her head, then reached up with both hands to grab Skylar's arm. Machia, with a laugh, swung Skylar over her shoulder, looking to drive her into the ground.

Skylar, however, mimicked wind at the last second, causing a burst of air right under her head to stop her from impact. It meant the force of Machia's hands crushing her arm came down on her, but the force was enough to stun Machia long enough to get away. Skylar hit the ground and rolled back up to her feet, panting as she did.

"You're pretty strong, for a bunch of snakes," Skylar grimaced as her arm throbbed in pain.

"I was bred from only the strongest and purest of my race," Machia haughtily explained, "There is no stronger Vermillion than I. If there were, I would ensure there is no threat to me. I have bred my own body over and over again to ensure that I have only the strongest of my kind within me. And, unlike you… humans, I can be taken down to my last snake before I am defeated."

"Well then… Skylar chuckled darkly, her hands blazing with fire, "I guess I should work on burning away all the snakes and save one for last then, right?"

"If you are able to, then I would be most impressed," Machia drew her hand over her metal armor, "I would love to see you try."

With that, Skylar flung herself back into battle, her hands moving in to rapidly burn away at Machia's armor. Machia dodged her attacks by leaping back, reaching down to pick up the lower half of her battle axe, turning it to the spike on the end for a weapon. She grinned and leapt towards Skylar, meeting her flaming hands with the point of her weapon. The attack was so fast Skylar moved on instinct, and when she stepped back, there was a cut on her cheek bleeding.

"Come, have your revenge on me, Skylar," Machia laughed, "I will be sure that I inform my masters of how valiantly you all fought against us. Perhaps that will please them enough to let them spare a few more of your people when we have finished conquering you."

"Don't take us that lightly!" Skylar's mind began to flash with memories, "I can't die yet. I know of a lot of people that would kill me if I went and died like that. I can't lose to someone like you… not when I have to make sure that I protect him," Skylar raised her face, "He gave me a chance at this life, I'm not just going to waste it!"

"Then that sentiment will be what you carry to your grave," Machia pointed her fist at Skylar, "Rejoice and fall for the might of the Vermillion."

With that, the two female leaders both clashed once again, causing the entire outcropping to rock below them. As they did, Nya, Griffin and the rest of the users fought as the waves and waves of Vermillion continued to come, pouring onto them and reforming. All they could hope was that Skylar could defeat Machia and force a retreat before their lives were snuffed out by the massive of snakes pouring into them.

* * *

"Sir!" A sound user saluted to Neuro, "We believe we've found something!"

Neuro, hands placed calmly behind his back, nodded to the user that spoke to him. He wore almost no armor, instead gray and yellow robes that were tied around his hips and a small crown on his head that looked to be made of quartz and arranged to look like a ceremonial piece. He carried no weapons, instead knowing his mind would be enough. The informant quickly turned to bring Neuro along to whatever he had found.

Over generations of the Flame Mountain -an unoriginal name, in Neuro's eyes- that the Fire Tribe called their own, the land surrounding the south of the volcano had turned into solidified ash atop mud. This created the land the Smoke Tribe called home. The land was notorious for its sinkholes, with the mud underneath the land constantly shifting to cause the rocks atop to fall apart and create a beautifully shaped if not devastating landscape. The Smoke Tribe themselves had built their homes within several of the largest sinkholes, building them up the sides of the massive holes to create a village that was far more vertical than it was horizontal.

In order to navigate such a harsh land of dangerous turns, despite Neuro protesting the involvement of too many parties in this plan, Ash, leader of the Smoke Tribe, had been called out. The man constantly looked like some cross between a fox and a set of sculpted blue-gray armor. His constant grin, with what almost looked like fangs poking from his lips, slicked back and barely contained gray hair, and grunting made him seem dangerous. Neuro had technically allied with his tribe during the war, but that didn't mean he liked Ash.

It was Bansha's involvement, however, that put him on edge the most. While Ash simply felt unnerving to be around, he had no idea what to think with Bansha. It was common for him to unconsciously probe the mind of people when he met them to sense their intent, but Bansha's mind was so closely guarded he couldn't even sense that. She had not smiled once since they requested her aide in this. She hadn't said anything about Acronix being injured, which raised Neuro's suspicion slightly. After the way that she'd outed Time Tribe secrets to the Summit, he wasn't sure what to think of her.

There was one encounter with her that he remembered vividly. After the group had gathered in the Summit, she had asked to go and see Acronix. Neuro, having planned to go after her, decided to wait nearby. It had been when searching for the room he'd passed by Bansha inside the room.

"You got what you deserve," Bansha had muttered to him, gripping her fist as she did, "Your brother… he killed him. You stood up for that… that monster. You should never… never have tried to stand up against them. You're weak, just like him. Only the strong should be allowed to rule in this world."

It'd been upon hearing that Neuro had left the area before Bansha could see he was there. Her words had put him off. He recalled how she'd revealed that Krux had been broken from prison to the Summit, as if just to spite Acronix. He had no idea what she was thinking… but he needed to know more, it seemed.

Shade, at least, was a presence that he could trust. The man was quiet, gruff, and didn't speak unless he had to. Neuro respected that. It was one man that he didn't have to worry about. The users from the original three squads that had been distributed to them were made up of many tribes, and he'd come to understand they all were familiar with these 'Vermillion' more so than him. Either way, he had a squad of almost thirty strong.

"Sir," Neuro's attention was snapped from his thoughts as the sound user pointed to a massive sinkhole, "We were using our abilities to look for any of these Vermillion. We found something, strange, when we did."

The guard nodded, and a fire user nearby lit his fist and sent a fireball down into the sinkhole. About halfway down, the hole darkened, and so the flame illuminated it down to the bottom. Before it fizzled out on the bottom, Neuro noticed what he was talking about.

"Are those… tunnels?" Neuro asked quietly.

"Yes sir," The sound user confirmed, "We found similar tunnels in other sinkholes. It looks like the Vermillion have been using these sinkholes to move throughout the territory."

"Hrmm…." Neuro thought for a few moments, "Then that would mean attempting to search for them aboveground would be pointless. They likely would just scatter down into their tunnels upon seeing them. Do these tunnels connect to each of these holes?"

"We haven't tested them yet, but it seems so," The fire user walked over and responded, "It would give them multiple ways to retreat if spotted, and move around quickly. These sinkholes are all over this place."

"Then we have no other choice but to go down there and engage them," Neuro commented, "It will be the only way to ensure we can engage them and force a retreat."

"You want us to go down there?" Bansha's raspy voice sounded as she walked up to Neuro, "I thought the Mind Tribe was supposed to be _mindful_ of walking into your own demise."

"We have searched for half a day here, and found nothing," Neuro gestured to the sinkholes, "This would mean any further effort is futile. We should engage them on their territory and defeat them to prove our superiority."

"That kid took all the earth users," Bansha argued, "None of us are suited for that sort of combat. We'd be at a complete disadvantage."

Neuro narrowed his gaze, "Yes, we would. But we have been at a disadvantage this entire conflict, have we not? It would be best to take this negative now, and then work to ensure we have no further negatives later. We are here to fight, Bansha."

"I agree with Neuro," Shade arrived to voice his opinion, "It's risky, but I'd rather be doing something than waiting for something that might never come. They could easily ambush us, if these tunnels extend all underneath us."

"I'll accompany you a bit," Ash rasped out as he too arrived, "Some of my men are in your 'squad' here. I gotta make sure nothing happens to them. We're all eager to weed these pests out of our lands!" His grin somehow grew wider, which made Neuro stare in confusion.

"We all agree then, Bansha," Neuro turned to her, "That this is our best course of action. Unless you have some sort of reason to say no, then accompany us."

It was a bit underhanded, but Neuro had to at least address his suspicions. It had been a nagging suspicion of his that she might be on the opposite side in this. If she agreed to go down into those tunnels, it would mean she either was confident in her deal, or wasn't with them whatsoever. Either way, it would expose her true nature, while refusing would all but incriminate her, at least in his mind.

"Fine," Bansha growled, "I just don't think this is a smart plan. But if you insist on me going, I'll follow the rest of you down there."

"Mhm," Neuro nodded, "Then let us gather our forces and head down."

It took a bit of time, but all of the group that were searching the area soon formed up. There were a variety of users, but most important to Neuro were the fire and lightning users, as they could both provide light in absence of a Light Tribe member and attack simultaneously. Once they reached the tunnel, he, Shade, Ash and Bansha would move behind the fire and ice users.

The three ice users moved and, steadily, began to freeze a stairwell down the largest nearby sinkhole for them. While Neuro knew Zane could do so in an instant, this took nearly twenty minutes for them to make slow, incremental steps down towards the bottom. By the time they touched down at the ground, the light was all but gone, and all they could see was the disc of white light above them. The fire users summoned flames to act as makeshift torches. The ice users were sent to the rear, and then the group formed up. Bansha looked to the largest tunnel they were to enter with suspicion and worry. Neuro kept his expression calmy, while Shade used his ability to see in the dark -a blessing all shadow tribe users had- to verify they were okay to proceed.

The tunnel was not very large. It forced the group to move in rows of three, and mean escape through them would be difficult. Given the shape of the tunnel and the quantity, it was all but confirmed these were manmade… or snakemade, given the Vermillion's nature. The group proceeded slowly through the tunnel, making their way through the cramped space until they reached another sinkhole. Once more, a disc of white light above them illuminated the fact the tunnels indeed connected the sinkholes.

Neuro put a hand to his head, "I can sense life around us… more than us. It… appears to be in that direction," He pointed a finger towards roughly the north, just slightly off a nearby tunnel entrance, "We should proceed in that direction."

"Yes, move towards danger," Bansha sighed, "I commend you for your bravery, if nothing else."

Neuro decided to let that comment slide and instead continued on. The tunnels wound them through sinkhole after sinkhole, some tunnels going up or down depending on the depth of the next hole they emerged in. The feeling of unease of such a tight space was palpable. It was almost paralyzing, knowing that at any point, there could easily be a Vermillion waiting at the entrance to the next opening. It didn't help that they were walking for almost a half hour in the dark, guided only by firelight and shadow sight.

Finally, the group arrived at the source of what Neuro had felt. They emerged into the largest of the sinkholes yet in terms of width. It wasn't as deep as the first one, but still in need of light to see the ground. The sinkhole had three tunnels going to it, including the one they had just come from. The group entered the space as Neuro pressed his hand to the ground.

"There… is life here…" Neuro shook his head, "Very… abundant life. I can sense, minds. So many minds. But, where are they?" He ran his hand along the ground, "Where…?"

Suddenly, a hand burst from the ground and grabbed Neuro's wrist. Bansha immediately drew a curved green blade from her back and sliced at the arm. The blade struck metal armor, sending a clang that echoed sharply. That hand withdrew, leaving Neuro to scramble backwards. Bansha grabbed his arm and dragged him up to his feet, holding her blade out menacingly.

All around the group more hands began to burst from the ground. The group rapidly formed a sloppy circle as the sight of cupped hands bursting from the mud under foot was caught only by firelight. Mud dripped down the arms as they rose like something out of a twisted nightmare.

Those hands struck the ground, and Vermillion warriors dragged themselves out of the holes they had started breaking with their arms. It appears the 'ground' was just a thin layer of hardened mud, and under that mud was more liquidus. The Vermillion rose from it, drawing their blades as the brown goop slid down their bodies. The number of them that did was massive, counting nearly fifty in the span of thirty seconds. They encircled the ground, blocking off the three tunnels.

"Hah!" A high pitched voice came from one of the tunnels, "Operation Burial Ground was a success!"

The Vermillion that emerged was a bright orange, in direct contrast to his red and brown brethren. He carried a spear for his weapon. He gave the group a long look over, almost like inspecting them, before he nodded again, "Oh yeah, you guys will be great. We need about ten of you alive. The rest of you, well, we don't need you at all."

"Are you the leader?" Neuro shouted, directing his mind power towards the orange warrior.

"I'm General Blunck!" Blunck identified himself, not even flinching as the mind tried to enter his head, "You should remember the name of the one about to defeat you."

While Blunck spoke, Neuro and the other mind users were all probbing at Blunck's head. It became clear quickly it was impossible to get into his head. The sheer number of minds inside of Blunck alone felt like opening the doors to a thunderous opera, rather than the tranquil drip of thoughts. It didn't feel like just one mind… more like thousands of smaller minds, all wound up tightly together. Just trying to probe it was painful for him. Bansha and Shade looked to him, seeing Neuro's features twisting in pain as he pulled back.

"Are you the leader?" Shade asked, covering for Neuro.

"Didn't you just ask that?" Blunck blinked, "Fine! Well! No… that would be _her_ job," Blunck groaned, "And then above her are my masters. They're the real leaders. But you won't get to meet them or her!" Blunck slowly grinned, "Cause this will be your last battle."

"We shall see," Neuro stated calmly, then put his hands to his head again. Once more, he attempted to probe into Blunck's mind, only to feel a mass akin to his entire tribe put together pushing back on him this time. Blunck, having noticed it, simply directed the hive mind to force Neuro out.

"I can feel what you're doing, you know," Blunck grinned, "Heh, sorry, but our minds aren't singular like yours! You'd have to subjugate the entire hive mind if you wanted a go at me."

Regardless of Blunck's words, Neuro kept pushing. He pushed harder and harder, trying to find a way inside. He tried searching, but the more he did, the more it felt like a vast expanse he was hacking away at with only his bare hands. After he grew tired of the feeling, Blunck gave a single push of thought back to Neuro. The sheer volume of the hive mind yelling into Neuro's head was enough for Neuro to scream, then clutch his head and fall to his knees.

"You think you can make my land your hunting ground?" Ash hissed, the malice mingled in with his grin, "You need to be shown who the real hunters are! The Ash Tribe belongs to me!"

"Really?" Blunck cocked his head, "How?"

The Vermillion soldiers suddenly let out a roar together, rushing towards the group. Quickly, Bansha stuck her hands out and formed a cup with them, using her fingertips to compress a wind stream to strike each Vermillion down with what felt like pistons. Blasts of fire and ice shot out, striking back the horde oncoming. Shade disappeared into the shadows around him, moving his body to then appear in one warrior's shade, strike their hand to grab his sword, and then begin cleaving them down one by one.

Ash charged forward right into the snakes. Three members of the Smoke Tribe fell in behind him, forming a perfect formation. Just as two warriors readied spears to take him down, he burst into smoke upon the contact with the spears. The two warriors, thinking they'd gotten him, turned their attentions away with grins. It was then that Ash's smoke formed up and shot straight into their faces. The action caused them to collapse as he all but choked them from inside. As they fell the smoke wisped from their mouths to form Ash, standing on top of them and grabbing both their weapons before they fell. The other three smoke users did the same, reforming after felling their targets around Ash protectively.

Ash spun on one foot and flung the two confiscated weapons at the commander. Blunkc blocked them both with his weapon, only to see Ash coming at him with a strange hiss in the air. Blunck threw up his armored gauntlet, and with a clang he had four massive metal talons in his face. Ash had his arm extended forward and, from a strange looking sheath on his right hand, four massive silver talons had shot out towards him, barely blocked from full extension by the gauntlet.

"W-Woah, I gotta get me some of those…" Blunck muttered, then shook his head, "Oh, no, I shouldn't be fraternizing with the enemy!"

"You won't see me in that light," Ash laughed out, "I heard those that go through fights come out as brothers in arms! But since you're a snake, I guess you'll have to come out in ribbons!"

Blunck threw Ash off, but he wasn't fast enough to do so completely. Soon, he was locking blades right again with Ash. The smoke users each extended out a single claw from gauntlets on their arms, using them like blades to leap in when Ash was knocked back. Blunck soon had his hands full dodging the four of them, all lunging straight at him in an endless barrage.

As the sound of their slashes clanged through the dim light, Bansha dropped down and put her hand to Neuro's head. Neuro, through bleary eyes, looked to her, then winced as the pain of the mental scream filled him once more. Bansha looked to the Vermillion marching towards them, then down to Neuro still on the ground.

"I'm not going to have to carry you out of this, am I?!" Bansha snarled, "I told you this was a dumb idea!"

"The… the snakes…" Neuro gasped out, "Waiting for us… knew we were coming…"

"Let's worry about that latter," Bansha stood up drawing what looked like an dagger filled with holes, "Right now we need to-"

Neuro cut her off by grabbing her arm, "No… this is, this is important. If they… they knew we were coming then… that means they knew this would happen…"

Bansha gave Neuro a grumble. Then the gears in her mind started turning. If they'd somehow figured out this was a calculated response, that meant they knew they were using the squads like this. And if that was the case, then they had to have known something else. So many things would have to fall into place, and that could mean…

"Let's survive this so we can tell them later," Bansha snarled, holding her knife backwards, "Because right now, it isn't looking too good."

The first wave of Vermillion had already begun to reform. The mud caked, darkly lit, crazed beings rushed the group of encircled warriors once more, hacking away at them. As Bansha swung her knife, the light of their battle could only barely be seen by the flames the fire users produced from above the hole, all while the group did all they could to fight for their lives.

* * *

"Karlof think Dragon Lord do something about Vermin!" Karlof shouted, letting out a scary yowl as he struck a warrior apart with his metal gauntlets in a single swing.

Mage's squad was having a bit more luck than the other two. Just as they'd predicted, the Vermillion were still hanging around inside the Metal Tribe territory. To protect the people, Karlof had sent an order before he left his village to stay within the mines until he ordered otherwise. While it raised some suspicion, it meant that the group were able to fight without worry of any of the mining settlements being threatened by their battles.

Rather than needing to track down the Vermillion, Karlof had received information that several mines had been shut down due to the presence of monsters inside. With how close the mines were to the settlement that was attacked, it didn't take much thought to determine who was behind it. To navigate the rocky lands the Metal Tribe relied upon, the remaining light, earth, shadow, gravity and metal users were distributed to his squad. So far, having them was turning out to be invaluable, as the Vermillion had holed themselves up inside of a massive cave mouth that was currently being used to mine iron. When they'd arrived, all of the equipment, including any carts or railings, had been ripped up and arranged as a barricade over the cave's entrance.

Karlof's punches had just been sent into a large portion of the metal barricade through the body of the warrior he'd just struck. While the large haphazard structure shook, it was far too large to dismantle effectively while under pressure from the Vermillion flinging things down towards them. Karlof grunted and gave Mage a long look, which Mage acknowledged with a smile.

"It's fly time!" Mage rushed backwards towards the other four gravity users. Together, they all leapt into the air, floating to levitate over the wall. While the four were only able to keep it up long enough to land on top of the platform the Vermillion were attacking from, Mage went further and then summoned earth in his fist to strike the ground behind their barrier with a massive shockwave. The entire barricade rumbled with the impact.

Vermillion that weren't knocked down charged him, and Mage raised his fingers and snapped. By amplifying the power of sound, it sent a large crack that stunned the sensitive hearing of the snakes around them. Mage wasn't one to waste his chance. Bursts of water and earth from the cave around them struck warrior after warrior. As some tried to back into the darkness to gain an advantage, Mage flashed light at them, further stunning them to attack.

"Hey, hey he can't do that!" A deep orange Vermillion, holding a large staff with a vibrant red blade on the end, pointed towards Mage, "That's cheating!"

"Sorry!" Mage reached his hands out and gripped Raggmunk's armor with metal, "But you cheated first!" He threw Raggmunk off the barricade with a loud shout of shock from the stunned general. Mage hung from the lip of the platform, ready to leap down and pummel Raggmunk further.

One of the gravity users on the barricade had his knife knocked away and was thrown down, nearly about to be taken out. Mage, seeing it, diverted part of his attention to creating a tiny earthquake to rumble the warriors on the barricade. That action gave Raggmunk enough time to take control of one warrior, who rushed over to knock Mage's hand off. Mage did a flip in the air to land safely on the ground, but Raggmunk had already gotten his footing again.

"Vermillion!" Raggmunk raised his hand to his head, "Form up behind me, we have someone behind our defenses we need to take care of!"

Vermillion on the barricade turned to start jumping down to help. Then there was a series of three massive punches. The first rattled the wall; the second dented it; the third broke a large twisted hole into it that Karlof's fist stuck out from. The Vermillion on the wall were rattled hard enough they were sent to the ground. Raggmunk's eyes widened as the rest of the squad moved in behind Karlof.

"ATTACK!" Karlof shouted, roaring as he burst in. Raggmunk could see what looked like a tank coming straight towards him, and upon realizing from his armor that he was likely of the tribe Machia had attacked, he knew this was a losing battle.

"Retreat!" Raggmunk shouted, "C-Cover our escape!"

Hissing in agreement, several Vermillion suddenly moved and lifted up their crossbows. The tips were on fire. Mage saw that they were pointed towards something smeared across the ceiling. He looked down to see that several cases of blasting gel, the primary method for mining for the Metal Tribe, were emptied around. It didn't take a strategist to see what was happening.

"F-Fire!" Raggmunk shouted, turning to flee.

Suddenly, one by one, the Vermillion aiming for the gel were disarmed. Raggmunk stopped running with the Vermillion behind him to see the leader Paleman, having just appeared behind the Vermillion and holding many of their bows. He threw them aside and then disappeared again. Before they could be recovered, Karlof had raced towards the stunned archers and struck one so hard they went flying past Raggmunk.

Raggmunk, stunned at the turn, watched Karlof let out a roar and began to go after the Vermillion that hadn't retreated already. The feeling of several Vermillion tugging at him was enough to make Raggmunk snap out long enough to give the order to the hive mind again and quickly race down the tunnel. As Karlof and Paleman continued to take out soldiers, Mage turned to them and made eye contact. Paleman, eyes not visible due to the nature of his body, gave Mage a nod.

With that, Mage inhaled and turned into smoke. When using smoke, he couldn't breathe since he technically had his lungs made of smoke. He used this to disappear into the darkness of the cave, following Raggmunk at a distance. The air became thinner as he did, forcing him to stop occasionally to use wind to fill his lungs. The Vermillion continued down deeper into the cave. Soon, the sounds of battle had long since drifted behind them.

After a good five minutes of running, Mage saw them take a side tunnel. As soon as he passed through it, he was forced to turn into smoke to let a fire arrow pass through him. More of the gel from earlier must have been smeared on the walls, for the tunnel entrance was completely sealed by falling rocks. Mage breathed a small sigh of relief at the Vermillion that fired the arrow not seeing him.

The tunnel led upwards rather than down, and soon from the half-finished tracks it became apparent this was likely a failed side entrance. What made that more apparent was that soon he could start to see more around him, forcing him to melt into the shadows using shadow to not be spotted. Before long, they were at a half-crumbled entrance, and then out into the sunlight. Raggmunk and the others rushed out across them, having moved a fair bit of distance away from Karlof's assault.

Mage reappeared behind an outcropping of rock near Raggmunk. He gasped hard, finally getting non-stale air back into his lungs. His entire body was trembling as he forced himself back together and held himself there. He leaned his back against the rock, trying to focus long enough to get moving again.

"Why didn't they tell us they could use all those powers?!" Mage heard Raggmunk's voice coming faintly. Rather than using smoke, he instead focused and turned into shadow, moving himself along the ground towards the sound.

"They're going to get me for this…" Raggmunk whimpered as Mage edged closer to him. From where Mage stood, it looked as though he was talking to a simple Vermillion warrior who wasn't even focusing on him, "I don't wanna go back into the Iron Doom! I didn't manage to capture even one of them! They're so strong! If Blunck were here, we'd have an even better operation name, and a better operation!"

Mage slid his way to another outcropping and stopped, panting as he caught his breath from the exertion. He dared to peak over the outcropping. The snakes had mostly reformed into their warriors, and those that weren't were carrying the armor like a sort of living mass. Raggmunk continued to lament to his warrior as the snakes moved quickly across the mountainside.

"I gotta think of a way to spin this…" Raggmunk muttered, "Maybe, maybe say the sun was in my eyes? No, no that didn't work last time. Wait! No, I'll tell them that the little kid was using more than one element at once! They'll be impressed I fought him and survived!"

Mage couldn't help but get a little sense of satisfaction hearing from the enemy they thought he was powerful. Raggmunk remained quiet as the Vermillion continued to move along. As Mage soon found, the snakes didn't all take one path, and instead diverged and took strange, winding roads around the hills and rocks in a general direction forward. It explained how they were able to get away so effectively before. Mage decided to follow Raggmunk and the warrior he was with, figuring they would be the best target.

"Heh, sure glad they haven't figured out we know they were expecting this," Raggmunk chuckled, "They'll never figure out we were tricking them to attack that build-GAH!"

Mage froze solid as he heard those words. He summoned the element of light with yellow eyes to bend the light around his body to make himself appear camouflaged into the rocks around him. Raggmunk had stopped dead and was rubbing his head, almost like he'd heard a loud noise.

"Agh! Okay, okay!" Raggmunk whimpered, "Do you have to hurt me like that to make your point?!" Mage wasn't sure why, but it looked like he was talking to… himself?

"Define… capture," Raggmunk asked. He shouted and doubled over again.

"Y-Yes, Commander Machia…" Raggmunk stumbled forward, right towards the camouflaged Mage. Mage stayed perfectly still as Raggmunk gripped the rock not more than six inches away from his own hands, "I'll get there right away."

"Of course, of course," Raggmunk shifted his hand even closer to Mage, "Uh… where's the Summit again?" Mage froze.

"Geez, calm down, Machia!" Raggmunk sighed, "I'll get there right away. Heh, don't worry. We got that other guy leading that attack. We'll have this world at our feet in no time!"

Raggmunk began to walk away from Mage, but Mage was frozen stiff. He didn't move, not even when Raggmunk began to run alongside the warrior he had with him. Mage was processing what he heard, specifically what he heard with the Summit. It wasn't until they were long gone he managed to drop the element of light.

They were attacking the Summit right now? Did they know about the plan? If they were attacking the Summit, then that meant his new friends were in danger! All of his friends were in danger! Did they wait until they were drawn out like this to attack? What was going on? Any doubts he had about whether or not what Raggmunk said was true were dashed by fear. He had to go and help the Summit! Especially if they were attacked by surprise!

But, he had to follow Raggmunk. He had to figure out where they were going. He had to, so they could stop the Twins. But, the Twins, were attacking the Summit. The others probably had no idea it was happening. He had, he had to make a decision here. He had to do something. He had to…

It wasn't even a choice. The plan wouldn't matter if those four were in danger. Mage turned around and focused, his eyes going white as he gathered up all of his energy. With a massive burst of speed, his body turned into a blur as he began the massive race across the World back to the Summit.


	29. Chapter 29

Alacr, with a loud growl, slashed his sword straight through a Vermillion. The warrior was bisected and went flying back into the trees. Meanwhile, Griffin sped through the group, the speed of the ball on the chain swinging cleaving apart heads and scattering snakes across the ground. The scattered snakes began to slowly make their way back to their component body, leaving them standing like dolls until their bodies reformed enough to begin swinging again.

"Speed Sword!" Alacr held his sword out and spun on one foot, causing his body to rapidly accelerate before he slammed the sword into the ground and knocked away several Vermillion, "AceelStrike!"

"Tempo turnaround!" Griffin wrapped the end of his chain around one warrior, then yanked backwards. The warrior was spun like a top, flying straight into another and breaking them both apart.

"Do they both name their attacks like that?" Ray grunted, bringing down another volley of lightning to warriors around him.

"I-I think it might be a family thing…" Dorian gasped out, holding several arrows in the sky under slowed time, "N-Naming your attacks is important!"

The rock shelf the group were fighting under rumbled havily. Dust spilled down from the roof above them, causing Dorian and Ray to share a nervous look. When the rock didn't collapse, they both took a sigh of relief and went back to fighting the group. The two caught a brief sight of Skylar lifting up a metal arm, having just struck the ground to try to destroy Machia.

"S-She's too powerful to name all her attacks," Dorian mumbled, "L-Lucky."

The 'lucky' girl atop the rocks was anything but. Machia held her foot up and caught Skylar's arm with it, then yanked her foot to the side to stomp Skylar's left arm into the ground. As Skylar hissed in pain, Machia attempted to grab her neck. Skylar's other hand grabbed Machia's wrist and deflected the grab to her shoulder. Skylar's hand then heated up with fire, paying back the pain she felt. Both let go and took several steps back to save each other.

"Why are you so hard to kill?!" Skylar growled out, slamming her foot down onto the ground to draw up rocks for her to punt at Machia.

Machia's snakes in her feet shot out to wrap around the rocks as she brought her arms up to guard herself. The first two rocks she dodged, but the third hit home. The rock shattered upon impact with her arms, causing the metal to cave in. The gauntlets on the other side burst open from the pressure, and both fell off. Machia's snakes brought her back to standing, and Skylar now saw the extent to Machia's body.

"Because," Machia opened her ams, showing the snakes slithering and tensing around each other, almost like muscle flailing and undulating in the arm between her armored hands and upper arms, "We will consume all those weaker than us!"

Skylar, horrified at the sight, channeled that disgust into her next attack. She ran forward, then leapt into the air and began to spin her body to add power to her kick. Her foot filled up with water, which, when she struck Machia, burst out onto her face. Machia didn't move, but the water instantly froze over into a chunk of ice on her head. Skylar, sensing her victory, leapt up on one foot to deliver another spin kick to shatter the ice and break Machia's head.

Suddenly, Machia's left glove burst out and a massive cone of snakes shot out from her. Skylar's eyes widened as the snakes shot up and onto her face, smothering the flesh and making her stumble back. Machia's stump of an arm reached out with more of her snakes, her right arm growing limp, connecting with the mass on Skylar's face and driving her to the ground. Machia, her arm looking like it's grown to suck Skylar's face off, writhed.

A single snake from under Machia's armor moved and, with its fangs, picked away at the ice until it weakened. With a shake of her head, it fell away. Machia's eyes were wild with delight as Skylar struggled beneath her. The snakes smothered her, their fangs going for her face and lighting terror in her as she saw some going for her eyes.

Without thinking, Skylar shrieked. She mimicked sound in that moment, causing her mouth to carry with it a sonic force. The rumbling and vibrations overpowered the snakes inside Machia, and her sucker-arm burst apart. Snakes scattered about the rocks as Machia backed away, almost looked like her arm had been blown clean off. She looked down at the stump on her arm in momentary shock, the few snakes still connected to the shoulder writhing as if in pain.

Skylar thrust herself onto her hands and knees, gasping out as she tried to rid herself of the feeling of those snakes' slimy bodies on her face. She spat, rubbing her face viscously. The sensation didn't go away, and that only made her rub harder. While Skylar stressed out, the snakes began to move back to Machia and slither into her legs, gradually 'growing back' her arm. Machia's shock began to gradually fade as her body started returning to normal.

"If that is all it takes for you to be rattled," Machia smirked, "Then you stand no chance against me."

"Don't worry…" Skylar forced herself to stand up, "I'm just, getting started. I'll tire you out eventually."

"Tired? That is the strength of the Vermillion; we never tire, and we never falter," Machia laughed, "You can fight only as long as your muscles last. We will devour what we need and keep going. Each one of you that falls will fuel us. We have gotten a taste for your flesh, and now we hunger for me. You will never- _Do not speak about the plan that way, you IDIOT!_"

Skylar, having readied another kick, paused. The general put both hands to her head, for a moment looking like what Neuro did to focus, but soon devolving into her rubbing at where her temples would be. Skylar took a step back, unsure what was going on with Machia.

"A surprise strategy is nothing more than a simple plan if you shout it for the world to hear!" Machia hissed quietly, "...I do what I have to in order to manage you two buffons. Did you manage to capture any of the leaders? ...You failed. It seems even Blunck is having more success than you! Ugh, I should have thought of this. Go support Blunck so we can have as many to take back to the supreme leaders as possible."

"I didn't realize you were crazy on top of being evil…" Skylar scoffed, "You're just one big messed up pile of snakes, aren't you?"

Machia continued with a dark slant to her tone, "Do not be followed. We cannot allow our position to be revealed. When you've finished there, divert all your warriors you do not need to the staging point. We will crush that symbol of their 'union' in one fell swoop. ...Are you dense enough not to use the hive mind to find where they are? Follow them you ignorant waste of snakes!"

"Symbol of their union..?" Skylar muttered, "What are you… you… talking… about…?"

Machia, finally taking her hands away and looking to Skylar again, noticed the slant in the girl's words. Machia put that calm smile back on her face and moved forward, placing her hands behind her back. When she stopped, she picked up the top half of her battle axe long since broken, hefting the thing in hand and deciding it was good to use.

"I had intended to use this later on, but it seems you are smart enough to figure this out," Machia turned to Skylar, "Right now, while you all think you were being oh so clever, your precious little Summit is being torn down. By nightfall it will be nothing more than ash. It's so easy to move forces when you scare every single person into their villages with just a few little burnings."

"You're… you're going after the Summit…?" Skylar's eyes narrowed, "You're not serious."

"What reason would I have to lie?" Machia ran her hand along her axe, "Right now we've battled to a stalemate. Even you, who has the power of so many, cannot truly defeat me. It seems I cannot defeat you either, however. It's almost as though you're holding back on your elements, even when you were so very angered to see me… I think I know why."

"I'm not listening!" Skylar growled, thrusting her fist forward and sending an arc of lightning forward into Machia's head. Machia let her axe take the brunt of the shock, though her body still rattled and smoked from the impact.

"You clearly know nothing about us Vermillion," Machia sighed, "I've seen this tactic before. All I did while I awaited my duties was to study the battles that had come before. Your actions were too suspicious. I believe you think you can force us to retreat, and then find where our main force is, yes?"

Skylar felt rage flaring up inside of her again. She moved to attack Machia, but the Vermillion blocked with her axe. Skylar pulled a move from Mage and lit her body up like a flashbang. Machia was stunned, and Skylar managed to throw her backwards. Machia rolled across the rocks, gasping out as she struck a rock and dented her back

"I haven't been holding back…" Skylar opened her hands, letting crackling lightning flow through them, "I've just hated you so much I haven't been able to focus properly. You're doing wonders in clearing my head."

"Then… perhaps you should realize this fight is pointless for you," Machia purred out even as she staggered up, "You could win, yes… but by the time you do, you will have lost. Your Summit is your symbol for this land. Do you think any tribe would support you, if they saw their precious peace be razed down?"

"You're just saying that cause you know I can end you right now!" Skylar thrust one of her hands out, causing the lightning to go right into Machia. This time, Machia did visibly shake and go down on one knee. Skylar knew it wasn't long before Machia was down for the count. These Vermillion may not tire, but they could be in pain.

"You can think what you want, but the point remains clear," Machia's eyes glared into Skylar's own, "Your revenge on me will do nothing for you. In fact, this will only make you know that you could have saved all of those people in that precious, silly place you call your union in. How much time do you have before it's all gone, Skylar? How much time do you have before what that little boy that saved you worked so hard to build crumbles around him… just like the world did for you?"

"YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME!" Skylar went in to try to electrocute Machia again, but she heard a sound. She turned around to see five Vermillion warriors had climbed up the rocks and were moving in on her. Skylar shot her angry glare back to Machia, who just gave her a deep grin as her eyes glowed red.

Skylar flung herself to Machia again, her anger having built back up. She was stopped halfway by two warriors leaping out to grab her and yank her backwards. Skylar turned to smoke and appeared behind them, panting heavily as she threw them aside. She moved to attack Machia again, but the warriors kept coming. Machia joined them, attacking Skylar with her axe. With all of them on her, Skylar didn't have time to focus an element to mimic and fight back.

Suddenly, there was a white flash. Alacr appeared in front of Skylar, catching Machia's axe on his sword. He let out a long snarl, then a shout of determination as he slung her back. He swung several more times, putting Machia on a calm defense. He immediately put his back to Skylar, panting heavily. Skylar could see he was covered in cuts and bleeding enough his normally pristine robes were covered in red.

"I heard what she said," Alacr panted, "You… you need to go, Skylar…"

"Not until I take care of that Machia…" Skylar snarled, pointing her finger towards the smug commander, "She needs to pay for what she's done!"

"Idiot!" Alacr growled at her, "She's just wasting your time! She wants to keep us here as long as possible to stall!"

"What?" Skylar shook her head, "She's lying, she couldn't be!"

"You think it's chance that Machia showed up to this one tribe, in this one place, right now?!" Alacr shouted and threw a Vermillion back with a speed strike, "This was all a setup! The attacks, attacking Acronix, this was all to draw us away from the Summit! Right now, you're the only one that can get there in time with your elemental power!"

Skylar shook her head, "No! I need to stay here and fight with you, and fight until she's taken down! I can't leave you!"

"We were fine without you before," Alacr growled, "We'll be fine without you again! Go! Now! Get back to the Summit! There's a speed car system in the Water Tribe! GO!"

Skylar looked to Machia, who smirked at her. Skylar wanted her revenge. She wanted to pay her back. She wanted to take her down, wanted to make her feel all the pain she'd felt, make her suffer for what she did.

On the other hand. She needed to save people. She could be the only one that knew about the Summit. She was the only one that could make it to the speed cars alone in time. She had to do this. She had to save them. Even… even if it meant… putting her anger on hold.

"I'll be coming back for you!" Skylar shouted at Machia, "You better be ready when I do!"

"I'll make sure I remember your face," Machia bowed her head, her smile still present, "Safe travels then, daughter of Chen."

Skylar wanted to say something, but Alacr's determined glare forced her to focus.. With a shout of anger, Skylar burst into the sky with wind and then leapt off towards the distance. She bound her way through the trees mimicking gravity, forcing down her anger with each leap. Alacr watched her go, then turned to Machia. The Vermillion was grinning.

"Thank you for your help convincing her," Machia raised her head, "For that… I believe I'll take you all alive. I could use some leverage for our future experiments."

The sounds of the battle raging in the jungles of the Nature Tribe was long lost to Skylar, including Alacr's screams of pain as Machia brought the force of her warriors to bear on the group.

* * *

Lulloyd's ears were ringing.

He didn't know why they were ringing, or why his body felt like something was pressing down on it. He was barely able to twist his head to the side so he could look around him. Dust and debris filled the air, so attempting to see what was around him seemed to be a bust. He coughed hard as he tried to push himself up, but whatever was pushing down on him was far stronger than he was.

Lulloyd knew he was in an outer hallway of the first floor of the Summit. He'd heard Monty going outside to go practice shooting again, and he'd had been going to find him. He'd gotten into the hallway, turned to see something in the window and… and now he was here, underneath a bunch of stuff. It looked like the walls, the more he looked.

"C-Come on…" Lulloyd coughed, "G-Gotta… gotta get… get up…!"

Struggling, Lulloyd tried to strike the things on top of him to cause them to turn to bricks. The angle he was pinned, however, made it impossible. He groaned hard and tried again, but the things wouldn't move. After a few pathetic strikes behind him with his hand to try to move it, he shut his eyes and leaned his head into the floor.

"H-Help!" Lulloyd shouted, "I-I'm pinned! I need help! Is someone there?!"

There was no sound from anywhere. Lulloyd tried to pull himself forward, but as the rubble on top of him shifted and caused more dust to flood the small pocket where he was laying, he coughed and quickly decided against it. He instead shouted again into what he assumed was left of the hallway.

"S-Someone, help me, please! I'm trapped!" Lulloyd tried to pull himself forward, "I can't move! Please, someone!"

Lulloyd stopped as he heard someone coming. He was able to just barely twist his head to see that someone was coming down the hallway. He was about to call out again, but that was when he saw that there were two, and both of them didn't look like any of the guards. In fact, they were red and gray.

Two Vermillion warriors slowly stalked down the hallway, looking around with their swords held up in the air. They looked the same as they had the last time Lulloyd saw them, but, having been months since he'd seen one, he felt his blood run cold knowing they were close. They slithered their way towards the rubble, looking for where the sound had come from. Looking for him.

Panicking, Lulloyd quickly tried to strike the rubble to move it once more. The action caused it this time to jostle, and the blue spark formed over it partially for a brief moment. Lulloyd struck it again, but nothing seemed to happen. The action alerted the two warriors, however, and they began to stalk slowly towards where Lulloyd remained pinned.

"S-Stop!" Lulloyd shouted, having already been found out. He frantically tried to push, strike, anything to the rubble so he'd be able to move, but nothing worked. The two Vermillion arrived at the gap that he was seeing through, starting to look down towards him.

Just before the two could see him, however, the two suddenly shouted as their bodies were thrust hard straight up into the air. Lulloyd blinked in confusion as they then suddenly went flying into the opposite wall, the force of impact enough to break them apart. The snakes gathered the armor up and slithered away, just as a guard rushed forward in front of the rubble.

"And stay away you demons!" The female guard spat, turning towards the rubble. Reaching her hand out, Lulloyd quickly gathered she must be from the Gravity Tribe from the elegant copper armor she wore. The rubble slowly began to lift up into the air and move away piece by piece. Soon enough, Lulloyd was able to slowly crawl his way out of the rubble, gasping as he rolled down and away from it. The guard let the rubble drop with a small rumble.

"Are you alright, sir?!" The guard helped him to his feet, holding onto his shoulders, "You… you're the first person I've managed, managed to find. This, the entire building is overrun and, I thought, thought you were all!"

Lulloyd stumbled about on his feet. The guard helped him stand straight. She was a very pretty girl, with an orangish-red hair that she had drawn into two tails behind her head fitted through her helmet. She was wearing plate armor painted with the eight pointed arrows of the Gravity Tribe on them. She was thin, small in proportions, and from the way her eyes darted about, terrified. She looked beaten up, confirming her words that the place had been attacked.

"The entire building…?" Lulloyd coughed out, "How… how long?"

"I… I don't know…" The guard shivered, "I'm, I came to, I was checking in one of the rooms. They, those things were already inside and… and then they were…" She stopped, trailing off and just whimpering instead, "T-They've already… k-killed…"

"They can't, they can't see me, or Monty, or, Lloyd, or Harumi," Lulloyd coughed over her, "If they, if they see us, the plan is ruined."

"The plan? The… the reason all those soldiers were here" The guard asked, holding Lulloyd up as best she could with one arm, the other holding a plain sword, "You're… y-you can't be worried about a plan when this is all!"

"I need, I need to get to the planning room," Lulloyd looked up, "That's where, the others will go, I'm sure. We… we have to get there, without me being seen. Or… Monty will kill me…"

"Sir… the entire building is overrun," The guard shook her head, "We should flee this place and regroup!"

"No!" Lulloyd shouted, causing the guard to flinch, "We, we can't just abandon this place! How many are there, have you seen?"

"There, there are at least a hundred, there are likely many more," The guard shuddered, "These gray pods burst open and, these snakes curled up inside of armor and swords it dropped. I, I watched one of them just… rise up from all of that. And then, then I fought my way out but I couldn't find the other guards, and I heard your voice and, and then…."

"Well, nobody is here right now, so, I guess we're not totally overrun," Lulloyd sighed, "We, we need to get up to the third floor, where the planning room is. If you're gravity, you could do what you did to those two guys and help us get up there."

"I'm, not that skilled with gravity," The guard admitted, "This, what you saw is the extent of my abilities. W-We should flee, those things, they don't look human. They'll capture us, and, they might kill us, or eat us, or-"

"What's your name?" Lulloyd asked suddenly.

"...I, my name is Adriana, but my friends call me Rina," Rina explained, "And, you are… Sir Lulloyd, yes?"

"Just Lulloyd," Lulloyd nodded, "Alright, well, Rina, we're going to get our way through this building, together. We're going to do this, together. Come on… just, help me up, and let's get going."

Lulloyd took a single step forward, and then fell flat on his face. He let out a long groan and tried to see what had tripped him. Rina, however, gasped and put a hand over her mouth.

"What?" Lulloyd asked, only to look down. His right leg had come off, and was currently standing straight up in the rubble where he'd stood. The guard stared at it and pointed to it in complete shock.

"I-I… I know basic medical skills!" Rina gagged out, "I… oh... I'll… I'll help you… hhluck…"

Lulloyd grabbed the leg and moved up against the wall. With a simple shove of his body, his leg popped back into place. He slowly stood up using the wall and gave his foot a few rotations to see it was okay. As the guard stared at him in total shock, Lulloyd smiled gently.

"Uh… I uh, would have to lose my head to worry about things like that," Lulloyd chuckled, "The rest of my body can kinda come apart like that. It's not good for me, though," He turned to her, "... It, uh, it kinda, grossed me out the first time too. Let's get moving, we need to at least get started."

Rina didn't say anything. Instead, she simply walked forward, stunned, as Lulloyd took point and made his way to the edge of the hallway. Since they were on the outermost hallway, one of the hallways that led to the main meeting room was near them. He placed himself at the edge of the hallway entrance and slowly leaned his body over to see over the lip. Just as he thought, there were three Vermillion slithering their way down the hall.

"I need you to take those three out and make them retreat," Lulloyd pulled himself back, "I don't know how, but I need you to. If they see me, it's over."

Rina gave Lulloyd one last nervous look, then steeled herself as best she could. She gripped her sword and leapt out in front of the hallway, grabbing the attention of the warriors. She thrust her hand out, grabbing the three of them with her elemental power and throwing them straight up into the air. They struck the ceiling and their heads were sent caving into their chests. Rina' chest heaved from the exertion as she let them drop and they broke apart, slithering away as she swiped their armor away with her sword.

"Okay, let's move," Lulloyd looked around the hallway, seeing an open door. When he opened it, he saw one of the guest rooms had been completely ransacked. Thinking quickly, he took hold of the bedsheet that lay torn in half and wrapped it around his body as best he could. It wasn't much, but it meant if he was accidently spotted, it wouldn't be an immediate giveaway. Once he was ready, he took point and began to lead Rina throughout the building.

Just as Rina had said, the hallway was crawling with Vermillion. After the three they had encountered, Lulloyd soon found that any corner the hallway had would contain at least four more. They seemed to be stalking through to find anyone still inside the building, making avoiding them difficult. With how much Rina was shaking, Lulloyd wasn't willing to get them involved in a much larger conflict.

Thus, Lulloyd instead opted to slide in and out of doors to hide in rooms to let the Vermillion pass. After they arrived at the small stretch of hallway that led to the main meeting room, Lulloyd ducked into one room with Rina. The hallway was absolutely crawling with Vermillion, at least twenty of them, and perhaps even more nearby. The two slowly inhaled and tried their best to remain calm as Lulloyd thought.

"Okay, I'm, gonna try to Master Build the ceiling, okay?" Lulloyd pointed up, "Just, take a few steps back, alright? I got this."

Rina wasn't sure what he was saying, but stepped back just as Lulloyd asked. Lulloyd slowly inhaled and leapt up into the air, striking the ceiling with his fist. The blue spark formed, but the ceiling didn't turn into bricks. Lulloyd blinked in confusion and struck it again, confused as he turned to Rina.

"What is the ceiling made of?" Lulloyd asked.

"What?" Rina blinked, "It's, I think it's, rock? We get them from the Earth Tribe. Maybe metal?"

"Uh, let me be more specific," Lulloyd shook his head, "How many pieces is the roof made of?"

"Pieces?" Rina cocked her head, "It's, all one big piece. I helped lay it down. It's all just one big giant slab, why?"

"That's… a problem…" Lulloyd grimaced, "I, can only Master Build stuff in pieces. I, was hoping to get close to the center of the building and then go up through the ceiling…"

"Oh," Rina turned, "We, can't stay long, there are those, Vermillion everywhere. Could… we try for the stairs?"

"We might have to," Lulloyd turned, "Alright, the nearest stairwell is, near here, right? We just need to get to the stairwell. That's our plan, you following me, Rina?"

"Y-Yes," Rina turned, "It's, just down the hall. Right… behind all those Vermillion."

"Yeahhhh…" Lulloyd turned, "...Alright, let's try for one that's a little further out, right? There are three of them, I think. We have two more we can get to. Come on, let's see if…"

Lulloyd poked his head out the door, looking back the way they came. The second he did, he felt a long twang of fear. The Vermillion had dispersed out, filling the way they had come and kept them almost completely blocked off. Lulloyd tried to look for another way, but the only other hallway branch was already behind the Vermillion. Just outside the door, they were in the middle of a massive swarm of Vermillion.

"...Okay, so, we can't go back…" Lulloyd turned to Rina, "And, if we try for the stairwell that's further away we might get caught… we're… gonna have to go for the one that's down the hall."

"W-What?" Rina took a step back, "N-No, no no no, we're not doing that! Sir, I don't, Lulloyd, we'll get captured! They'll see us! We should just stay here, the rest of the guard will, they'll get here eventually!"

"I don't think so…" Lulloyd turned to her, "Think about it; the Vermillion likely invaded the bottom floor, so all the guards are probably up on the third floor. So, we can't hope for them to just, come get us. I, really don't wanna but, we're gonna have to do this ourselves."

"L-Lulloyd, I'm just a guard, I can't fight all of those things!" Rina shook her head, "I… you, you might make it, I saw you during the training sessions. You're fast, they won't catch you. You, you go. I'll, I'll stay here. I'll be fine. I'll…"

"Rina!" Lulloyd raised his voice, only to lower it quickly in fear of being heard, "I'm not, I'm not gonna leave you behind. I told you, we're getting out of here together. Together. Now… let me think for a minute, okay?"

Rina nervously gripped her sword, steadying herself. Lulloyd slowly peered out the door again. The Vermillion were in the hallway, and they were all looking around almost aimlessly. They didn't look very smart, but they were more animalistic to make up for it. It meant that they were likely going to be just, looking around. And, if they tried to go through them, they'd be completely caught. But, if they couldn't go through them, what way could they go…?

"Over them…" Lulloyd realized, "Rina, can, you use your power so we can remain on the ceiling?"

"Huh?" Rina looked around the broken room, "Maybe? Not for very long."

"The Vermillion, they're all just kinda, dumb snakes," Lulloyd pointed up with his arm, "If, if we use your power and float above them, quietly, we can make it to the stairwell. We can do this. Rina, I need you to levitate us onto the ceiling. I'll make a noise, and the Vermillion will rush in here. We can slip out while they're distracted."

"That's, that's just crazy, Lulloyd!" Rina gasped, "No, no we should just, we should stay here!"

"Rina, please, I need you right now," Lulloyd stepped forward, "I can't get back to my friends without you. If we stay here, we're going to be found eventually. We have to get somewhere safe. I'm sure we'll be safe on the third floor. I need you to listen to me…" Seeing that Rina's terror wasn't fading, Lulloyd thought more.

"Uhm… hey, Rina? I want you, to think of me as… as a warlord, okay?" Lulloyd felt his body quaking with embarrassment, "Not, not a sir but… I'm your warlord right now."

"A… A warlord?" Rina blinked, "Uhm… sure…"

"Right now, I'm a warlord, and you're my General Number One," Lulloyd reached out and put his hand on her shoulder, "Now, as my General Number One, you have to listen to me. I need you to trust me that as your warlord, I wouldn't do anything that would get you hurt. I need you behind me. The battle, it's gonna happen. We're behind enemy lines and we gotta get back to the staging point. Now, you're my general, got it?"

"S-Sure?" Rina affirmed in shocked confusion.

"You're warlord is going to keep you safe," Lulloyd patted her shoulder with a shaking arm, "Now, I want you to follow me, alright? I wouldn't pick just any random person as my general. I picked you. You, someone that can manipulate gravity! Do you know how cool that is? You can make someone fly around the room like, like some sort of plane! Now, come on, it's time to obey your orders, and help us get out of here!"

"I...I'm your general…" Rina inhaled, "I'm, I'm your general. And, I'm going to get my warlord back to safety…" Rina straightened her back up, "Alright, Lulloyd, I'll trust your judgement. Let's, let's do this."

Rina stamped her foot on the floor. In an instant, both she and Lulloyd were completely weightless. The two slowly floated up into the air, gently bumping against the ceiling. Lulloyd felt like some sort of balloon. It reminded him of the movies he'd seen with astronauts. Rina sheathed her sword so as not to have it moving around, then gave Lulloyd another nod.

Lulloyd focused, then he floated his way towards one of the walls. He swiped his sword out, knocking over a small figurine atop a table. The figurine hit the ground and burst into glass, sending a massive sound throughout the room. Lulloyd crawled back to Rina just in time for the door to burst open and five Vermillion to flood the room. The snakes spread out throughout the room, looking around and hissing hard as they searched for the source of the noise. The two floating figures held their breath as they watched them stalk around, swords in the air.

As soon as they had dispersed out enough, Lulloyd grabbed the lip of the opened doorway and pulled himself through it. Rina followed him slowly, holding onto his leg with one hand and using the other to push her along. The two were almost swimming in the air, and once they were out in the hallway, they rose a few inches until they were bumping against the ceiling once more. The stairwell entrance was around a corner down the hallway. That was where they had to go.

It seemed there were even more Vermillion underneath them now than Lulloyd had accounted for. Rina began to sweat both from the exertion of her element and the soldiers that were hissing just a few feet underneath them. Lulloyd didn't waste time, slowly pawing his way across the ceiling. The two made sure to skirt the lights so as not to cast a shadow down on the floor under them. The soldiers milled out and marched down the hallway, oblivious for now. The fact that they could suddenly be very aware of the two in an instant, however kept them both breathing very, very quietly.

The entry to the stairwell was a good thirty feet down the hallway. With how slowly they were moving, however, it took them nearly a minute to get there. One of the hallway junctions housed the door just on the inside of it, making it impossible to even see the entrance. Lulloyd slowly inched his way there with Rina beside him. The longer that they floated, the more Rina trembled from the stamina needed to maintain this. She dare not let either of them fall.

Soon, the two rounded the corner. As soon as they did. Lulloyd's mood fell even further than it already had. The door was shut, and in front of the door were three Vermillion that were looking around as though waiting for orders. The door didn't appear to be locked, but opening it would cause a noise. Rina looked to Lulloyd in fear as soon as she realized it, and Lulloyd gave her a plain look back. He knew if she panicked, they'd be done for.

The door had a simple push handle on it, meaning that he simply needed to push down to make it open. A plan slowly formed in his head. He pointed to the opposite wall from the door, and Rina nervously floated over towards it. Lulloyd slowly floated until he was directly over the door, looking straight down. He could see the small edge of the door handle he needed to open. With a deep quiet breath, he drew his sword and gripped the lip of the door frame with one hand to pull himself down.

Reaching out with his sword, Lulloyd placed the tip over the door handle. It slipped on the first attempt, causing Rina to wince as she readied for the sword to make a noise. Lulloyd barely managed to save it, and instead he slowly pushed down with it once more to try to open the door. The point remained on the handle and, slowly, Lulloyd pushed down. With the hand holding onto the frame, he slipped the curve of his cup hand to hold onto the lip of the door.

Pushing down fully, the handle gave the tiny click that showed it had opened. Lulloyd inhaled and pulled with his other hand, opening the door inward just slightly. The three Vermillion seemed none the wiser. With precision Lulloyd knew a surgeon would approve of, he both held the sword point down and opened the door. Rina's brow began to quiver and sweat dripped down her arms from holding them up so far. Lulloyd pushed the door further and further open. Just as he felt it was open enough, he shot his sword up and wedged it between the door and frame.

Without any time to lose, the two of them quickly shot forward into the open door frame. Lulloyd went in first and pulled Rina inside through the slit they had opened. Once they were inside, Lulloyd slid his sword out and shot down to grab hold of the handle. He slowly closed the door as silently as he could. Rina continued to shake as she held them up. Once the door was closed, she forced the two of them to float down slowly. As they both touched the ground, Rina let out an instinctual large gasp for air.

Almost immediately, the Vermillion outside the door hissed and turned towards it. Lulloyd pressed his body hard against the door, holding it shut as the Vermillion began to pound against it. Rina's eyes lit up in shame and shock as she looked to the stairs behind her. Lulloyd held the door shut as the sound of the warriors pounding on it made the door jerk slightly open before he could force it closed.

"Go!" Lulloyd shouted, "Get up there! I can move faster than you can! GO!"

Rina looked at Lulloyd for a few seconds, then to the door that was getting increasingly louder with more and more Vermillion pilling onto it. After a few moments, Rina quickly rushed up the stairs. Lulloyd held his back against the door, digging his feet into the ground. The smooth floor, however, afforded him little purchase. He slammed himself against it again, trying to hold it back as much as he could. The hissing and snarling only grew harder and harder.

Finally, a massive shove sent Lulloyd flying. His back struck directly into the stairs, sending a massive burst of star wands into his vision. He collapsed, his makeshift cloak draping over his face. Vermillion rushed into the small room, pointing their blades directly at him. Lulloyd slowly looked up, trying to reach for his sword. The blade, however, had already flown across the room from the impact. With a wince, he shut his eyes and turned his head away as they raised their blades.

A massive shout above Lulloyd made his eyes open. Rina screamed in exertion as an entire chunk of stairs was sent hurtling straight down towards the entrance. The Vermillion were unable to move before the stairs landed directly atop them with a massive crash. The snakes were crushed underneath them, hissing in pain before being squashed. Lulloyd looked up just in time to see Rina land in front of him and grab his arm.

The two shot straight up into the air, floating past the now ripped apart stairs up until they had reached the third floor. Rina landed them directly on the small platform and then pushed them both through the door. She shut it behind them, then collapsed down onto the floor. Lulloyd slowly turned to her and looked back to the shut door.

"You… you used your gravity to rip part of the stairs off..?" Lulloyed asked, "You… you saved me…"

"Of… of course I did…" Rina gasped, "A...A general wouldn't leave, their warlord behind… that's, that's how that works… right?"

"Heh… I uh, was saying that cause, you seemed pretty freaked out, you know…" Lulloyd rubbed his head, "I'm not actually, you know, your warlord."

"I don't care if you are or not," Rina slowly pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, Lulloyd seeing that all of that element usage had taken away most of her strength, "You, you were going to get hurt and, I wasn't going to let that happen, general or not…" She paused, "Did they, see you?"

"Huh? No, I don't think so…" Lulloyd reached up to tug on the sheets he had on, "They were covering my face. I dropped my sword, though…"

Rina didn't say anything; instead, she forced herself up onto her feet and opened the door back into the room. She looked over the edge and held her hand out, huffing as she focused. A few seconds later, his sword came floating up into her hand. She tossed it to him and smiled before stumbling backwards towards Lulloyd. He quickly moved to catch her.

"I think… that's my limit…" Rina coughed, "Come on, let's, get to your friends…"

Lulloyd nodded, letting her lean against him as they walked. The third floor hallway seemed to be relatively clear of anything, much to their relief. The two stumbled down the way towards where the war room was. After a bit of walking, they soon heard voices. Lulloyd helped Rina stay on her feet as he soon carried her to a group of similarly dressed guards.

"Lulloyd!" Harumi's voice came from the throng of guards, who quickly raced forward to grab hold of Lulloyd's arm, "Oh thank goodness you're okay! We were worried you might have been caught!"

"Almost," Lulloyd chuckled, "But, thanks to Rina, we managed to get here. She's pretty exhausted, though, are we safe up here?"

"For now," Harumi nodded her head, then turned to Rina, "Thank you for keeping him safe. We have the other wounded soldiers inside the other rooms, you can rest there."

"Thank you," Rina sighed, "I, want to help more but, I had to use my power to get up here and, I'm pretty exhausted from it."

"You got Lulloyd up here safe and sound, that's more important than anything else," Harumi affirmed, "Now just go rest, we'll handle it from here."

Lulloyd slowly carried Rina into one of the many rooms. He gently laid her down onto a bed, letting her rest. Rina gave a small smile, then reached out and gripped his arm. Lulloyd turned his hand to cup her wrist and give the same gesture. The two shared one last nod of mutual respect, before Lulloyd made his way to the planning room down the hall.

Unlike normal, there were perhaps thirty guards crammed into the small space, many lying down or leaned up against the wall. Monty was standing by the doorway with a rifle drawn and his gun bag on the floor beside him; Lulloyd doubted he'd ever let it disappear from his sight at this rate. Lloyd was at the planning table, looking around the room as though he was trying to make sense of what was going on.

"You're finally here," Monty groaned as Lulloyd entered, "Took you long enough. I was about to go looking for you"

"I, was pinned under a bunch of rubble on the first floor…" Lulloyd sighed to Monty, "I barely even made up here!"

"I knew you would," Monty turned around, "We're all accounted for. Did they see you?"

"No, I made sure they didn't," Lulloyd stepped forward, "Is… this as bad as it looks?"

"It's worse than bad," Lloyd shook his head, "They came out of nowhere and attacked us. They started throwing in pods into the building that let the Vermillion get us from the inside. We got as many guards as we could up here, but this entire place is overrun. We tried to get out but we didn't manage to get far."

"Wait, really?" Lulloyd blinked, "Why?"

"Because…" Harumi shook her head, "Krux is here."

"Wait, like, this universe's Krux? That Krux?" Lulloyd asked.

"Yes, Krux is here, Lloyd and I both saw him leading their forces," Monty growled, "And he had a Time Blade too. So it's clear he's working with the Twins more than ever."

"Wait, but, what do we do then?" Lulloyd looked around, "We, what are going to do?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out!" Lloyd shook his head, "It's, they must have guessed our plan to find their base! I don't know how they did! They… they must have attacked Acronix to scatter us, and hit us while we were like this."

"We can't worry about that right now," Harumi looked to the guards in the room, "We managed to have Acronix and a few guards escape on the speed cars, but they destroyed the lines right after. We can't use those to get out. And they're all around us. They've completely surrounded the building."

"We need to get out of here," Monty looked up, "We need some sort of distraction to get everyone out. Something like that."

"Like what?" Lulloyd blinked, "I'm, not following."

"Like us," Lloyd inhaled, "We… we'll just forget this whole plan. If we go out there the Vermillion will be sure to relay to the Twins we're here. We can cause enough comotion to get everyone out."

"Nope," Monty shot back, "Not doing that."

"What? Now isn't the time to be worrying about plans!" Lloyd stepped forward towards the door, "We can't let these people get hurt! You saw what the Vermillion did! Harumi saw it! They'll…" He trailed off. Harumi turned her head away at the painful memory.

"We can't give up," Monty growled, "You two made a plan. Stick to it."

"Not if it means that people who aren't involved get hurt!" Lloyd took another step forward, "I'm going, you can't stop me!"

"So you want to roll the dice again?" Monty walked up to Lloyd, "You want to just hope and pray that the next universe will let us get as far as we did here? Do you understand that you've been coasting on luck so far? You got _lucky_ that Lulloyd's dad fought on your side, you got _lucky_ you landed in my world, and right now, you're _lucky_ that this world was already under so much distress they let you start enacting your plan. The next world may not be so lucky. We might end up in a world where the Twins have every advantage. We're in a tough spot right now, but that doesn't mean we can keep hoping that we get a good streak here. You don't gamble unless you think the odds are in your favor, you hear me?"

"I don't care!" Lloyd turned, "They need my help. I'm going to help them. Ninja never quit, and that means we don't quit trying to help people either!"

"...I agree with Monty," Harumi spoke up as she entered, staring at Lloyd dead on, "I hate to say it, but he has a point, Lloyd. You've been lucky with us so far. We need to follow this plan if we want to have a chance of taking them out."

"So, you're saying we just sit here and let everyone here get hurt?" Lloyd asked.

"No, I'm saying we need to listen to Monty and think about this before we make any decisions," Harumi turned to the other soldiers in the room, "We can figure this out. We have a choice to make: we can either wait for the leaders to come back or we can find a way to get everyone out ourselves. We have to make that choice."

"We don't know when the leaders will get back," Lulloyd pointed out, "I don't think it's a good idea to wait."

"Then we think of a way to get out," Harumi turned to Monty, "What options do we have?"

"What, you don't already have your brilliant escape plan, Emma?" Monty narrowed his eyes, "We could always set the place on fire."

"So we don't have any ideas," Harumi sighed, "Then we need to think of some. If you can't change your surroundings, change yourself."

"Now you sound like Wu," Lloyd sighed, "Okay, so, what do we do?"

_If you can hear me, answer me. _

"What? Skylar?" Lloyd blinked, "Am I the only one that heard that?"

_I hope not, otherwise you're going to sound like a crazy person. _

"Skylar!" Harumi sighed, "Wait, why are you here? Where are you?"

_I'm inside the building. I fought Machia again. She let slip this place was under attack. My… my group told me to get back here and help. I'm mimicking Neuro right now to talk to you from the first floor here. _

"Skylar," Monty perked up, "How many Vermillion do you see?"

_More than you want to know. A whole army at least. Where are you?_

"Third floor, trapped in the planning room," Lloyd spoke up, "Skylar, can you create a distraction for us?"

_If by 'distraction,' you mean rushing in and blasting up this entire place, then sure. What are you thinking? _

"The cafeteria is the place that's the most overrun," Monty took over, "Skylar, if you get in there and cause a ruckus, we can use the stairwell on the other side of the building to get all of these injured guards out of here. We just need you to keep them busy for about fifteen minutes. Can you do that?"

_Already on it. You guys get ready. When you hear the explosion, you know I've started. _

Radio silence from Skylar filled the room. Less than a minute later, the entire building rumbled as the sound of an explosion went off. Monty facepalmed and groaned, muttering something obscene to himself. Lulloyd gave him a long look for it.

"She's definitely Chen's daughter," Monty grumbled, "Alright, get everyone ready to move, we have fifteen minutes to get out! Come on, let's go!"

* * *

Skylar burst up into the air with wind, sending several warriors scattering about. As the Vermillion raised their swords and spat at her, Skylar pulled her right fist back and concentrated fire into it. With a shout, she slammed the fist down into the floor, causing a massive burst of flame to fire out from her palm. The Vermillion around her were thrown away or burned from it, writhing on the floor in pain.

"I don't think any of you were invited here!" Skylar's eyes went white as she kicked her foot out, causing a massive burst of ice to shoot out across the cafeteria. She flipped over herself and landed on it, raising her fists up and firing blasts of water from her hands out towards oncoming Vermillion. As one of them got close enough to swing their sword, Skylar grabbed the sword and flung the warrior into the air.

Skylar shouted and slammed her fists down into the ground through the ice. Suddenly, the entire floor rumbled and rippled like waves, causing the Vermillion to get thrown from their feet. Her eyes went silver as she whipped out into the crowd. Once in the air, she delivered a hard roundhouse kick into the ground to cause a shockwave that threw even more of them away from her.

As much as she bemoaned it, if her father had taught her one thing, it was that switching element to element was useful. Chen had forced her to train extensively with every new element she learned, making sure she knew the basics of each one. The only reason she was still standing after using so much power to fight Machia was due to his constant teachings. She'd had to fight her way in when the speed car she took was derailed on the track, and already she was feeling a bit short of breath from it.

More Vermillion closed in on her. Skylar put her hands together and shut her eyes, hiding her eyes. Summoning the power of metal, her entire body turned gunmetal as she swung her now empowered fists right off into the Vermillion. The stunned snakes were broken apart by sheer force. Once she began to encounter more aware snakes, she activated gravity to float into the air. Once there, she once more slammed down with earth to knock them back.

"I got plenty more where all that came from!" Skylar shouted, still running on anger fumes from being forced to leave her battle with Machia, "Who wants some?"

"I believe I could stand to see a bit more," A calm voice sounded out, "If you know what I mean."

Skylar had just enough time to turn to see a green blur coming towards her. She turned her body back into metal just in time to receive the blow. The sheer force caused her to hack out, however, as the impact went straight through her body, and she coughed up a few blood droplets. She went flying across the room, tumbling on her side. When she came to a stop, she took in a deep gasp and used gravity to levitate herself back to her feet.

"Daughter of Chen, correct?" The sinister sounding voice came from in front of her, "It seems like you're eager to show us what you're capable of…"

"Krux?!" Skylar gasped as she took in the sight of the twin in front of her, "But, you're, why are you?"

"Have you not already figured that out?" Krux raised his hand up in the air to show a strange blade, "I already met the ones that you're so futility struggling against. And I believe that I stand a better chance with them than I ever did with Chen!"

Krux suddenly disappeared again, causing Skylar to look around in shock. When Krux reappeared behind her, she saw him out of the corner of her eye a second before his punch came. She was sent onto the ground once more as the stabbing pain shot through her. She slowly got up to her hands and knees, coughing up a bit more blood. She slowly reached up and wiped her lips with her hand.

"Oh really… now?" Skylar stood up, slowly taking a fighting stance. As soon as she did, her eyes began to glow as her body pulsed with raw elemental energy, "Care to prove it?"

"Indeed," Krux raised his blade, "Your father caused my downfall… it is only fair that I return the favor to his next of kin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! This is a quick note about two of my fics. I’ve recently published a new fic that updates on Mondays named The Furthest Realm. The fic is about Lloyd and Akita in the Never Realm, specifically as Akita asks Lloyd the question if he truly wants to return home to Ninjago. I’ve already completely written it and thus updates are going to be completely regular on Mondays. I would very much like for you all to check it out. Chapter 1 is now up!
> 
> The other is for Autobiography of a Legend. I’m several chapters in now for the Season 5 leg of the story, and I plan to have that completed sometime next week, meaning that, if the schedule holds, I am tentatively looking to begin posting again this coming Wednesday, 5/20.
> 
> Thank you all for reading again! Ninja-GO!


	30. Chapter 30

Flames continued to burst through the darkness of the deep sinkhole as Neuro's group fought for their lives. The Vermillion continued to swarm over them, not letting them catch their breath. The only wind that was moving through them was Bansha furiously throwing aside bursts of wind from her hands, throwing warriors back into the hardened surface of the ground they stood on. Vermillion would fall down into the floor, cracking open holes and plunging into the mud deep below. They would crawl back out, dripping and demonic in appearance as they stalked towards the group to attack once more.

Ash threw several punches towards Blunck, who either dodged or used his weapon to block them. Ash had already determined just through this alone that Blunck had no special abilities, and was instead just an incredibly powerful Vermillion that was able to keep pace with his constant turning into smoke and attacking from all directions. He would let himself be rather impressed, if Blunck wasn't completely calm the entire fight about trying to kill them. The other Smoke Tribe members were quick to fall into line with their leader, hissing along with Ash as they all threw themselves into Blunck.

Neuro remained hunched over on the ground, rubbing his temples and trying to clear the noise from his skull. His head was still throbbing with the multitude of voices that were flaring through him. No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to force them out. It was as though he'd poked a hole inside of a bag underwater, and now he was helpless to stop the flood coming in to take over his head.

"What do we do?!" A fire user swung their curved dagger into a Vermillion. When he tried to pull it back, the Vermillion grabbed the hilt and the snakes absorbed it into their mass. The user let go just before his hand could be swallowed by the mass.

"Keep fighting!" Shade shouted, "You all represent your tribes, don't you?!"

Shade followed this up by appearing from another shadow, using his stolen Vermillion sword and stabbing one in the back. He grabbed the warrior's blade as it broke apart, tossing the sword to the smoke user. The user quickly turned and blocked an incoming attack, giving a grunt of gratitude towards Shade.

Bansha, however, wasn't thinking on the same wavelength that Shade was. Instead, she was looking up towards the circle of light high up above them. She could easily fly up there herself and perhaps two others, but she knew there were almost thirty of them here. It wouldn't be possible for her to do that and still make it down for the last in line in time.

"Neruo," Bansha blasted more warriors back as she hissed violently to the downed leader, "Get up! We need you right now!"

"The… the voices…" Neuro clutched his head, "So many… so many voices… I can't… can't think of… where I start, where they end…"

Bansha growled and shot her head up. She couldn't get them out of here like this. She needed them to do something. She needed a distraction, needed something to think. She looked around to the users. None of them had any time to fight. They were desperately doing all they could not to be immediately thrown onto the ground and taken out.

"Neuro, get up!" Bansha reached down with one hand, dragging him up to his feet by his collar, "You can't space out right now! You're going to get everyone killed if you don't man up right now and help in this battle!"

Neuro still had a glazed look in his eyes. Bansha's temper flared up and she felt a vein in her forehead throbbing. With a hand she had been using to fight, she turned it towards Neuro and blasted Neuro directly in the face. The force snapped his head back and blew his hair violently out behind him. She held the blast until she felt he wouldn't be able to breathe anymore. When she stopped, he was rattled.

"Unlike you, I have a tribe that needs me to survive, Neuro!" Bansha dragged Neuro down to face her, "I'm not even ordained by my dragon yet and I'm here, fighting for these tribes! Either focus right now and start working with me, or I'll throw you out to those warriors right now myself!"

Neuro looked down towards her. The force of being rattled had thrown his mind off. He was, in a sense, blown back to himself. He slowly stumbled down onto his feet, shaking slightly as he did. He slowly rubbed his head, finding the noise was gone. He looked up to Bansha with a smile.

"Thank you, Bansha…" Neuro smiled, "I think, I can fight now."

"Good," Bansha turned back to the horde, "Because we need all the help we can get."

Neuro surveyed the battlefield. None of the group had fallen yet, but they had certainly been pushed towards the breaking point. Ash was still violently swinging his claws at Blunck with his tribe members. The darkness made seeing things hard over the bits of fire and ice that gave a brief bit of illumination to the area around them.

"Any idea?!" Bansha snarled as she put her hands together. She twisted them around each other, causing the wind to twist into a tornado. She gathered it around her hands and then let it out, carving a straight line out through the warriors.

Neuro looked to one of the warriors knocked away by Bansha's attack. He fell through the ground and into the mud. Wind… mud… underneath… "Bansha!" Neuro turned to her, "We're standing on a shelf of hardened mud, right?"

"Yes?" Bansha gasped out, "What about it?!"

"Do you think you could get wind… underneath it?" Neuro pointed down.

Bansha looked down, his eyes tracing the spot until she realized what Neuro was saying. Upon realizing it, she grimaced and nodded her head, "Yes… I can. But that won't work if we take the warriors up with us."

"Tell our fire users to heat the mud under us," Neuro tapped his head, "I'll take care of the warriors."

Bansha nodded, turning to give the orders. In the meanwhile, Neuro stood straight. He surveyed the battlefield around them, then extended his hand. He pointed it directly towards Blunck. He took a deep breath, then opened his mind to the flood of noises again.

Neuro almost collapsed from that alone. This time, however, he forced himself to hold firm. He pushed his mind back against the horde. Power began to seep out of his open palm, pouring out towards Blunck. It attached to his head, making him pause in the middle of dodging. Ash, seeing it as well, leapt away and onto all fours, ready for another pounce to attack.

"You will go down into the mud," Neuro ordered.

"Are you trying that again?" Blunck scoffed, hearing the command in his mind, "You clearly don't listen well. That won't work on a hive mind!"

"You WILL go down into the mud!" Neuro ordered again. He pushed harder against Blunck.

"Hah!" Blunck laughed, "Geez, Machia would really hate you. She hates bad listeners. Thankfully, we're not." Without realizing it, Blunck had taken a step forward.

"I am the leader of the Mind Tribe!" Neuro began to sweat and quake all over, "It doesn't matter if there are one of you, or a thousand! YOU WILL go DOWN into the mud!"

Blunck walked towards one of the holes in the mud. He was still grinning… but wasn't thinking. Neuro was pushing back against the hive mind with everything he had. He pushed harder, harder, and harder still. The group watched as the warriors suddenly went stiff, then began to retreat towards the holes in the ground. All of them, including Blunck, stopped as soon as they reached the holes. A small bit of blood began to trickle out of Neuro's nose. The Vermillion resisted.

"I, Neuro, leader of the Mind Tribe, COMMAND YOU!" Neuro shouted, "DOWN!"

Each warrior jumped into the mud one by one. The group backed up nervously as they did. Blunck was the last one standing as the Vermillion were now in the mud underneath their shelf of rock. He looked Neuro right in the eye, then he jumped. As soon as he did, Neuro turned to Bansha and shouted, "NOW!"

With a coordinated effort, all of the fire users in their group turned towards the nearest hole and poured their flames into the mud below. Rapidly, the mud began to boil under them, if only for a few inches down. Bansha stood in the center of the shelf, holding her hands out. She focused with a deep breath, then two massive tornados broke from her hands and into the shelf under them. The natural gases trapped in the shelf below them were let out with the heat, and the wind, being less dense, was forced upwards against the shelf. With a long rumble, the shelf built up pressure.

Within seconds, the shelf rose up from the sinkhole. Ash dug his claws into the shelf, while the other users did the same with their weapons. Neuro collapsed down, unable to assert his dominance over the hive mind any longer. Bansha and the fire users poured all their power into it, causing them to rapidly rise from the floor. The combination of the pressure and wind shot them up at a high velocity, rising them up towards the light. Steadily, the darkness dispersed to show the light of day.

With a scream of effort, Bansha let out one massive burst from her hands. The light blinded them all for a brief moment, then they were out in the sky. The users, seeing their chance, all ran off the crumbling shelf, throwing themselves onto solid ground. Bansha looked to the collapsed Neuro and dropped her wind. She grabbed Neuro and blasted the two from the shelf. They both went flying, barely cresting the lip of the sinkhole and rolling across the ground as the bits of shelf broke apart as they fell.

"I-It worked…" Neuro coughed, slowly getting up on all fours, "It… we made it…"

"Let's not wait around here," Shade, getting up from the ground himself, groaned back to him, "They might come looking for us with that move we pulled."

"We've done our part in engaging them," Ash grinned as he somehow was standing up and fine despite his rocket ride out from the underground, "The Smoke Tribe isn't too far from here. We'll take shelter there until we get more orders."

Bansha coughed and pushed herself up to her feet. Neuro followed suit, stalking up to Bansha and looking her in the eyes. Bansha returned the gesture, making the air silent between the two. For a long few moments, the users around them felt tension in the air. Then, Neuro extended his hand to her.

"Thank you," Neuro bowed his head, "It is good to know the tribes can count on someone like you."

Bansha looked to his hand, then reached out to shake it. When she did, she pulled Neuro in close so she could whisper directly into his ear.

"I know you had your doubts about me in this fight," She grumbled out, "As much as I despise the Time Tribe, I would never do anything to hurt my tribe. Don't doubt me again."

"Indeed." Neuro stated calmly. Bansha let him go and, together, the two turned to follow after Ash. Steadily, the group began making their way off towards the Smoke Tribe.

Down in the sinkhole, the Vermillion warriors all swam up from the mud, surfacing from it. Blunck stood at the lip of one of the connecting tunnels, the Vermillion funneling out beside him into it. He looked up towards the top of the hole, frowning hard as he did.

"Okay… so, we didn't get any of them…" Blunck looked up and grimaced, "Machia is so going to get Raggmunk and I for this! Wait… maybe he got someone!"

The warriors around him stared at him blankly, not sure what to say. Blunck just smiled awkwardly at them and slowly stalked his way over away from them. After a few steps, his eyes suddenly went red as a message formed up in his head. As he heard it, his fears seemed to melt away. He turned to his troops once he finished, even if he knew they heard it.

"Sounds like Machia managed to take out all the ones she was handling!" Blunck shouted, "We're going to regroup up with Raggmunk and head to the Summit! Sounds like that imposter guy already took some of us there and has overwhelmed them. We're to go and finish up the scraps!" Blunck smirked, "Vermillion… march!"

* * *

Of all of the elements, time was Skylar's least favorite. When Chen had gotten to the Time Tribe, he'd already been on edge and trying to cover for the ploys he'd put into motion. It was already beginning to unfold that the tribes were going to war, and thus selling himself as a man who simply wanted to give advice was harder to do. This meant time was the one that Skylar was able to master the least. In fact, once her father had split the brothers down the middle, she'd only gotten the chance to mimic a few guards once before she'd been solidly stuck with Krux.

The thing about mimicking abilities was that, unlike Mage, Skylar often was given a lump sum that she then had to pick through. Mage learned from the ground up, while she learned from the top down. It often meant that the abilities she spent more time with were the ones she was forced to use. She would move quickly to learn, but he would always continue to grow. Time was an element that Skylar had never truly taken the time to learn. Acronix was made her enemy quickly after meeting him. Krux, meanwhile, had been so focused on his own goals and grappling with his own plans that, when he did teach her, it had been half hearted and without true purpose.

It was these thoughts that were going through her head as Krux appeared behind her with another flash of green and delivered yet another strike to her back. Skylar let out a silent cry of pain as she collapsed to the ground and rolled twice before being stopped by an overturned table. She looked up to see Krux smiling down at her, holding that strange blade of his in the air.

"Do you like my little toy?" Krux smirked, "It's a bit small for me, but I manage with it. They call it a 'Time Blade,' and apparently it holds concentrated time elemental energy. With this, anyone could wield power on par with my brother."

Krux looked to the blade and with a flash of green, he was gone again. Skylar, thinking quickly, thrust her hands onto the floor and summoned a massive cone of ice around her, rising up to a point above her with jagged tips. A second after they had risen, the sound of ice shattering made her instinctually summon the element of smoke. Krux burst into the ice structure just as her smoke shot straight out of it and reformed just behind him.

"Hmm… not bad," Krux turned to her, "As I would expect from one that has touched all elements. I wonder if you will-"

"Shut up!" Skylar thrust her hands out, her palms glowing red hot as pillars of flames shot out to burn the air in front of her, "We're fighting, stop talking!"

Krux held the blade up, but the green power inside made a small static noise. Letting out a 'tssk' in response, he instead leapt backwards from the strike onto another overturned table. The flames struck the surface just as he slid behind it, causing a black acrid ring to burn just behind him. Skylar held out her hand, calling upon the power of metal. The metal supports from the previous table ripped up and shot into her hand, twisting around each other to form a makeshift club.

"If that's your brother's power, then you shouldn't be bragging!" Skylar brandished the weapon and rushed forward, "That just means you're borrowing it!"

Skylar brought the metal club down onto the spot where Krux had hidden. When it banged the table and nothing else, she looked up to see Krux's foot coming at her face. She let go of the club and leaned back to dodge it, the weapon clanging to the ground. Krux landed, spun about, and swung his fist towards her as she rose up. Thinking fast, Skylar turned her right arm into metal and held it up, catching his strike. She smirked in victory, only to feet the uppercut from the Time Blade strike her chin. She stumbled backwards and raised a slab of earth in front of her to protect herself.

"Then what does that make your abilities, Skylar?!" Krux frowned from behind the wall, "Your power is nothing more than a copy! You can never grow past what you have learned. Me? I can grow until I can hit you."

"Better man up and try!" Skylar switched to speed, racing around the wall to try to grab Krux. When she arrived, however, she saw him moving at normal she saw the glow of green energy in his hand, however, she realized he was accelerating time fast enough so they were equal. When he reached out to grab her neck, Skylar had no chance to react. As the speed faded from her body, Krux held her up in the air victoriously. He gave a hard squeeze of his fingers, causing Skylar to gasp out for air. Krux squeezed for several seconds, cutting off her airflow. When he stopped, he left her gasping heavily in his grasp.

"This Summit will be mine," Krux frowned, "Your father stripped me of everything. I lost it all. My Tribe, my brother, my powers, my pride, all of it! I did what I thought was right. I went and tried to secure the Time Tribe a place in that rapidly changing war! I see now that Chen made me lose anything and everything! I can't lie and say it doesn't feel good to be able to take it out on the next best thing to Chen."

"I-Is that what you thought… when you killed Morro?!" Skylar wheezed out.

Krux inhaled, "I did what needed to be done. I took credit for his death so none of my men would need to carry that burden. Yet the world treated me as some sort of monster when I had fought in the way I was meant to! Simply because I decided to help the tribe, I was treated like some sort of terrible creature!"

Skylar began to draw air into her lungs using the power of wind, buying her a few seconds. Krux, seeing this, lowered her towards the ground and pointed the Time Blade at her face. Skylar stared into the two charged prongs as they viciously arced towards her. The threat hung in the air, and Skylar stopped.

"In truth, your death would be pointless," Krux sighed, "I think it will be far easier for me to simply hurt you. Hurt you enough that Lloyd stays out of this, that is. If he were to get involved, I would imagine this would be over readily."

"You leave him… out… of… this!" Skylar wheezed. Gripping her fists, Skylar began to rub sparks between her fingers. Krux looked down just in time to see the massive burst of lightning fire out from her hands straight down into the floor. Krux flinched, readying himself to feel current down his arm. When none came, he looked down to the strange arcs coming from her hands.

"Was that your last shot?" Krux scoffed, "Fine then, if you won't take this fight seriously, then-"

Krux let go of Skylar just in time as he saw several of the tables coming straight towards him. Skylar instead raised her arm up and fired the lightning out into the table as it passed her. With it in her grasp, she raised the table overhead without even a grunt and then, with a growl, brought it straight down towards Krux. The former leader had only just enough time to roll to the side to avoid it as it went down.

"I figured this one out when I was in the Metal Tribe," Skylar chuckled, "Turns out that there's some relationship between magnets and lightning. Not sure what it is, but I find it pretty useful."

"I underestimated you, then," Krux stood up, "Well then, perhaps we should get more serious."

Krux disappeared once more, leaving Skylar to pause. Taking a breath, she did her best to ignore the growing fatigue in her arms. Having fought Machia, speed all the way here, and used so many elements altogether at once meant her stamina was going to run dry soon. The more she switched elements, the worse it would be. In those few seconds that Krux was gone, she had to think of a plan.

Something was up with that blade Krux was using. It looked like it'd stalled on him. Did that mean that it wasn't constantly giving him power? Perhaps it needed to recharge? It would explain why he was actually running around her attacks rather than simply appearing and disappearing to avoid them. Did that mean he was limited in what he could do?

She'd only fought this once, and that was in training with Acronix. It'd been brief, making Skylar bite her lip out of frustration. All she knew was that she wasn't able to see him, and her own control over time was so teninous that trying to use it on herself to follow him would be suicide. She had to come up with a way to get him to reveal his position!

An idea formed in her head. Skylar quickly focused and summoned the power of water. Around her, the moisture in the air condensed into droplets around her. Rather than move them around, she held them there around her body. She felt each and every one as it vibrated in the air around her, holding them together as she stood. The droplets shook as she forced herself to maintain them all stiffly, refusing any of them the pull of gravity they so desperately wanted to follow.

A brief slice of wind caused a droplet to her side to vibrate. Skylar shot her body to the side and her arm turned a violent green as poison welled up from it and hissed angrily against her clothes. Krux, seeing this, intentionally missed his swing so as not to be grabbed by Skylar's deadly arm. Skylar flipped her palm up towards him, wind summoning up inside of it and then firing straight up towards him. The force acted as a punch right to his chin, whipping his head back and making him fall to the ground.

Skylar didn't stop there. As soon as Krux landed, she moved her other arm forward and unleashed a laser of concentrated light right towards him. Krux thrust the Time Blade up just in time to reflect it up into the ceiling where it sizzled angrily. Skylar thrust her arm with the poison still on it at him, and Krux scrambled back to his feet to avoid it. Skylar turned to thrust her arm back at him, but Krux was faster, catching her wrist between the prongs of his blade. He twisted it down, throwing her arm out of the way and letting his fist come in for a punch. At the distance, she dodged so it only struck her shoulder, still sending pain up her body. Krux twisted her arm harder, causing her to shriek in pain as he grabbed her shoulder to bring a knee hard into her gut.

Once more Skylar gasped in pain, her abdomen starting to feel worse than before. She pushed Krux away from her and summoned fire in her hands, lighting them ablaze to force him away. Krux did just that, disappearing with the blade again and then appearing behind her. Skylar didn't get the chance to summon her droplets, meaning that Krux was free to deliver another punch directly to her back. She stumbled forward again, gasping raggedly as she did.

"It is clear you have not learned how to fight without your powers," Krux taunted, "My brother and I were forced to fight each other with nothing more than our fists for years before the dragon allowed us to use powers on each other. Your powers will never be as strong as they could be, if you cannot fight without them!"

"Easy for you… to say…" Skylar coughed out, "You… have to fight… without them…"

"That will only make me stronger then," Krux stepped forward, "Is this really the future leader of the Amber Tribe? Surely, you cannot expect for your people to prosper if you cannot stand to one without powers of his own..."

Once more, Krux vanished. Skylar moved to summon the droplets, but Krux wasn't going to let her. Instead of appearing beside her, instead he appeared across the room and took hold of the armor plating of a fallen Vermillion warrior. With it in hand, he tossed it towards Skylar, then blasted it with the blade. The object struck Skylar as it reappeared right beside her head, sending her crumpling to the ground. The armor went flying as Krux walked forward and picked up the metal club that Skylar had fashioned.

"All of these powers," Krux muttered, "And you cannot even win with them. You will never be able to protect your people if you cannot even protect yourself!"

"Stop talking!" Skylar shouted, "I don't know what you're trying to prove, but trying to taunt me isn't working!"

"I'd say otherwise," Krux replied, "But… I think we can go ahead and cut this fight short then, don't you agree?"

Skylar turned around and brought her foot down, calling upon the earth underneath the building's foundations to cause the entire area to ripple straight out towards Krux. The action caused her vision to slightly blur as the exhaustion caught up to her. Krux, rather than using his blade, leapt up on top of a table and allowed the wave to rock him on top of it. When it had passed, he rolled off and brandished the club straight towards her.

A flash of fear ran through Skylar seeing the club heading right towards her. If she switched elements again, she'd likely drop out of this battle simply unable to keep goin. Instead of switching, she slammed her foot into the ground again, causing two jets of earth to erupt beside her and fly right for Krux's arm. Krux's shot wasn't stopped, but the impact threw his aim enough off for her to dodge to the side just in time. As she slid backwards, she panted hard and gasped out as she looked up towards him.

Krux didn't let up on her again. He disappeared into thin air once more with his blade. Skylar reached out with her right arm, accusing the earth she'd ground up to form a makeshift shield on her arm. She formed a smaller one on her left arm. She was just in time, as she heard a long 'woosh' right above her. She looked up and threw her arms up just in time for the blade to strike straight down into the shields. The sheer force of them shattered the rock, causing her arms to burn as the blade cut straight down onto her forearms.

Skylar leapt backwards instinctually before the blade could fully cut down to her chest. As she stumbled back, she looked down to her arms, seeing the two long straight cuts from the blade's prongs. Krux turned her and, upon seeing her shocked expression, simply gave a frown and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you already done?" Krux groaned, "Or are you shocked that someone has that strength without a power?"

Skylar wanted to talk, but in truth her falter was due to her being, at this point, being barely able to stand. Her powers were now weakened enough that she couldn't even throw up shields anymore. She was trapped on earth, lest she want to risk switching to someone more offensive and see if the energy drain doing would allow her to stay on her feet.

Slowly, Skylar began to stalk around Krux. Krux, in turn, stalked around her. The two circled each other. Krux didn't seem worse for wear, while Skylar was now bleeding, panting, and sweating all over. She wasn't able to focus on objects behind Krux well, and she suspected it was only her adrenaline that was keeping her moving at this point. She had to end this, and end it now. Even if that meant not actually ending him.

"If you are done, I will end this with one strike," Krux shook his head, "My goal today was not to kill you, young Skylar. I can easily hurt you without needing to make your heart stop beating. You will be a message for the rest of the tribes. If even the Amber Tribe cannot stand up to our power, the others will submit out of fear. This will be the end of this silly dance you and the other leaders have been playing."

Skylar's ears perked somewhat. The other leaders? Did that mean Krux and the other Twins had really fallen for that ploy? She would have to tell Mage that, "Yeah… well, pretty sure whatever you do, Mage won't be letting you go."

"Mage?" Krux paused, "Ah, yes, that boy had a rather idiotic sense of nicknames. I believe he used to call me 'Ux' when we were training. Where did that one come from?"

"Claims using all the elements is magic, somehow," Skylar shrugged, "Not important. You won't… get him to… stop coming after you."

"Oh?" Krux paused, "Well, I suppose that is true. He has known where we were this entire time, after all. Keep that in your mind for me, young Skylar."

Before Skylar could question what that meant, Krux had disappeared. She'd talked with him long enough it'd recharged that blade! She turned her head around to look for him, but Krux was behind her too quickly. Skylar turned to grab at him with earth, but Krux hooked his hand in her clothes and lifted her up into the air. She let out a struggle, right before he tossed her body away from himself. Before she could hit the ground, however, she saw a flash of green coming at her.

The next thing Skylar knew, her body had just struck the opposite wall. She let out a gasp of pain. She'd been accelerated across the room into the wall. The impact made her crumple into the ground. She slowly lifted her head up, weakly opening her hand to try to summon earth into her hand.

Before she could, Krux's foot stamped down into it. She let out a gasp of pain as her fingers were crushed, and Krux simply looked down at her in disappointment. He reached down and picked her up, then turned and slammed her against the wall. This time she barely had the energy to gasp as blood trickled down her cheek.

"I'm surprised you didn't try to escape," Krux shrugged, "But that's not important. Hurting my brother wasn't enough for him to get the message. Perhaps that was too impersonal. However…"

Krux reached out and placed the prongs of the Time Blade right against Skylar's stomach. As Skylar looked down at it, Krux suddenly frowned at her.

"I don't have to have the power of time to affect the future anymore," He stated ominously, "So I'm doing what needs to be done. I'll make sure that boy doesn't forget this."

* * *

Mage ran as fast as he could. He didn't know how long he'd run for, and he'd long since been unable to use speed any longer. Still, he continued to run, and the longer that he ran, the closer he knew he brought himself to the Summit. More Vermillion were coming towards the Summit and, if that general was right, already on their way there. He had to keep going. If they were already attacking the summit, that meant those that were trapped there were fighting. They wouldn't be able to last much longer. He had… had to get there and help them fight!

With his use of speed long since exhausted, Mage had instead resorted to coating his path in ice so he was running atop it and running far faster than he could otherwise. He'd tried using forward time to get going, but the energy that took versus the distance covered wasn't going to work. He had to get there with enough energy to fight, enough energy to help his friends. The others were likely swarmed by those strange snakes. He'd make sure they were safe!

That being said, as he soon entered the territory the Summit resided in, he was already panting rather hard. Using elemental powers was like using any other part of his body; after a long time, they got worn out. Thankfully, for him it was mainly just with each individual element rather than his powers overall. It was the fact he'd been physically running that made him gasp. He gripped hold of his chest for a moment, forcing himself to get air into his lungs before he passed out.

He'd be no good to them if he passed out! He gripped his fists, breathing harder. As soon as he felt the ability to, he called upon wind to forcibly circulate air into his mouth and down his throat. His control over elements when they were inside things was dodgy, but by forcing air into his passages, he could at least keep going. He gripped his fists as soon as he felt the calm coming over him, before he forced himself to run once again.

Eventually, finally, and breathlessly, he soon crested the top of the ridge that the Summit lay beyond. As soon as he did, his vision trembled. He looked out across the path, seeing the building that he had helped build. Half of the lower floors were completely smashed in, and smoke was rising from several points. The rails that led to the building were completely mangled and reached into the air with their gnarled fingers. Several strange triangular contraptions were rolled around the building, surrounding its exterior. As he watched, one let loose a volley of strange gray orbs, which struck inside the building to further break it apart.

Vermillion were everywhere. They were hissing and spitting, walking around with their weapons crudely drawn and undulating while they stumbled about the broken exterior. Mage gripped his fists as he saw the snakes walking into the building like it was nothing. Lik the people inside meant nothing. Like all that he had help build… was nothing.

Anger filled Mage's eyes. How dare they do this to his symbol?! Suddenly, all that exhaustion felt as though it had vanished. A growl rose up in his throat. His hands extended to his sides, and from them, the ground cracked then splintered. His eyes had gone a deep brown. If they were going to defile the very ground that they stood on, he'd make sure they weren't standing on it. The entire area began to rumble as an earthquake tore through it, starting as a light rumble, then tremble, until massive chunks began to rip apart and thrust themselves into the air.

"You're MINE!" Mage shouted, swapping earth for gravity. He ran forward, remaining in the air as he raced his way right into the middle of the Vermillion. Those that still stood looked up to him and hissed violently at him, their tongues lulling out as they turned to him. Mage shifted the control with one leg extended, flying straight down into the ground.

The impact of his kick caused another massive and violent tremor that flung the snakes about in all directions. Seeing one of those triangular things, he reached out with metal, eyes gunmetal, and ripped the thing in half. The snakes inside were sent flying as he yanked the two pieces to himself, leveling them down in front of himself. The mangled bits rapidly swirled around his body, creating massive makeshift blades. He shouted as he thrust them around him, slinging the massive weapons around himself and cleaving their way through the warriors. As sweat rapidly gathered on his forehead, he let out a massive shout and thrust them outwards. The ground was ripped up as they flung outwards, and with them, groups of Vermillion soldiers.

Mage took a step forward, only for his leg to give out. He'd overused his powers. After running here and then creating such a massive earthquake, he could barely stand. He inhaled sharply, then bit down on his lip. The pain was enough for him to focus on, and enough for him to open his eyes and see the Vermillion as they raced straight down the crater towards him.

He let his instincts take over. He kicked the ground to rip up a square chunk, flinging it straight into a warrior. He did a somersault in the air, forming a slice of water from the arc his extended foot made to burst into three more. He thrust his hand out, releasing a burst of wind to throw back more, and with red eyes, he thrust both his arms out and released geysters of flame that scorched any that came near him.

One warrior came flying towards him, leaping up onto his back. Mage felt it grab onto him, and more importantly, the fangs that sank into his shoulders. With a simple grunt of pain, his hand came back and grabbed hold of whatever snakes the face was made of. All the snakes inside suddenly would feel their minds ripped apart by a mental blast, falling backwards and writhing in pain. The action gave Mage room to gather up wind in his feet again, bursting himself up onto his feet and up into the air. He landed on the ground, and immediately slipped onto his back.

The sky above him was getting blurry. He refused to let himself go yet. He squeezed what more elemental energy he could from himself, forcing gravity into his body to propel himself across the ground by changing the direction, flying straight across the ground until he landed inside one of the holes in the side of the Summit.

He had to do something. He couldn't… couldn't fight them, not like this. He was barely managing to move his limbs! He had to do something, something that would protect this building. Something… something powerful. Something to protect them, or buy them time. If Skylar was here, somewhere, he'd have to do something to give her a chance, to survive.

"...Good thing, I'm used to passing out…" Mage chuckled, placing his hands on the floor. He could hear the Vermillion already slithering towards him. He shut his eyes, turning them brown. He was already laying down… best make use of it. He spread his fingers out across the tiled floor and reached out, reached out to feel exactly what was underneath those tiles… and the whole building.

With that last of his strength he had, Mage focused. This time, only the building rumbled. He poured every single last ounce of his power he had into his hands. The Vermillion nearby were stunned as the ground they stood on kept rumbling. He had to reach out, and feel this entire building. Feel everything that he could with it. He reached out, until the feeling was different. Different at the borders. The edges of the building.

Then, he struck the ground. The ground under them began to violently raise up. The entire building was heaved up into the sky on a perfectly cylindrical shaft of earth. The earth around it was depressed to add to the mass needed to raise it into the sky. Vermillion went flying as they were thrown from the surface, unable to find purchase on it. It rose higher, and higher, rumbling through the air as Mage forced himself to keep going as long as he could. The building kept rising, and rising, until it stood nearly fifty feet in the air.

That was when Mage finally collapsed. He had no more elemental energy to give, or none that he could actually turn into a blast. He didn't hear Vermillion around him, but he could feel them still there. But, it meant whoever was left, was now only going to have to handle those in the building. Right? Right. He leaned back, beginning to let himself drift away into the blackness and simply pray he was going to be safe.

It seemed that whoever was going to let him rest wasn't the person that suddenly flooded his mind with a massive flare of energy. He let out a gasp, his eyes firing open. He saw a warm and large hand on his forehead, pouring some sort of purple energy into him. That hand was connected to an arm, and the arm, to a massive dark skinned man that wore armor from the… Mind Tribe, he thought. The man was yelling something at him, but it was blurry…

"...Si...Sir… Sir!" The words finally broke through for him to understand them, "Sir! Are you alright?!"

"Sir?" Mage blinked, "...No, how am, I? I should be passed out..."

"Ever heard the expression 'mind over matter?,' sir?" The guard spoke with a deep but kind voice, "I've flooded your mind with mind energy. It will keep you from passing out, for now."

"Oh… thanks!" Mage smiled, his lips seeming to be the only thing that worked right now, "Is, everyone safe?"

"The ones that didn't get…." The guard shuddered, "Most of us are safe. We felt the first two rumbles and realized that you had to have arrived."

"Me? But… what about Skylar?" Mage asked, his eyes filled with worry.

"I've not seen Lady Skylar," The guard shook his head, "Can you stand?"

"No…" Mage groaned, "I, really used everything I had."

"I'll carry you. We need to make our way up to the rest of the forces here," The guard gently grabbed Mage, hefting him up onto his back and holding him gently as he made his way towards a stairwell, "This might be rough. We only managed to defend one stairwell. The rest are knocked out."

Mage didn't have much to say as the guard carried him. He was too physically exhausted to do much other than just rest against the guard. He let himself be carried, taking sight of the building. The building that he had created to help stand for peace and a symbol of union after the war with Chen. It was now completely wrecked, with broken open doors, smashed statues and far more. Much to his chagrin, they passed through the main entrance chamber, and the statue of him defeating Chen had been broken so that only Chen was left. He would have turned away if he could.

"Skylar arrived here a little while ago," The guard explained to him, "She basically took out all the Vermillion on the first floor. I don't know about the upper floors but the path we're holding is clear. This building is still crawling with snakes for the moment, though."

"Skylar got here?" Mage tried to turn his head again, "Where is she?"

"I don't know, Sir Lulloyd said that he found her though," The guard turned towards a hallway and to an open stairwell with a Lightning Tribe and Water Tribe guard were standing, broken weapons raised into the air and crackling with their respective elements.

"So it was him that caused those tremors!" The lightning guard smiled, "Thank goodness!"

The guard carrying Mage grunted and instead made his way to the stairs. Mage reached out with his hand to try to summon gravity to lift them up, but it was no use. He closed his eyes, sighing as he was forced to let the guard carry him instead. It seemed being told to hold on wasn't really possible as his head jerked up and down with each step.

Finally, the two reached the top of the stairs. People were rushing up and down the hallway they entered, carrying various things around in a hurry. They rapidly rushed about, trying to find places for them to stuff their things. Mage was carried into what he knew was the planning room, where he saw Lloyd and Harumi grabbing maps and shoving them into the hands of more guards.

"Let's keep moving!" Lloyd called out, "We have to get all this out of here as soon as possible! Keep going…" He blinked, stopping dead as he saw Mage, "Mage?"

"Mage!" Harumi shouted, standing up from the side of the room and rushing over to him, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?!"

"No, no I'm… I'm fine," Mage smiled, "Just, overexerted myself. He's using mind energy to keep me awake," Mage chuckled and gestured to the guard carrying him with his eyes, "What's everyone doing?"

"We were going to form a massive push to try to escape out the back," Monty explained, "But then I'm guessing you raised up up into the sky and made that plan a little difficult to pull off. So we're kinda stuck here now."

"Oh… sorry," Mage blushed, "I was, you all were about to get swarmed, and then there's that second wave coming…"

"Second wave?" Lloyd, who had been gathering up Monty's placemarkers, turned around, "What second wave, what's going on?"

"Oh, uhm, well you see, there are these snake guys that talk, they're like, orange? And they said they were regrouping to come and act as backup I think," Mage looked down, "Like, I'm pretty sure it's the snakes we drove off and some of the others, you know?"

"There's more coming?" Lloyd looked towards their rapidly emptying room, "We… barely managed to survive the first wave. We… we can't get out in time for a second one."

"Hold on," Harumi shook her head, "How long until they get here? There has to be a way out of here."

"I don't know, but I think they're coming here right now," Mage paused, "If they're going through just regular territory… I was running pretty fast. I uh, would guess soon?"

"So we don't have time to make a push," Harumi muttered, "If we can't go down or to our sides… can we go up in any way? Isn't this place big on dragons?"

"You got a dragon?" Monty rolled his eyes.

"I do!" Mage chirped up, "Firstbourne! I can call her here…. Oh…" Mage sighed, "Uh… kinda need my elements to do that and, uhm… she can't carry everyone…"

Lloyd, Harumi and Monty shared a look, then they turned to Mage as Harumi spoke, "Mage, what elements do you use to call to Firstbourne?"

"Huh? Oh, like, it's like a big burst of all of them at once, it's unique to me," Mage looked down, "I'd have to like… recharge my energy, somehow. But, that doesn't solve the fact she can only carry like, twenty?"

The room went silent as they all began to think. While they did, Lulloyd walked in from the hall, panting heavily. Behind him was a guard that Mage recognized from talking to them outside the meetings, Rina, who was panting with exhaustion.

"Mage?" Lulloyd blinked, "Wait, how'd you get here?"

"Lulloyd!" Mage gasped, "Where's Skylar?"

The guard that had been carrying Mage set him down, leaving to help the others. Mage was propped in the only chair in the room. Lulloyd looked to Mage, then his eyes looked up slightly.

"She's... fine," Lulloyd stated flatly, "But, how'd you, get here?"

"I ran," Mage stated casually, "We're talking about how to get everyone out of her on Firstbourne!"

"Your dragon?" Lulloyd cocked his head, "Uhm… what's the issue?"

"It can't hold everyone," Harumi explained, "And Mage has to recharge his energy to call her."

"Hmm... " Lulloyd looked up, "Uh… I, might be able to Master Build something for us all to ride on. Like… I could build a big container and have Firstbourne carry us out on that. I could use some of my Mechdragon to give it some lift too?"

"Will it hold?" Monty quirked an eyebrow up.

"Uh, from what I've seen the things I build have the same durability as what I'm building, so uh, if I build something out of this place then it'll be as strong as it, so yeah," Lulloyd nodded.

"That, might work…" Lloyd rubbed his chin, "But, that doesn't solve that Mage can't use his powers right now."

"You need a recharge of elemental power, right?" Harumi paused, "Lloyd, isn't our Green Power connected to the Golden Power, which is what all the elements come from…?"

Lloyd blinked at her, then his eyes widened and he nodded his head. Harumi smirked, then gestured for Lloyd to come to her, "Pour some of your power into me," Harumi looked to Mage, "I think this should charge you up. Do you trust me?"

Mage nodded without hesitation. Lloyd inhaled, then he put a hand on Harumi's arm and began to let it glow green. Harumi raised her arms and formed a Rhotatae disc right inside her hands. The disc started off as white, but as it grew the green power seemed to flood from Lloyd and her other arm to cause it to charge up green. When the disc was all but crackling with the stuff, Harumi let the disc fly, causing it to fire out right into Mage's chest. Several people in the room sat up as it burst into pieces upon hitting him, delivering the power right to him.

With a loud gasp, Mage felt a strange flood of power going into his body. He wasn't sure what it was, but for some reason, he felt his strength coming back to him. His limbs twitched as more power flooded him, until finally he pushed himself out of his seat and blinked. To test the sudden recharge, he formed an open flame in his hand, causing him to beam and thrust his fist up in the air.

"I feel great!" Mage shouted, "Awesome! ...what did you do?"

"Remember how we said we're from other worlds?" Lloyd asked, "Well, we're all kinda connected. So, we figured this might work, even if we're really different."

"Well sweet!" Mage grinned, "You guys are like, uhm… I don't really have a way to describe it!"

"Great, golden boy can do his thing again," Monty rolled his eyes.

"Send a message to everyone to grab everything and head up to the roof," Lloyd turned to Lulloyd, "Get ready, once we're all up there, build us something we can all get inside. Then we'll have Mage call Firstbourne and get us rolling."

"But, where are we going?" Lulloyd asked, "We need to have a new place to go."

"Let's worry about that once we're in the air with Firstbourne," Harumi shook her head, "We need to get moving now. We call Firstbourne, get ourselves up in the air, and rescue everyone!"

Mage nodded, putting his hands to his head and using mind to send the message to everyone near him. Guards in the hallways froze in place as they heard the message, then they immediately got moving. Lulloyd, Harumi, Lloyd and Monty each gathered their weapons and things and quickly made their way out, leading the way up towards the small access hatch that led to the roof. Mage, feeling empowered, ran out of the hallway to one of the broken windows and leapt out of it. As soon as he hit the sky, he shot fire from his hands to jet him up into the sky, carrying him to the roof. As the others began to exit, he gave them a cheeky smile.

It took several minutes for all of the guards to get up from the lower floors and make their way to the hatch and onto the roof. In that time, Mage and the other four were able to look down across the massive field of Vermillion below. Vermillion were already trying to climb up the sheer earth wall, finding no purchase but continually trying. The few tanks that hadn't been broken apart by Mage's entrance were flinging their cocoons up towards the wall to no avail. For the moment, they were safe.

"Mage, get ready to send that signal," Harumi ordered, "Lulloyd, get building!"

Lulloyd gave Monty a tired look before he rubbed his hands together. He ran forward across the roof, then brought his fist down on it. A small patch turned to bricks. Lulloyd quickly leapt into the air and struck the roof several more times, breaking more and more patches of it down until an entire large section was completely covered in bricks. Once he had, Lulloyd did a backflip, causing the entire section to completely cave in. As the bricks fell, Lulloyd inhaled and then began to quickly throw them up into the air.

Mage, in the meanwhile, inhaled and then lifted his hands up. A mixture of what looked to be fire, earth, lightning, light and a few other elements too hard to identify formed in his hands. With a shout, he sent it up into the sky, causing it to fly up and then burst open in a massive yellow burst like a firework. As it began to spread out and coat the sky, Monty gave Mage a long look. Mage, not understanding, simply smiled at him, causing Monty to groan.

"Well, they know we're up here now," Monty turned to Lulloyd, "We need to get everyone off here quick-"

A loud rumbling sound on the horizon caused the group to turn to look. Over it, several single threaded bikes with massive blades on each side, matching the Vermillion's colors, began to rumble over it. The sight of them were quickly followed by what looked like massive sleds being dragged behind them, each carrying more Vermillion. At the front of those sleds were two Vermillion that Lloyd recognized instantly.

"Blunck and Raggmunk!" Lloyd stepped back, "Those must be the reinforcements!"

"Lulloyd!" Monty snapped impatiently, "Get building! NOW!"

Lulloyd ignored Monty, still working on putting something together. He built a large floor and then began to add curved pieces to the sides, building it outwards. Monty stared at the strange flourish to the building and shouted, "A box would do JUST FINE!"

"I-I'm working on it!" Lulloyd shook his head, "I gotta do something with this curved roof! They built it in really big sections!"

Monty scoffed and turned back. The Vermillion on the vehicles soon reached the edge of the force that was already underneath them. At first, the bikes looked like they were going to stop, but instead they suddenly sped up and began to drive up vertically. After the first few feet, they began to stall, much to the hope of the group. That, however, was when red snakes suddenly shot out from around the treads, burying their fangs into the sides of the rock. With purchase gained, the treads worked again, and with the snakes biting and moving up each time, they began to actually scale the wall.

"They're coming," Monty growled, "Of course they are!"

"Lulloyd…" Harumi mumbled, "Anytime now.."

"I'm… almost… done!" Lulloyd pushed himself to build faster, even if it meant mistakes. After another few seconds, he panted, standing atop what looked like the bottom of a blimp, specifically the passenger car, complete with windows on the outside and two small floors of space to allow them all to crowd inside, "Just, get in while I finish the roof!"

The guards responded to Lulloyd's call by rushing into the vehicle, taking the ladder to the second floor. They stared at the design in utter confusion, but Lulloyd was too busy to take notice. There were two bandaged figures, Acronix among them, that were carried onto the blimp as well, both tended to by Time Tribe guards. Harumi, Lloyd, and Monty waited until the last guard, Rina, was back inside the blimp, quickly following suit in what would be the front of the thing. Mage stood in front of the door they all used to get inside, holding his hands up.

"Where's that dragon?!" Lloyd shouted, "They're still coming!"

Mage looked up towards the sky. He held his breath for several seconds, praying that the dragon would come. In the meanwhile, he thrust his hands out around him, spewing out poison from his hands. The result was that a massive section of the roof in the space between the hatch and the build was melted down and left a massive gap in front of them. Mage continued to spray, only to suddenly feel a throb in the back of his head.

"G-Gah!" Mage went down on one knee, feeling a sudden wave of exhaustion come over him, "O-Oh… great..."

"Mage!" Harumi rushed out of the build, reaching down to pick him up by his arm, "...You must have burnt through the energy we gave you."

"But… but I barely used it…?" Mage groaned, feeling his vision start to darken.

"It must not be as potent as you actually resting," Harumi shook her head, "Come on, let's get you inside."

Harumi carried Mage inside, setting him down against the wall. She shut the door behind them and then rushed to a window to look. The group looked up to the sky, trying to see where the Firstbourne was.

Finally, after several moments of waiting, the red blur appeared in the sky, letting out a mighty roar as it descended the skies. Even as it did, much to the cheer of the guards on the ship, the first Vermillion slung its arm over the side of the roof. They began to quickly crawl up along it. They all spat and hissed, then quickly began to stumble their way towards the build.

"Done!" Lulloyd threw the last piece of the roof on, dropping down into the build as he did and landing beside Monty, "Okay, we should be… oh!" Lulloyd quickly stepped aside, realizing he was partially inside Monty, "Uh, sorry."

"It's fine," Monty growled, "Did you get my gun bag?"

"Yeah?" Lulloyd gestured to his Mechdragon brick sticking out of Monty's gun bag against the wall. Monty sighed in relief.. Both of them frowned as they saw the Vermillion rushing at them.

Just as the Vermillion were about to reach the build, they were tripped by the acidic holes Mage had sprayed out. The few seconds were just enough for the build to suddenly lurch as the Firstbourne grabbed hold of it in her feet, hefting them up from the building. Vermillion leapt up towards them, but they fell short as they did.

With a roar, Firstbourne shot her body up into the sky. The weight was enough to make carrying them difficult. Seeing this, Lulloyd grabbed his Mechdragon and leapt out the window, unfurling it as he went. His dragon shot up into the sky with a rapid twist, soaring up underneath the build. He drove his dragon up and ran back, rapidly building up pieces at random to attach his dragon to the build. Soon, the weight was partially relieved from Firstbourne, who looked to Lulloyd and gave him a blink of gratitude before snapping her wings to carry them far into the distance.

As the group let out a collective sigh of relief, Mage slowly muttered, "Thank goodness..." He felt the darkness start to fully creep on him again. He let out a long groan before he suddenly slid forward in Harumi's arm. The last thing he heard was Harumi's anxious shouts as he fully gave into the blackness.


	31. Chapter 31

"Nnyygghhh…."

Mage gently lifted his head up from the ground. As he did, he blinked his way into focus. He was inside a tent, one that had a small fire burning near him that was providing light to the room. Mage looked around the room, trying to discern his surroundings. As he sat up, he felt a blanket on top of him slide away.

"Where, am I…?" Mage slowly stood up, stretching his body out. In doing so, his foot kicked a small metal bucket with water in it, sloshing some out. The noise caused a man dressed in the slick purple and gray robes of the Mind Tribe to open up the flaps and step inside.

"Dragon Lord!" The man bowed quickly, "You're awake! That's wonderful."

"Heh, yep, I am!" Mage smiled to him, "Are, we in the Mind Tribe?"

"Yes sir!" The man lifted up from his bow, "You have been asleep for almost two days. The operation has been moved here, for the time being, after the destruction of the Summit."

"It… was destroyed?" Mage stepped towards him, testing his footing, "Where's everyone now?"

"In the War Tent, sir!" The man turned, "Come, I will lead you to them!"

"Thanks..." Mage trailed off as he groaned into a stretch, letting the man lead on. The two exited the tent, revealing it to be one in a long line of them. The tents looked relatively new, or at the very least polished. People, notably the guards from the Summit, were running about the dirt of the camp, getting various tasks done. Down the way, Mage could see a massive set of weapons being prepared, while the opposite direction yielded what looked to be a cooking area. The man led him straight through the tents towards the center of the camp.

As they passed more and more guards, Mage got a look around. Off in the distance, he could see the skull of an ancient beast the Mind Tribe called its home, said to have been slain by his grandfather and left there for the Mind Tribe to eternally ponder what beast was bold enough to stand against him. The camp was set up on the outskirts of their territory. From the sun, he guessed the main road they had been protecting was on the other side of the towers.

Finally, the two reached a massive green tent. As soon as they opened it, Mage recognized it instantly as a recreation of the planning room Lloyd and Harumi had constructed in the Summit. Around a makeshift table from barrels was Monty, standing with Lloyd, Harumi, and Lulloyd. As Mage entered, the four looked ready to leave.

"Hey!" Mage called out, "You guys are okay! Thank goodness!"

"Mage!" Lulloyd smiled to him, "You're okay!"

"You slept for almost two days," Monty stated with a groan, "You were starting to worry them."

"You were worried too, Monty," Harumi frowned at him.

"How are you feeling, Mage?" Lloyd asked, "You must have really pushed yourself back there."

"Mhm, I'm fine!" Mage stretched his legs out, "Feeling pretty rested! Wait!" He raised one hand, forming lightning in his open palm, "Hrm… yep, I'm good now!"

"Good," Monty turned from him, "They apparently caught a Vermillion warrior wandering around the main road. We're going to interrogate him."

"Can I help?" Mage asked, "I can use the power of mind to make sure they're telling the truth!"

Harumi shook her head, "Neuro told us not to try that. He's still recovering in the Smoke Tribe right now. His group got ambushed pretty badly, but we're having them stay there for now. Karlof took his group to his tribe too."

"What about Skylar's group?" Mage asked curiously.

"That's what we're going to find out," Monty turned, "Let's go."

Mage blinked in confusion, but followed after the four. Lloyd led the way, leading them through the tents until they had long exited the camp. Using a side path, they wound their way through slopes until they reached a cave. Two Mind users were in front. They nodded to the group as Lloyd approached, letting them inside. Mage wasn't sure why they were keeping the warrior here, but he didn't want to say anything rude.

Inside the cave, the captured Vermillion was inside a glass box. Mage recalled that using fire and wind on sand could produce glass. Given the snakes could break apart, it made sense fora sealed cage. The warrior looked completely limp inside, as if his snakes had all just… died. As they approached, Lloyd turned to Monty, who blew out one of the torches on the wall to obscure Lloyd, Harumi and Lulloyd. He himself went invisible.

"We were planning on having a guard do this," Harumi explained, "But we can't let them see us. Can you try talking to him, Mage?"

"Sure!" Mage smiled, walking up to the glass and tapping on it, "Hey! Warrior! We need to talk!"

The Vermillion didn't respond. Mage blinked in confusion, then he leaned in and tapped harder. When it still looked limp, he frowned and reached out, "Okay… let's try this!"

With mind as the focus, Mage gave the warrior a little blast. At first, the warrior had no reaction. Then, steadily, as if it'd been turned on, the warrior raised its head. It opened its mouth slowly, its eyes dazed and confused. Mage blinked in confusion as the warrior twitched, as though it was almost… possessed by something.

"So sorry," The warrior spoke with an oddly feminine voice, "I had to arrange this thing's vocal chords to work. I've been waiting for you, Dragon Lord."

"Machia..?" Lloyd whispered in confusion.

"Huh?" Mage crossed his arms, "Why me specifically?"

"Because I know you loved the sight of watching your Summit burn… well, it's burned now," The warrior chuckled, "So sorry you weren't there to see the flames."

Mage's fingers tightened around his forearms. Lloyd frowned deeply, recognizing that same sort of goading used on him before. Mage, however, held onto himself just long enough to keep himself focused on the warrior.

"What message?" Mage asked calmly as he could.

"I have seen that your kind cares deeply for your bonds… and your revenge," The warrior relayed, "I have with me the survivors of a group led by that annoying daughter. Specifically, I have with me two speed wielders and a water wielder. I recognize the water one as one I once fought named Nya. They proved useful to me, so I refrained from killing most of them."

Mage's nostrils flared. The other four realized that Machia had not only captured Griffin and Nya, but Skylar's entire caravan group as well. It didn't take long to realize why Machia was telling them this. Mage, however, let her continue.

"If I see a single one of you here," The warrior purred out, "I will kill all of them. If you would like to try to rescue them, It shouldn't take you very long to figure out where we are. The blood of all those who died defending your precious Summit is already on your hands, Dragon Lord. If you do decide to mount an offensive to rescue them, I hope you're far less noisy than you were that day. Come after us… only if you're willing to risk that."

With that, the warrior suddenly let out a loud shriek. The five all covered their ears as, one by one, the snakes inside seemed to writhe and snap. Soon, the warrior was convulsing, and then it completely broke apart. The multitude of dead snakes left behind by what was clearly a forcible self-destruct was sickening to see.

"...Mage," Harumi stepped forward once they were sure the snakes were gone, "Are… you okay?"

"They captured Skylar's group…" Mage gripped his fists, "They burned down the Summit…?"

"We can rebuild the Summit," Lloyd quickly stated, "I learned that the hard way. Everything can be rebuilt. Everything but lives. We need to approach this carefully."

"Obviously," Monty sighed, "We need to get them back. She's using this as leverage to keep us from attacking them."

"Skylar's group…" Mage inhaled, "Where's Skylar? Why wasn't she there when I woke up?"

Suddenly, the room went deathly quiet. Lulloyd in particular darted his eyes to the side. All four of them didn't say anything. Mage, catching on quickly, turned towards them. The building anger and confusion inside him directed at them as his fists clenched even tighter.

"Skylar would be right by my side, if I got hurt," Mage gritted his teeth, "Where… where is Skylar?"

"I… Mage…" Lulloyd gulped, "We, I was going to tell you, after we'd talked about…"

Mage's eyes looked into Lulloyd. The sight made Lulloyd freeze. Mage turned away from them, stalking towards the entrance to the cave they were in. It didn't take long to figure out where Skylar was. If she wasn't captured, and she wasn't there with him…

"Skylar…" Suddenly, Mage flashed with the element of Speed, soaring his way back towards the camp. Lulloyd and Harumi quickly turned to race after him. Monty and Lloyd soon followed.

Mage ran as fast as he could. Something wasn't right. Why wouldn't she be there? He looked around the camp. It hadn't been that long since the battle, so there had to be some medical tents. She must have gotten hurt. That had to be it. They weren't telling him, because she was hurt. He had to go and see her then!

"Skylar!" Mage shouted as soon as he saw the medical tents. He ran towards them, seeing papers posted on each one. He went name by name, looking for her name. When he got to the end of the row, he saw a tent that seemed reserved just for her. He smiled, then gripped the flap and threw it open.

"Skylar!" Mage babbled out, "I was so worried about you! When I heard you were coming I thought you'd be hurt, but I knew you'd be fine, you're super strong and powerful and there's no way you could… could…"

Mage's grip on the flap loosened as he stared at Skylar's body. His words trailed off as he saw it. Or rather, what he couldn't see. It was a sight that chilled him. A sight that he had already seen before. A sight, he'd hoped never to see again.

"Mage!" Harumi shouted, finally catching up to him, "We, we need to tell you something before you see… her…" She lifted a hand up to her mouth, "..Mage…"

Mage didn't turn to face her. Instead, he slowly inhaled, and then asked one question. One question that was filled with so much hurt, shock, and confusion that it made Harumi shudder:

"What… what happened to Skylar?"

Mage stood motionless at the entrance to Skylar's tent. He didn't say anything, only stared into the soft light of the room at the body lying on the floor. It was a sight he had already seen once, and a sight that drained all of the light out of his face. His fists remained opened, his eyes wide, and his breathing shallow as he took in the sight.

Lulloyd and Harumi both stood on opposite sides of Mage. Lulloyd looked down, having been the one to find and carry her, while Harumi looked to be trying to say something. Mage's expression, however, was so devoid of emotion that it was hard for her to think of what would actually make him better.

"You…" Mage turned to Lulloyd, "You lied to me. You said… said she was fine."

"...I…." Lulloyd bit his lip, "It's, we were doing things and, we were working on that plan and…"

"You said, she was okay," Mage shifted his body to look towards Lulloyd in an intimidating sensation, "You lied to me. This… this isn't okay."

"You, you were, I couldn't…" Lulloyd sighed, "I, was going to tell you once you woke up but, you woke up too soon…."

"Mage," Harumi stepped forward, "I know, this looks bad, but the healers said she's going to be fine."

"You lied to me too," Mage didn't turn around, "Don't talk to me."

"What?" Harumi shook her head, "Mage, I never lied to you."

"You told me that my friends, wouldn't be in danger anymore… that I was strong enough to protect them," He spoke in a low tone, "You… you said that I could do this. That I was strong enough. But… but I wasn't. You lied to me."

"I didn't lie to you," Harumi inhaled nervously, "Mage, I know right now this looks bad. It was just, we didn't know they hijacked our own plan, we didn't-"

"Shut up!" Mage shouted, his words flaring with anger, "I said don't talk to me!"

Mage stalked forward into the tent. His hand reached out and placed itself on top of the mass of bandages that was covering Skylar's head. He focused hard. She was sleeping, so reading her mind would be easy. She couldn't throw up barriers like this. Lulloyd and Harumi looked on in confusion, too nervous to try to stop him.

"_Well, I suppose that is true. He has known where we were this entire time, after all. Keep that in mind for me, Young Skylar." _

"Krux…" Mage's other hand started to tremble, "Krux did this to her…"

"Krux was at the Summit?" Harumi blinked, "But… why didn't we see him when he attacked?"

"_I don't have to have the power of time to affect the future anymore, so I'm doing what needs to be done. I'll make sure that boy doesn't forget this."_

"Krux…. He did this to her…" Mage's blood began to broil, "Not… not again. Not… not to her. He… he's trying to send me another message…"

"That, doesn't make sense," Lulloyd shook his head, "If… if he was there we would have seen him. Did… did he go there just to attack her?"

"How could he have known she'd be there?" Harumi shook her head, "I'm not sure what's going on here."

Mage suddenly stormed past the two of them. He shoved them aside, moving to the tent that Acronix was still recovering in. When he emerged from it, he had something strapped to his back. Harumi recognized it as the massive sword that Acronix had always carried on him during their time in the Summit.

"Mage, what are you doing?" Lulloyd asked nervously.

"I'm going to find Krux," Mage stated flatly, "And I'm going to make sure he can't hurt my friends anymore."

"What?" Harumi stepped forward, "Mage, no! You can't go off on your own! Where do you even know where to look?!"

"Krux said I've been to where he's hiding before…" He nodded his head, "I always thought that cave was weird…" His eyes shook, "First Acronix… now Skylar…" Mage growled, "Who's next? Who else is going to get hurt? Skylar's team was captured. Who will it be next?"

"Mage, you can't think like that, we're working on a plan to get them back!" Harumi smiled gently, "Come on, we'll talk about this, we'll fix it together!"

Harumi reached out and placed her hand on Mage's shoulder. Mage's eyes lifted up, revealing them to be shrouded in shadow. He reached up with his own hand, gripping Harumi's wrist. In a flash, his hand turned metal, trapping her wrist in it. He lifted his eyes up to reveal the gunmetal color before he thrust Harumi back. She went flying, soaring straight away until she struck a tree. She let out a gasp of pain as she did.

"M-Mage!" Lulloyd stepped in front of Mage, "What are you doing?!"

"I'm through with plans…" Mage growled, "I have my own plan now."

"What? No!" Lulloyd shook his head, "We, we gotta do this together! You're the most powerful guy here! You can't-"

Mage suddenly reached out and drew Aevum from his back. The Time Matrix formed on Mage's left wrist, the arrows turning to the right. The entire thing went green. The blue shrouded blade soared right towards Lulloyd. Lulloyd, thinking fast, grabbed a stick on the ground nearby and rapidly swung to catch it.

As soon as the sword hit him, Lulloyd saw a flash of blue suddenly move and surround his body. His entire world went slow motion. He blinked in confusion, unsure what had just happened. Mage looked at Lulloyd cloaked in slow energy and nodded his head. He turned the sword around and used the blunt edge to hit Lulloyd in the chest. He sent him flying once the slow wore off, sending him off towards where Harumi lay.

"I'm going after those two…" Mage muttered, "I heard it. In her head. Krux sent me a message, through her."

"W-Wait!" Lulloyd wheezed, "At, at least let us go with you!""

"No," Mage began walking away, "You'd just get in the way."

"M-Mage!" Lulloyd gasped, "Wait, please, you need to!"

Mage shot his head to the side, showing a pupil trembling as he snarled. He raised his foot and slammed it into the ground. A crack shot across the earth, racing straight until it was right under Lulloyd. The earth suddenly shot up in a pillar, striking Lulloyd on the chin and knocking him backwards. As Lulloyd went onto his back. Mage turned around.

"Try to follow me, and I'm treating you like one of those snakes," Mage growled stalking away again, "I'll handle this."

Lulloyd was in too much pain to do anything about Mage. Mage lowered his head to let shadows cover his eyes again as he made his way through the camp. Those around him paid him little mind, which was more than fine with him. By the time that Lulloyd and Harumi managed to get to their feet, Mage had already left the camp and was walking his way out. Specifically, he was making his way towards the Firstbourne, who had stayed near the camp after delivering them to safety.

"Mage!" Harumi shouted. Mage didn't hear her and walked up to Firstbourne, grabbing hold of her reins and climbing up into the saddle. He turned to give the camp a long, dark, and pained look before he directed the dragon up towards the sky, taking off with three powerful beats of the dragon's wings.

Both ninja watched as Mage flew away. Within a few moments, Firstbourne was no more than a red speck that became lost among the clouds. The two remained silent, Lulloyd out of pain and Harumi out of a stupor. She gripped her fist angrily and turned towards the War Tent.

"We… have to tell Lloyd and Monty about this," Harumi growled, "It'll change our plans."

"I already heard," Monty's voice came from beside them, "And yeah, it does."

The two jumped as the canvas of a nearby tent turned green for a brief moment before Monty emerged from it. He crossed his arms and stalked over to between the two of them, watching the spot where Mage had disappeared. As he did, he looked on with a calm demeanor but anger filled eyes. Then, as he watched, he slowly drew in a breath, then exhaled with his power to send him a few feet up into the air.

"He knows where the Time Twins are?" Monty asked as he hovered there.

"He… must, if he's just charging out like that," Harumi mused, "He said, Krux told Skylar he already knew where they were. It must be someplace he's been before."

"Which is everywhere," Lulloyd pointed out, "And… I don't want to go trying to follow that dragon."

"I've seen people like him before," Monty mused, "He's the type of kid that's going to go in and either end this entire thing, or get killed trying. But getting in his way is just going to make this worse for all of us."

"If he's going in to fight the Time Twins, did, he forget about the fact Skylar's group was captured?" Lulloyd asked.

"No…" Harumi shook her head, "That's why he didn't want us to go with him. He wants us to go and deal with that so he doesn't have to worry about it."

"What?" Lulloyd asked, "How… do you know?"

"It's a guess," Harumi paused, "But, he's not just some excitable kid. He's been through a lot of battle by now. Let's at least give him credit for knowing how to plan a few things. If he did this intentionally, he's making sure he can direct his anger without worry. If not… well, it's just lucky then."

"You do realize that not only do we have less than half of the soldiers we called in for the Summit," Monty scoffed, "But we also have a good bit of them injured too?"

"Well what are supposed to do then, Monty?" Harumi turned to him, "What sort of thing do you suggest we do?"

"Nothing," Monty turned around, "We got too close to getting revealed at the Summit. We need to lay low right now and let Mage deal with this."

"So you'll just condemn the people that got captured to die?" Harumi threw back.

"They made the mistake of getting captured," Monty stated darkly, "This is just what they deserve."

Harumi and Monty were left at a standstill. They both stood firm at their impasse, their strong personalities refusing to budge. Monty held his apathetic stance, while Harumi had her fists gripped and starting to spark with black lightning once more. Both of them would have stared for much longer, had someone not spoken up.

"I… can I say something?" Lulloyd shook his head, "I, no, I'm going to say something."

"What?" Monty groaned at him.

"I… I haven't made any plans here," Lulloyd shook his head, "I haven't done anything. I've been training with Monty, playing chess and… and talking to people. All I've done while you all plan and fight is talk to everyone in that building. Everyone. I know almost all the guards' names. I wouldn't even be here right now if it wasn't for Rina helping me to you guys. I would… I would've…"

Lulloyd gathered himself, "Monty. I get, I get that this plan is important. We can't go and just, show ourselves off like we do. But, those people they captured, they're not unimportant. Everyone in that Summit, they all had a purpose, a life. I… I'm the ninja of life, and I can't sit by and say that we just let people go get hurt. It doesn't matter how much pain we go through, we have to protect their lives!"

Monty went to speak, but Lulloyd cut him off, "No, I'm, I'm not done. We've done nothing here but just, sit behind everyone else, let them do the work. Maybe it's time, we got in front of them and worked to fix this ourselves! We can't fight the Twins, but I'm not going to sit behind another operation and let them all get hurt! Mage is going off and fighting them! We can't sit by and let him do that all willy-nilly! We're going to help him by rescuing that group! And, and if you have a problem with that, you can stay behind!"

Monty and Harumi were left speechless by Lulloyd's sudden outburst. Lulloyd blinked, feeling his sudden wave of determination coming down off of him. The two stared at him, both waiting for more. When none came, Monty just slowly nodded his head.

"You got a plan then, bigshot?" Monty rolled his eyes, "Ronin would tell you it ain't worth talking a big game if you can't back it up. If you have a plan to get them all back, I'd love to hear it."

Lulloyd turned to Harumi for some help. She and Lloyd had been planning all of this. She, however, just smiled at him, as though encouraging him to keep going. That just made a pit of anxiety well up inside of Lulloyd's stomach. He took a few moments to gulp, forcing himself to think. He… he could come up with plans. He was just on the spot right now. He had to think of something.

"I… I think I might have something," Lulloyd nodded, "But we're going to need a form user for it. And all the speed users we can get our hands on. And… a few other random things. We need to know where they are, and once we do… we'll make it in full."

"Well," Harumi turned to look towards guards milling about, "We've been working on that. There are only a few places we think they could be. In fact…."

Suddenly, a woman in Nature Tribe garb rushed up, carrying in her hand a scroll. She looked to the group, then focused her sights on Harumi, holding the scroll out to her.

"Ma'am, we've deduced where they must be hiding!" The guard inhaled, "They're in the Toxic Wastes of the Poison Tribe territory!"

"How do you know?" Monty eyed her.

"It's the only tribe that hasn't been suffering as many attacks," The guard informed them, "They have to be operating out of there right now if they're trying to hide. We analyzed some armor and found the feet had acid splashes on them. The only area that can produce acid like that is the Poison Tribe. And if they've built a base, there's only a small patch of bog where they could have enough flat ground to make it."

"If we've narrowed them down to that area," Harumi turned to Lulloyd, "Do you think you can get us in there, Lulloyd?"

"I'm… still not sure I like being the one to do the plan…" He gulped, "But… I might have an idea."

"I'll get Lloyd and start getting all the form and speed users we have, then," Harumi nodded, "Let's go take down some snakes."

* * *

The wind buffeted against Mage's face as Firstbourne flew through the skies. The clouds had darkened, and rain was starting to splatter against Mage's face. Without thinking, he used his control over water to shield both his and the dragon's face from the downpour. He would normally fly above the clouds, but he needed to be on the lookout for the Vermillion.

The Firstbourne didn't speak as Mage flew her. He was normally gentle and calm, but she could sense the anger and barely restrained hatred inside of him. She ignored his harsh tugs and lack of words, instead flying under the clouds as directed. She knew the location that he was taking her to, and thus, there was no need to speak between them. Given how the terrain began to change from greenery to sharp jagged mountains, they'd entered Time Tribe territory.

If what he'd gotten out of Skylar's head was right, that meant that he'd already been to the place the Twins were hiding. Right now, he knew that if he found those Twins, he'd also find his Krux. Krux, he guessed, whatever the others called him. He'd find them all. His fingers tightened harder on the reins. He'd show them the power that he held and teach them a lesson not to mess with them again. He'd teach them a lesson they wouldn't need to remember for long.

Mage sensed it before he saw it. He gave the reins on Firstbourne a massive tug to the right, pulling her head just away from getting it taken off by a flaming cocoon. In rage, Mage reached his hand up and took control of the flames burning over the cocoon and flared them up. While one eye went red, the other went light blue as he twisted the rain around the cocoon to send it flying back towards where he'd felt it. As he watched it fall, the flames flared until they struck the ground far below him.

When the smoke cleared by the rain pelting the smoldering flames, Mage saw them. Three of those strange tanks, all lined up on a ridge. How they knew where he'd be flying, he didn't care. He snapped the reins again, making his dragon turn towards the ground. She gave him a look of annoyance at being commanded like that, but nonetheless flew straight towards the ground. Two more cocoons were set ablaze and came flying straight towards Mage.

Mage thrust his hands out, his eyes going copper. The two cocoons were sent straight towards the ground as the force of gravity overcame them. With a yell, Mage stood up and ran forward on the top of Firstbourne's head to leap off her snout. As soon as he was in the air, he immediately reached out towards the metal that the machines were made of and focused.

Suddenly, Mage felt a massive tug as he was sent soaring through the air straight away from Firstbourne. A pull was tugging on him, sending him straight for the tank. He was fast enough in his descent that when he landed against the tank, he heard several loud crunches and snapping as half of the contraption was completely caved in. He canceled out the magnetic poles between his feet and the metal of the tank, letting him leap off and hit the ground. Karlof had taught him that one when first designing the speed cars.

The two remaining tanks slowly began to turn towards him. Mage shot one hand out, eyes navy, causing the winds of the storm to wrap around one tank and send it slamming into another. The force didn't stop, sending the tanks flying about in a circular arc off the slope and into the air. Before they could go far, Mage gripped his fist, causing a massive pillar of earth to soar straight up from the ground and catch the two tanks. The earth squeezed shut around them, making snakes fall and pop out from the metal as he did.

"Using multiple elements at once like that?" A voice that made Mage inhale sharply came from behind him, "You'll wear yourself out before the true battle, Lloyd."

Mage slowly turned around, his expression darkened by the rain around him. When he saw who was there, his fists tightened hard. Krux stood in the rain, wearing his ceremonial armor from the Time Tribe. In one hand, he held a light blue blade with two prongs on it. His hair was slickened from the rain, and so he had it tied in a knot behind his head. He reached up with his free hand and flicked the water away from his eyes, the motion revealing a knife sliding out of his sleeve into his hand.

The Firstbourne landed hard behind Mage, causing the very ground to rumble. She turned her gaze towards Krux, holding her head high and letting the rain highlight the sheer size and power she held in just her jaws alone. She began to growl, taking one step forward to put her foot beside Mage.

"No…" Mage muttered wordlessly, "I'll handle him."

The Firstbourne lowered her head to put her massive eye beside Mage's head. Mage turned towards her, staring her down with the hatred that had begun to flame up inside of his own irises. After several seconds, the dragon let out a snort and slowly raised her head back up. She stretched her wings out and took to the skies, leaving the two of them alone.

"You…." Mage growled out hoarsely, reaching onto his back and drawing his Aevum sword in his left hand with a spark of blue energy, "I'll kill you."

"Is that what you should say to a former friend?" Krux frowned, "I see you have my brother's sword. Hmmph. I have no idea how you found my escort, but it seems I have no choice. I had hoped we could talk before-"

A ball of light shot up from Mage's hand, erupting like a flash of lightning. Krux threw the hand holding the blade up over his face to cover it. He turned around and shot his knife out in front of him. Mage, coming out of using speed, flipped backwards to avoid being gutted. When he landed, he held Aevum out behind him and raced towards Krux. Krux slid backwards across the rocks using the rain, causing Mage to stumble forward onto his hands and knees.

"I know what that sword does, Lloyd!" Krux shouted, "And I know you. I know that you only have so long before those powers of yours get exhausted. I thought I told you when we first met: fighting is about knowing your enemy."

"You don't get to say anything about when we first met!" Mage flung his arm out towards Krux, freezing the rain and causing an icy set of spikes to rapidly fly towards Krux.

Without missing a beat, Krux raised the blade, firing an arc of blue energy that struck the spikes. The spikes became trapped within a circular field, and Mage watched as they continued to grow but did so at almost a hundreth of the rate they were before. Krux simply stepped aside, then tapped the field with the blade. It vanished, and the spikes shot by his head so fast it caused his armor to rattle and his hair to violently flap about in the wind.

Mage let out a scream of rage, racing straight for Krux on his feet. He poured more forward energy into Aevum to swing it as fast as he could. Krux spun his knife around in hand to point it upwards, then shot it straight up in the air. The sword clanged against the knife and was slid up into the air as Mage closed in. Time seemed to slow down as Mage frantically leapt off his backfoot, stumbling away from Krux and onto his rear. As he got back up, Krux let out a simple set of 'tssks' at him.

"Keep trying to attack me, Lloyd!" Krux crossed his arms in front of him, "I have more training, more experience, and more planning than you do. You're running on anger right now! All I need to do is simply outlast that anger."

"You tried to kill your own brother!" Mage shouted at him, "You think I can get over that?!"

Mage pulled several rocks up from the ground with brown eyes and shot them towards Krux. With another flash of his blade, the rocks were slowed to a crawl midair in the field once more. Krux reached up with his arm, bracing it as he dropped the field. The rocks struck his armor, each one bouncing off without seemingly harming him.

"These blades are rather fascinating, if you ask me," Krux smirked, "It allows even one that was stripped of their birthright to use what was taken from them. Of course, they need to recharge… but if you use them in shorter bursts, it almost seems like it happens instantly. Aevum is sort of like that in sword form. It's a shame my brother never taught you how to fight with it."

"You destroyed my Summit!" Mage yelled, "Everything I worked so hard to build, you've been tearing it down!"

"Of course I have," Krux ran his hand across the blade, "You took everything from me, it's only natural I work to take everything from you."

Mage's body crawled over with a black mist as his eyes went black. In an instant, he seemed to completely vanish. Krux blinked in surprise, then his eyes narrowed. He waited for a few seconds, then he saw the blue flash out of the corner of his eye. His shadow was cast out far behind him, and he felt Mage emerging from it. Mage's expression was still filled with rage, and he brought Aevum down towards Krux's head.

He was too close to dodge, so instead Krux twirled his knife once more and thrust his arms up into the air. Krux had his arms raised in a guard over his head, knife in one hand. The action stopped Aevum, but poured the slow energy into his body. Mage, grinning in triumph, turned one of his feet metal and then kicked Krux right in the chest. When Aevum's energy wore off, Krux went onto his back.

"I know this sword can transfer slow energy into things I hit!" Mage shouted, "And that's all I need to know! You hurt your brother badly… I'm going to hurt you with his sword!"

"How… childish," Krux groaned out, "I overestimate you sometimes, Lloyd."

Mage was already racing forward again, this time with speed. He was starting to feel the wozziness of using his element, but pressed on. He shot his body all around Krux, not letting him see where he ended up. When he stopped, he brought the sword in a sideways slash at Krux's torso.

Krux caught the sword on the knife again, though far too close for comfort with the blade only a few inches from his arm. His other arm shot out and grabbed Mage's wrist. Krux yanked him forward, then thrust his head forward. Mage was caught off guard and his vision shook as he was headbutted. Krux reached out to grab his left arm and drag him towards himself. A searing pain shot straight into Mage's left shoulder. He looked down to see that the knife had been firmly plunged into the flesh.

With a heave, Krux sent Mage flying backwards. He rolled twice as he hit the ground. Mage began to get up, only to wince hard and grit his teeth. He turned to see the knife still stuck in his flesh, with lines of crimson steadily beginning to drip from it. Worse, it was in his left arm, the one he was using Aevum in. He wasn't skill enough with his right hand to fight! Slowly, Mage forced himself back up to his feet, his left arm hanging limp as he did. He slowly, painfully, slid Aevum back into its sheath.

"I could have just as easily put that anywhere I wanted, Lloyd! You can't win if you're fighting like that!" Krux reminded him, "You have no tact. I thought that your conviction to stop would have finally cleared your head… but it seems I was wrong. You followed your anger straight towards me."

"Shut up…" Mage took a step forward, his right hand reaching out to shakily grip the knife's handle.

"I bet you left without even asking for their help. You just took your dragon and flew off without thinking. And that means that right now it's just you…" Krux leaned against the crushed tank, "And me."

"Shut… up…" Mage gave the knife an experimental pull. The searing pain that it sent through him was enough to make his fingers start to unclasp from the knife. He forced them back around the grip.

"You should turn around and go back to your friends," Krux sighed, "You're heading down a dangerous path. Can you truly handle what's at the end, if you can't even get past me?"

Mage let out a long groan, then he set his teeth as hard as he could. With a hard yank, he pulled the knife out of himself. Blood splattered across the rocks as he did. He reached up to the now gaping wound, panting as a small outcropping of ice came to freeze over it. As he did, he forced his arm to move. The pain was enough to make him shake, but he slowly raised his gaze to finally meet Krux again.

"I don't care if I don't make it… to the end of whatever this path is," Mage growled, "I only care that you and those Twins hurt all of these people," Mage took a shaky step forward, "You hurt all of those innocent people that never deserved to be dragged into this!" Mage inhaled as he took another step, "And then, as if that wasn't enough for you, you went and hurt Skylar…"

"She's the only one that can rebuild her tribe…" Another step by Mage, "She's the only one left! It's my duty to protect her. To make sure that her tribe comes back. I have to be the one to make sure that all of the hardship… all of the fights… all of her pain was worth something!" His nostrils flared as he shot his face up, "I have to make sure I can give her a future! And you're the one standing in the way of that future! And if you are…." Mage's eyes glistened, "Then I have to remove you from that future!"

The entire field of rain around the two of them froze. Krux looked around in confusion, then shrugged. Mage took two more steps towards Krux again, the rain slowly beginning to shake again. Steadily, the droplets turned into what looked like small daggers, pointing towards Krux.

"I'm going to repay every single bit of pain that you gave them…" Mage inhaled and growled, "I'm going to do it, even if it means I have to kill you. I'll make sure that no matter what, you feel the pain that she did!"

"Then make me feel it," Krux narrowed his eyelids, "Your actions speak louder than words."

Mage let out a hard shout, his eyes flaring blue once more as the rain began to turn on Krux. The droplets soared straight towards him, each one a fine point. They whistled as they soared through the air, and Mage knew it would cut away all of the armor that he wore. He'd end this all in one strike. So he didn't hesitate, not even when Krux didn't move to intercept the attack.

A single heartbeat caused Mage to gasp hard. The water struck Krux, but this time as simple droplets. They began to slide down his armor harmlessly. Mage looked down to his hands, the coloration in his eyes beginning to fizzle out. He shook his head, feeling his control slipping for some reason. His hands began to become bleary and split apart into fuzzy images of each other. He tried to take another step, but his sense of balance caused him to fall to the ground.

"That took long enough," Krux sighed, "That venom I had on my knife was hard to come by. Certainly really hard to time how long it would take against someone that knew poison."

Mage's head twitched and trembled as he forced it to move up towards Krux. His body felt like it was going numb. He couldn't feel his legs. He tried to summon an element, but it fizzled in his eyes before it faded out. He couldn't connect to his elemental powers. He tried to move the rest of his body, but his fingers and wrists wouldn't respond to him. His breath was ragged as Krux got down on one knee beside him.

"Hard to come by since it can block elemental powers, that is," Krux explained, "Most of those bugs that secrete it were hunted down long ago. Thankfully, you can still find them, if you look hard enough," Krux moved his hand to grip Mage's chin, "Of course, I also mixed in a few things so you wouldn't be able to move either."

Leaning over, Krux reached out and gripped the knife that Mage had torn out of himself. He lowered the blade down towards Mage's chin, putting the point right against his throat. Mage felt his world go cold as Krux let the point just rest there, right against him. He let it sink in that Mage was helpless. His body wouldn't move. His powers were blocked off. His breath stopped as he worried that he wouldn't draw anymore.

"I want you to remember this moment, Lloyd…" Krux sighed, "Remember that right now, the only thing stopping me from killing you is for my own reasons. I have some reason to keep you alive," He pressed the knife a bit closer, "I think you can figure that out if you think hard enough."

Mage's eyes stared up at Krux in terror. Krux waited for a few more moments, then he withdrew the blade. Mage dropped his head to the ground, panting as Krux stood up. He looked down at the knife, then he dropped it right in front of Mage's face. The glint of the blade's edge flashed in Mage's eyes as it clattered to the ground in front of him.

"I'm sure you must be exhausted after that battle," Krux began to walk away, "That, and a side effect of that paralytic agent is drowsiness. It should take you a few hours before it all wears off. Maybe more. I'm sure that dragon of yours will be back soon to check on you."

With that, Krux began to walk away. Mage stared after him, but he felt a darkness begin to tug at him. His eyes began to grow heavy. He tried to follow where Krux was going, but the former leader wasn't looking at him anymore. Instead, he raised his hand, and several Vermillion warriors made their way up over the ridge towards him. Mage hadn't even remembered the warriors using the tanks when he crushed them.

Mage fought with all his willpower. He tried to say something, but he couldn't. He was unable to move. He told himself to stay awake, to keep fighting. Drag himself. But Krux was getting further away, just like his ability to think. He tried to say something, but he couldn't. He could only breathe. Slowly, as he watched Krux disappear off into the mountains, all he could do was manage one single 'Krux….' before he collapsed onto the rocks.

* * *

_Lloyd looked up towards the man in front of him. It was just like all of the travelers said: he really was an exact twin to his brother. The only thing that distinguished him in the identical armor he wore was the fact it was colored orange and red instead of blue and green. If he couldn't see color, he would never have figured out how to tell the two apart. _

"_You must be Lloyd," The man bowed his head, "It's an honor to meet you. We have all heard the legends of the one with the power of the First Elemental Master… I never thought I'd meet him in my lifetime." _

"_Everybody says that," Lloyd waved his hand, "Don't think of me like that! Just think of me like a really powerful kid!" _

"_Oh?" The man looked up, "Then I suppose you shouldn't think of me as a leader of the Time Tribe. You should think of me as Krux, your teacher for as long as this situation permits me to." _

"_Mhm! Nice to meet you, Krux!" Lloyd held his left hand out, focusing until the Time Matrix had formed over it, "Your brother showed me how to summon this thing. I'm not sure how to use it, though." _

"_Acronix always did get right to the point," Krux mused, "I think we should first get a few important lessons out of the way." _

"_Lessons?" Lloyd unsummoned the Time Matrix. _

"_To be more specific, the first, and most important lesson," Krux got down on one knee to be eye level with Lloyd, "When you're dealing with time, it's best to not to ever touch it." _

"_Huh?" Lloyd cocked his head, "What do you mean?" _

"_What I said," Krux stood back up, "If someone ever throws time at you, it's best to fight them without ever touching it yourself. When two people bend the rules of time, the danger is doubled. Until you learn how to sense the flow of time around you, permanently, I will be spending my time training you how to sense and react to time-based attacks." _

"_Oh… okay," Lloyd frowned, "I thought I'd be learning pause and reverse from you though."_

"_In time," Krux chortled at his own bad joke, "But right now, you must learn restraint." _

"_Are you sure you'll have time?" Lloyd shook his head, "I'm doing my best to stop this war but… it's already starting. What happens when you need to go off to fight?" _

"_..." Krux turned his back to Lloyd, "If the time comes where that must happen, I… I will do what needs to be done for my tribe. Your training will be put on hold then. But until then… I'll be working to train you." _

"_Mhm!" Lloyd perked back up, "Then let's make the most of it!" _

Mage shivered over the rocks as his dreams took him into his memories, to a time not so long ago that felt like years. As the rain poured over him, he couldn't help but remember the man that he had once thought of as his friend. A man that he thought of as honorable and kind. The rain continued to pour over him, just as Mage's memories poured over the angered mind of a broken child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings everyone! This was another chapter that was given almost a complete overhaul. A lot of what happened here wasn't originally planned, but eventually came to be. I hope you enjoy! I also wanted to mention again that I have another fic called The Furthest Realm that features Lloyd and Akita during S11's story. If you're interested in those two, please give it a read! Otherwise, thanks for reading this far, and Ninja-GO!


	32. Chapter 32

In the bubbling waters of the Toxic Wastes, hardly any creatures were stirring. The area was a massive marshland of acidic waters and fumes, meaning that few trees dared to grow along the sparse bits of earth that populated the area. The main settlement of the Poison Tribe was further to the north, nestled above large platforms of floating wood, a tribe that was said to eternally drift throughout their lands. According to those who lived there, the water was acidified by cracks at the bottom of the swamps. The tribe used their powers to remove the acidic substance from the water for their village. The acid they extracted could then be used in the creation of fertilizer for plants in other tribes and as important agents in the Metal Tribe's processing of ores. It often put the tribe in a position of interdependence with the other tribes, but with the way their territory was situated, invading them was near impossible.

Towards the southern part of the territory, large and twisted trees began to sprout up, forming a swampy area of forest that bubbled and hissed. Within this forest, bits of solid ground poked up in large clumps, allowing for someone to traverse. Walking through the forest would be a near impossible task for any army, or nearly any force that would wish to invade. Going over the land would take time, and to brave the acidic conditions would take longer.

That was, until the sound of an engine buzzing split through the quiet wastes. A hovercraft, built from the pieces of the Mechdragon using its secondary engines to act as the thrust to carry them over the acid, split through the waves. Massive curved walls made from its smooth sides prevented the acid from getting into the boat, even as those inside nervously huddled down against those walls in case any space droplets did. In the center of the hovercraft was a strange and awkward mash of pieces made from leftover bits, and on the front of the craft was the dragon's head. Lulloyd piloted it with his control sticks, which he found was a relatively difficult way of actually controlling something like this.

"How much further?" Monty, who was sitting in the dead center of the ship, taunting those unwilling to risk any potential acidic sprays, called out. The SoS was planted in front of him upside down, with his hands both placed on the bottom of the hilt with outstretched arms.

"N-Not much further!" The guard that had informed the group of the location called out, "We should be approaching the treeline soon enough!"

"Good," Monty growled, "We need to get this done with, and soon."

Lulloyd gulped nervously, navigating them further through the awkward patches of land and forcing them to slide over bits that he couldn't. The bottom of the craft was pure metal, taken from the rails leading to and from the Summit and built up to be a floor. The acid in the water wasn't strong enough to melt anything in this state, but Lulloyd heard it would eat through skin slowly and would kill if drunk. Whenever they went over land he looked down to the floor as if he was ready for it to completely break apart.

Despite the panic in them traveling over literal acid, Lulloyd soon did indeed see the treeline off in the distance. He slowed their speed, quieting down the engines as they approached it. The ground there was far more solid, and soon he found a large enough slab of earth for him to actually bring them up to gently slide onto. As soon as they were grounded, all those occupants on the boat quickly disembarked onto solid land.

Lulloyd jumped off and struck the boat, causing it to break into pieces and metal rails. With a few kicks, those rails sank down into the acid, disappearing rapidly down into depths. A few more seconds for him to build his dragon from memory and activate it, and the brick for the dragon was back on his back.

The group that stood in front of them was twelve in number, including the four universal travelers. Among them were two mind users, Chamille, two members speed users, a wind user and metal user, and Rina. Lloyd had asked for volunteers for this mission, and this had been what the group received. Many of the others were either injured, recovering, or wanting to return home to defend their tribes. Monty had muttered he would have liked a light user for some invisibility, but Paleman was nowhere to be found nor his tribe.

"Okay… so, let's get this started," Lulloyd turned to Chamille, "You said you could disguise the four of us, right?"

"Yep!" Chamille grinned, "Easily. You made me miss out on those raids you pulled, after all."

"Well then let's get to it," Monty yawned, "We don't have all day." He took out the SoS, planting it in the dirt for the moment.

"Alright, time for me to work my magic!" Chamile smirked, "I'm thinking… oh, you're already green, let's just go with nature!"

The power of form slowly began to leak out of Chamille's hands. Both Harumi and Lloyd closed their eyes, and when they reopened them Chamille led them over towards a puddle for them to see. The two had been shifted to look exactly like the denizens of this world, in every way. Harumi ran a hand over her newly colored skin, and Lloyd stared at his new fingers. The two wore simple robes with leather armor strapped around their arms, forearms, legs and chests, colored in deep green, brown and small accents of red. Harumi now had deep blue eyes with brown hair that grew out past her shoulders, while Lloyd had red hair with matching freckles and hazel eyes.

"Now, all I did was shift your outward physical appearance," Chamille shook her head, "I didn't actually change your bodies. If you got any weird powers like your friend over there, don't use 'em. You got about a half hour if I don't reup these. Oh, and don't let me get hit," She gave a toothy grin, "If I go down, you're all going with me. Get over here, Lulloyd."

The master builder nodded, walking over to her. She placed a hand on him and focused, causing his body to turn as well. Rather than wearing the colors of the Nature Tribe, however, Lulloyd was now wearing almost no armor at all, instead sporting the navy and light green shirt and pants of the Wind Tribe. His hair remained blonde, but his eye color was now yellow. Lulloyd walked over to the puddle to look down, and as he did, the others noticed that his elbows and knees remained fixed in place as normal. Walking looked… almost more unnatural like that.

"I suggest you try not to get seen too much," Chamille waved her hand, "Your… weird body is hard to disguise. This is just an image that other people are seeing. You don't have knees and your elbows don't move so… well, changing what you look like won't change how you move."

"I uh, I don't like this, it feels weird…" Lulloyd continued to look over his body, "I'm… I look so, not… you know…"

A sharp smack to the back of his head made Lulloyd raise his arms all the way behind his back to defend from it. Monty had just finished drawing his hand back. When Lulloyd gave a look to him, Monty sighed.

"You're just looking different, don't go complaining about looking different until you actually become it," Monty turned to the other two, "We going to have problems?"

"I've handled being possessed before," Lloyd looked pointedly straight towards Monty with a frown, "So looking different isn't anything different to me."

"And I trained with my entire team for years, including Ren," Harumi added with a scowl, "I can handle weird things."

"I'm ready when you all are," Rina gripped her fists. Unlike the last time they'd seen her, she now held a small short sword that she replaced into a sheath.

"You… know that this'll be dangerous, right?" Lulloyd looked up to her, "I know you saved me back then, but, you don't have to push yourself to do this. This'll be really deadly if it goes wrong."

"You said you were going," Rina smiled to him, "A general follows their warlord, right?"

"Heh… yeah, of course they do," Lulloyd turned, "Then, let's do this."

As Lulloyd walked to the front of the group, Monty raised an eyebrow, "So, you're a warlord after all now, eh?"

"Y-You weren't there…" Lulloyd muttered awkwardly, "A-Anyways! Let's get to the plan! Everyone listen up!"

The group turned to look at Lulloyd. Inhaling, Lulloyd pointed to the trees, "Firstly, Amdala and Cereb," He looked to the two mind users, "You two will hang back as soon as we get in sight of their base. Keep a mental link between us so we can communicate. If someone comes your way, let us know and then run. Don't get caught, okay?"

"No worries on that front, sir," Cereb, a male with glistening and slicked back black hair, bowed his head, "Amdala and I are apart of Neuro's personal guard. We're used to keeping links between people all across the tribe."

"Perfect," Lulloyd nodded, "When we arrive, Lloyd will scout the area for anything we need to know. Rina and Baux," He gestured to her and the metal user, "You two will get in close and survey the area. If they have any tanks, it'll be up to you to disable them. Make sure they can't escape quickly if we have to run for it."

"Kine and Veloc," Lulloyd turned to the two speed users, "You two will hang back until we figure out a way to get to the place where Skylar's group is being held. It'll be your job to help get them out and away from the base. Take them to a safe place. Okay?"

"No problem," Veloc, a girl with flaming purple locks, smirked at him, "We got it."

"Okay, and Gale," Lulloyd finally addressed the wind user, "You're on support. You'll start by helping Rina and Baux. If we need you, then you're the most mobile. Chamille will sneak into the camp to lead anyone away if it looks like we might get found out."

"Finally," Lulloyd looked to his three allies, "Lloyd, Harumi, Monty, you three will make your way to the captured group and work on getting them out. While you're doing that, I'm going to prepare our escape route. Once they're all out, you three will join Veloc and Kine and meet us at the escape point. Once they're all rescued, that's when we'll have the others meet us there and get out together. Anyone have any questions?"

"He really did learn everyone's names…" Harumi muttered, impressed. Nobody else said anything. Lulloyd nodded.

"Then let's get moving out," Lulloyd tapped his brick, "Once we get in there, though, it'll be up to Lloyd, Harumi and Monty to call the shots. So listen to them once we get there. Until then…" Lulloyd turned around, "Let's get moving!"

Lloyd looked off towards the treeline and nodded. Lulloyd took point, followed by Amdala and Cereb behind him. Monty took his spot behind them, followed by Chamille, Lloyd and Harumi. Next were Rina and Baux, who both nodded to each other in preparation. Finally, Veloc, Kine, and Gale took the rear.

"Not the worst plan," Monty turned around to Lloyd and Harumi behind him, "Looks like he can lead a group."

"You haven't met his dad," Lloyd shuddered, "Like… you really haven't. I'm a little concerned he called himself a warlord…"

The Toxic Wastes were in the northern part of the Poison Tribe territory, sharing borders with the Shadow and Metal tribes. With that in mind, the group had approached from the south, so as to ensure they wouldn't run into Vermillion that would for some reason be crossing the poisonous sea. The Vermillion had to have entered from the north to go in from dry land into the swamp. Thus, the group began to run their way north to begin the search.

The footing was uneven, and having the mind users in front ensured that nobody would run fast enough to make someone trip. With thin slivers of dirt that were surrounded by ponds and puddles of acidic water, it was imperative that their steps be clean. Lulloyd was thankful for it, since it meant he could show any areas to the ones behind him where they needed to step. Monty didn't seem overly worried about the poison, and he guessed since it wasn't fully water, it wouldn't kill him outright.

Given the situation, they had three main targets to worry about: Machia, Blunck, and Raggmunk. While the group could likely fool a random Vermillion warrior into thinking they were just some regular user, it wouldn't take long for those three to figure out something was up. Machia was the highest priority. Lloyd had been tasked to identify them right away first, then survey the area otherwise. Once they had, it would be up to the group to manage the operation.

Lulloyd had thought of this plan as thoroughly as he could. It'd been a full day since they'd located the tribe, and thus he's spent almost all of that time memorizing the layout of this land. In truth, while he could tell everyone around him thought he was confident and powerful… he was barely holding down pure anxiety at having to lead this. Outside of his team… this was his first time ever making a plan and leading people into battle. Would his dad be proud of him?

Suddenly, the mind users flattened to the ground, followed right by Lulloyd. Monty immediately vanished, signaling the rest to do the same. Lloyd's face was only inches away from water, and just seeing how it bubbled and fizzed, he didn't want to get any closer. The sound of a motor filled the area. In the distance, a Vermillion bike was driving off in the distance. The treads churned up dirt, and seemingly were able to withstand the splashing acidic waters. As soon as it vanished, Monty reappeared and gestured to it.

Lulloyd had them resume their run, this time following the vehicle. While they soon lost sight of it, it left a clear track through the forest, and thus was simple to follow. After another ten minutes of following the tracks, the group saw it parked off in the distance. They could see that there was something up in the distance, and Vermillion were stalking through in and around the trees like patrol guards.

The group split up into teams of three, each sliding along from tree to tree to hide as they approached the area. Lloyd pointed up his tree and gave Lulloyd a nod. Once Lulloyd twisted his hand in affirmation, Lloyd slowly scaled it. Silently, Lloyd climbed. Each time his shifted hands with those weird 'fingers' was in front of him, he felt a weird sensation go up his spine.

Lloyd slowly leapt from tree to tree until he could see an encampment. When he did, he got a strange sense of deja vu. Large wooden platforms had been built up almost like scaffolding, with several Vermillion cocoons placed into the ground around them. A large red flag bearing the Time Twins signal flapped in the air. A single Vermillion tank and three of those tracked bikes were parked around the camp. There were four of those wooden structures, in a rough diamond shape as it seemed. The largest of them was notable for the massive set of bars on the bottom floor of the structure. It looked near identical to what they'd found in the swamp in his own universe.

Seeing two familiar faces among the snake crowd, Lloyd quickly scaled his way about, using Airjitzu to silently speed through the air towards the camp. He found a tree that overlooked the area, gauging the distance between that tree and the top of one of those structures. Once he had, he focused and summoned Airjitzu again, floating first to the tree, then taking a large and fast leap out to the top of the structure. When he landed, he flattened down immediately.

Steadily, Lloyd made his way down the structure. The Vermillion were randomly standing guard about the area, some hissing at each like wanting to fight. He took care to very quietly and very nervously make his way around them. He made his way down to the bottom of the structure, flattening his back out as he saw the figures standing near the edge of the camp.

"...We did our jobs, and somehow Machia gets to take all her troops back to Iron Doom?" Raggmunk scoffed, "Not fair!"

"Well, we did fail to capture our targets," Blunck sighed, "But yeah, you're right."

"She gets all the praise!" Raggmunk raised his voice, "Just because she's smarter, a little more clever, a bit better bred…we were all bred the same way, Machia!"

Both noises cut off. Lloyd blinked and risked a glance. Both of them were clutching their heads as if in pain. When they looked up, both of them knocked their hands against their helmets and sighed.

"Stupid hivemind, why is she listening to us anyways?!" Blunck growled, only to wince again, "Okay, okay! We'll watch the prisoners! Sheesh, you know they won't find us anyways!"

"Heh, yeah, we're the stealthier group!" Raggmunk grinned, "And trust us, we won't let them get the better of us!"

Lloyd heard all he needed to know. He made his way back up the structure, climbing his way to the top and one more using Airjitzu back to the trees. Getting out was a bit more tense than getting in, but Lloyd trusted in his skills for the moment. Once he was outside the camp, Lloyd slowly made his way back to the group and looked to Monty.

_Don't say it out loud,_ Monty's voice rang out in their heads, _Cereb and Amdala have us mentally linked up._

_It's Raggmunk and Blunck, Machia isn't here,_

Lloyd reported, _They have one tank and three of those bikes. The bikes are on the edge, but the tank is in the middle. I think I counted around fifty Vermillion but there's probably more. There are four wooden towers, the biggest one is at the other side of the camp and that's where I'm sure the prisoners are. _

_Then we need to make sure they don't follow us,_ Lulloyd entered in, _Okay. We'll do this like we planned. Rina, Baux, you two get in there and start working on disabling those bikes. Take Gale with you. _

_You got it, general! _Rina affirmed. Lulloyd felt mocking snickers from Monty over their link.

_If you mean those big things I've heard, I got that,_ Chamille spoke up cockily, _I'll say I'm taking it out on patrol to get it away from here. Once we're out there, we'll wreck it. _

_The Vermillion are a hive mind, and I haven't heard them speak, _Harumi butted in, _You can't go up and speak to them, and I don't know how to simulate a hivemind. _

_I'll handle the tank, _Monty grunted, _You work on keeping those two generals distracted. _

_Then the plan goes on like normal,_ Lulloyd affirmed, _I'll get working on our escape point. Cereb and Amdala will stay back here and keep the link open. Kine and Veloc, you two come with me. Once we get the signal, it'll be your time to get moving._

Chamille broke off first, making her way around the camp towards where Lloyd had spotted the two generals. Lloyd and Harumi were joined up by Monty, who drew the SoS and turned invisible. Rina and Baux snuck their way by floating in the air under Rina's power over any Vermillion patrolling the area, landing near the parked bikes. Gale followed in after them, green hair billowing behind her as she landed beside the two and nodded to them.

_Let's get this over with,_ Monty ordered, _I'm sure we all have things to do today. _

Chamille smirked, _Oh I do, and gladly. _The woman stood up from the foliage where she hid, brushing her hair back as she focused. Slowly, she began to shift. Her skin turned to red snakes coiled around each other, and steadily, she gained a helmet and armor. Within a few seconds, she looked exactly like a Vermillion soldier. She slowly worked on her voice, coughing out until she was hissing and growling like one.

_If they talk to you, nod your head if they put their hand on their head and their eyes glow, that's them giving you an order through the hive, _Lloyd told Chamille, who scoffed to him.

_You're talking to the leader of the Form Tribe here,_ Chamille grinned, _I got this. _

Chamille slowly stalked forward, making her way out of the treeline. She hunched herself over, making herself look a bit more animalistic. As she approached the camp, she made her way slowly through the throng of snakes. None of the Vermillion seemed to pay her mind. When she saw one holding a sword, she walked forward and yanked it out of the warrior's hands.

The warrior turned on her, hissing violently into her face. Chamille simply hissed back, raising the sword towards it. The warrior slowly looked to the sword and then growled ferally, stepping back. Chamille resisted the urge to smirk and slowly walked her way over to where two snakes that looked different from the rest were. She stopped as she approached the two, blinking and waiting for confirmation she'd gotten them right.

_The darker one is Raggmunk, the orange one is Blunck, _Lloyd told her, _They can command the hive mind, so if they order you make sure you, you know, obey. _

Chamille looked to the tank. The large thing was parked towards the middle of the camp, and Vermillion were all around it. She'd thought there would be some sort of distinction between generals, but it didn't look it. If she tried to use that excuse, she'd be found out.

_Alright, tiny change in plans. Rina, Baux, Gale, once I get this going, get ready to sneak in and take this thing out. Monty, you go with your friends. _Before the group could ask what she meant, Chamille stalked up to Blunck and Raggmunk and began spitting and hissing at them.

"Huh?" Raggmunk turned towards her, raising his eyebrow, "Is something the matter, soldier?"

Chamille hissed again, raising her sword in the air. She made two little jabs with it, then pointed to both of them. Both of them stared at her in confusion before Blunck cocked his head and crossed his arms at her.

"Are you trying to challenge us to a duel, soldier?" Blunck growled, "Clearly you must be from a defective brood. We're your superior commanders."

Chamille hissed even harder, swinging her sword again. Other Vermillion began to take notice, slowly turning and converging towards their commanders. Blunck and Raggmunk looked around at them before Raggmunk growled and raised his hand up to his head.

"Stand down, soldier!" Raggmunk's eyes glowed, "We're not interested in this challenge."

Thinking quickly, Chamille put her hands to her head, spitting more and shaking her head as she doubled over, simulating being hurt by their order. Both commanders looked to each other again, drawing their attention away. As soon as they did, Chamille slowly and jerkily raised her head, then flung the sword at them. Raggmunk yelped as he dodged the weapon.

"I think we need to make an example of this clearly defective warrior," Blunck reached onto his back to draw a massive bladed hammer, "Give them that sword and let's get this over with."

Raggmunk tossed Chamille the sword she'd flung. She caught it, mimicking rubbing her head as if recovering from resisting an order. Once she did, Blunck had hissed and swung his hammer overhead at her. Chamille shot the sword up, catching the hammer with it. Almost instantly, she felt the sheer strength inside of his swing, and she momentarily felt a small pang of fear. She forced the hammer back, staggering back and holding the sword up.

"Make this fun for me," Blunck hissed happily, "I need to relieve some stress."

As the two began to trade blades, more Vermillion began to steadily make their way to see the fight. Vermillion from all around the camp began to move towards the fight, coming to see the duel. As Chamille engaged the two, attention was steadily drawn away from the rest of the group. Rina, Baux, and Gale hunkered down behind the bikes, looking over their shoulders to wait for Vermillion to be far enough away to get ready to start.

Meanwhile, Lloyd took advantage of the chaos to move himself, Harumi and Monty closer. With Monty being invisible, Lloyd had to assume he was there. He climbed his way up one the closet wooden tower, followed by Harumi and presumably Monty. When they reached the sound level, they waited to see that none of the Vermillion nearby were able to see them. There was one tower between them and the larger one that he still believed held the cage they were looking for.

_Now! _Rina stated over their bond. Baux reached out with his hands, running them along the treaded mechanism of the bike. Rina increased the weight of the center of the bike, aiding in the process, while Gale kept a lookout. The bike was soon crippled by the two elements destroying its internal systems and crippling the space for the snakes. The two moved on to the other two bikes, repeating the process. The third bike sparked somewhat as they crushed it, and Gale, seeing a Vermillion starting to turn, grabbed them both and blasted them into the underbrush behind them. The sparks died down long enough for the warrior not to pay them more mind.

Lloyd reached out and opened his arm to Harumi. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and Lloyd leapt into the air. He'd found one benefit to Airjizu was that it was almost silent after the initial windup, and he formed the cyclone to carry them up into the air. The two soared through the air like a twirling toy towards the next tower. Monty followed behind them. Lloyd gripped the top of the next tower, gearing himself up for the next jump.

_Chamille, how are you doing? _Monty asked, affirming he was still there, _Having fun yet?_

Chamille had just gone onto her back, hissing out and groaning as Blunck had scored a hit on her. She snarled through the snakes as she shot back, _I'm holding back here to make this last longer. Worry about yourself. _

_Great. I'll handle myself here,_ Monty nodded, _Lloyd, Harumi, get to it._

Lloyd and Harumi took one more leap into the air and use of Airjitzu. Carrying Harumi made his form slightly more awkward to pull off, and the weight made them not gain as much height. The two one more twirled through the air down towards the ground. They landed on the third platform of the larger tower. The Vermillion were still preoccupied with the match of generals and warrior. Giving each other a nod, they climbed down the back of the tower to the ground. They slunk around the side of the tower, finding themselves at the prison they were looking for.

The bars seemed to be completely made of wood, and Harumi looked to the metal look as soon as she arrived. She formed a Rhotate disc in her hand and reached forward, cutting through the metal and gently opening the door. Lloyd looked around, ensuring no snakes saw it. Harumi went first, followed by their Lloyd. He closed the door behind them, then turned to the inside of the cell. Monty appeared behind them a second later, giving a sigh as he did.

_We're in,_ Harumi spoke up, _Rina, how are you all doing with the bikes?_

_The bikes are out, but the Vermillion are getting rowdy,_ Rina replied, _We can't go after the tank until we draw their attention somehow. They aren't focusing on where you guys are right now. _

_Kine, Veloc, you see where they are?_ Lulloyd asked over the link.

_Yep!_ Veloc's chipper voice came through, _We're ready to get them out once you're ready. Lulloyd had got the escape plan ready too. _

Harumi looked around the room. There were perhaps twenty people in the room. Given that Skylar had left with thirty, she put the thought as to where the rest of them were off for now. They were hanging from the walls by chains, with the interior shaped like a large circle. To her right were Alacr, Dorian and Ray. To her left hung Nya and Griffin Turner. Between them were the rest of their collective group. All of them had been stripped of their armor and weapons, and most of them looked rather badly beaten. Nya had the worst of them all, with angry cuts and scrapes along her body that looked incredibly painful to the touch.

"...Wha…?" Griffin raised his head, his eyes blearily opening, "You… you aren't snakes…?"

"Shh," Harumi shushed, "We're here to get you out. Are any of you hurt?"

"Are… you here to help?" Alacr slowly raised his head. Across his chest was a massive and angry slash that looked in desperate need of attention, "Is… is Skylar here?"

"No," Lloyd informed him, "We need to be quiet. We're working to get you out right now. We're using form right now. I'm Lloyd, that's Harumi and, well, Monty isn't using anything."

"Did they do anything to you?" Monty asked pointedly.

"Machia… she said she had to go meet her masters, and then she would start some 'experiments' on us," Griffin shook his head, "This… this is all of us. They were planning to separate us as soon as she gets back."

Lloyd nodded, making his way over to Nya. As soon as he walked to her, however, his hand recoiled. On her neck was a red serpent, biting into the flesh. It looked asleep, but touching it would likely wake it up. When Lloyd stopped, Harumi turned to him in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Harumi asked, only to narrow her eyes, "Why is that there?"

"They… they put that on her… when we got here…" Dorian lifted her head, one of her eyes swollen shut, "They… said that if we escape, or disturb the serpent it'll… bite. Since, she's the worst off we… we can't do anything to escape."

"Can you use your powers?" Lloyd asked. Alacr shook his head and nodded to the chains.

"They brought these chains from somewhere," Alacr tugged on them, "We can't use our powers in them."

"That looks like vengestone… they must have harvested it while in Monty's world," Harumi mused, "So we'll have to take them off to get them out… and when we do, it'll tell them something's up."

"What's your plan for getting us out?" Griffin looked around, "Most of them aren't gonna be waking up to be doing any running."

"We have two of your soldiers, Kine and Veloc, waiting nearby," Lloyd explained, "We'll get you all out one by one and to our escape plan. Lulloyd had something waiting for us."

"Does anyone else have a chain snake?" Harumi asked. Alacr turned his head to show one around the back of his neck. Griffin did the same.

"We need to do this carefully then," Monty sighed, "Start with the rest of them, then leave these three for last."

_Kine, Veloc, get going and start taking them back,_ Lulloyd ordered, _Chamille, how are we looking on that tank?_

_I'm WORKING on it! _Chamille hissed over the link, _These guys aren't exactly easy to deal with! _

Harumi walked over to Dorian, looking at her and then forming a Rhotatae disc in her hand. Rhotatae itself wasn't connected to elemental power, but she was forced to spin it incredibly fast to cut through the chains. She grunted in effort, forcing it through until the chains finally snapped. She repeated the process on the other side, taking nearly a minute to fully undo Dorian's chains.

Monty and Lloyd guarded the entrance to the place. They held the bars open enough for Kine and Veloc to come through. Soon enough, the two speed users had sped their way into the room and looked to where Dorian was shakily standing. Ray came down next after another minute. The two took hold of Dorian and Ray on their backs, then zipped out of the room.

_Keep buying us time, Chamille,_ Lloyd asked her, _We need time to get them all out! _

_I got maybe ten more minutes of… eight more minutes of fight left! _ Chamille growled back to him, _Rina and the others are waiting to do something about that tank! _

Lloyd looked out the bars to where Chamille was fighting. She was indeed locked in fierce combat, and she looked to be tiring. She was holding up rather well, all things considered, though. Monty was holding the SoS out, looking into it and then looking towards the entrance to the cell to see if anyone was going to attack. Without any Vermillion coming, he nodded.

To help the process along, Lloyd began hacking away at the chains with his swords. It wasn't good for the blades, but Harumi was going to get completely drained cutting them one by one. Minute by minute, Kine and Veloc arrived to take two at a time. It took a total of eight trips to get all but Griffin, Alacr and Nya. During all of it, Monty was looking into his sword, a tense feeling of the plan proceeding filling the room. It was imperative right now none of them do anything to jeopardize the plan.

Finally, an exhausted Veloc and Kine delivered the last unconscious soldier back, waiting back with the other rescued victims. Lloyd and Harumi took a long few moments to figure out what to do about the snake that was holding up the remaining three. They dared not cut their chains for fear of waking their snakes up.

"Can we do something to startle the Vermillion?" Harumi asked, "If we can distract them with something big, we can cut these snakes without alerting them."

"But what can we do that's big enough to do that?" Lloyd asked in turn, "We can't just go and fight them outright!"

_I got a bit of an idea_ Monty asked, _Rina, how strong are you with gravity? _

_I'm average,_ Rina informed him, _Why?_

_Can you and Baux move that tank with just your powers? _Monty asked.

_...Uhm, I mean… very slowly and, not for long? I could barely rip up stairs. Maybe if Baux helps me lift it? But, they'd be able to tell that someone is going on right away. You'd have to be ready to leave right away. _

_I think I see where you're going with this,_ Lulloyd added, _Okay, Rina, when I give the signal, push that tank towards the Vermillion. _

Lloyd and Harumi stood, Lloyd ready with his katanas and Harumi with her Rhotate. They both readied themselves to simultaneously cut the trigger snakes apart. Monty put the SoS away and instead got ready to draw his pistols as needed. Chamille was still desperately fighting, and looking rather slugged out. Blunck was still going strong against her.

_Now! _Lulloyd ordered. Rina and Baux stood up from the treeline and focused their powers. Rina lightened the gravity as best she could on the tank, while Baux used the metal to guide its direction. With a controlled heave, they flung the tank straight towards where Blunck and Chamille were fighting. The tank hovered over the ground straight towards them, then dug into it. It kicked up dirt as it went. Chamille and Blunck both dodged, panic filling the hivemind as the tank tipped over onto its side, coming crashing down over the top.

Lloyd and Harumi acted as soon as the tank was causing the most panic. With two katanas and a disc, the three snakes were cut in half. They immediately turned their weapons towards the entrance, expecting Vermillion to figure out what had happened. After almost fifteen seconds of waiting, none did. It seemed the distraction had worked!

Right on cue, Kine and Veloc arrived. The two took hold of Griffin and Nya, apologizing for the rough ride before they both zoomed off. This left only Lloyd, Harumi, Monty and Alacr, who was slumped against the wall. Harumi moved over and helped Alacr to his feet.

"Alright," Monty turned to the two, "I can get away being invisible. Lloyd, you'll use Airjitzu, and Harumi you'll hitch a ride along with Alacr. We'll meet up at the point like Lulloyd said."

"You take orders surprisingly well," Lloyd blinked, "I just realized that."

"Because it isn't a stupd plan, unlike Ronin's usual ones," Monty waved his hand, "Lulloyd actually thinks things through. Not that I like following orders, mind you."

_Guys!_ Lulloyd's nervous voice filled their heads, _Are you still in that cage?! _

_Yeah, why?_ Lloyd asked. The sudden sound of slithering outside answered his question in the worst way possible.

_They're heading right for you! _Lulloyd frantically called out, _Kine, Veloc, you have to get them out of there! _

_The snakes are already swarming them! _Veloc protested, _We can't get in there to help them! _

"Great…" Monty looked out the bars, seeing the Vermillion indeed starting to converge on them, "They figured us out."

"Was it the snakes?" Harumi frantically looked down to the dead trigger snakes.

_Chamille got away when that tank fell, I think they're looking for her! _Lulloyd gulped nervously, _We, we have to get you guys out of there! _

"Search the camp!" Blunck's command shouted through the air, "I don't know where that one went but I wasn't finished!"

"What do we do?!" Lloyd backed up, drawing his twin katanas, "We're surrounded!"

"Leave me…" Alacr groaned in Harumi's grasp, "If… you leave me, you might have a chance at escape."

"We're not leaving anyone behind, no matter how much they might want to be," Monty shook his head, "Mage would kill us if we left you here."

_I-I'm sorry guys…_ Lulloyd gulped, _I, I didn't know they would think to search the cells like this! _

_We'll distract them while you all fight your way out! _Rina shouted, _We can help you all escape! _

Without any choice, Lloyd, Harumi and Monty all readied themselves for battle. Harumi formed green power in her hand and pointed it towards the door. Monty drew two pistols and trained them on the entrance. Lloyd spun his katanas in hand and gripped them again. Alacr turned his head away from the entrance.

_There, there has to be something we can do! _Lulloyd began to think, desperately working to deal with this new development, _...Wait a minute! This entire thing is built on top of dirt that's all soaked in poison, right? _

_Yes,_ Monty responded to him, _What's your point? _The slithering just seemed to get closer and closer to the entrance.

_Rina! _Lulloyd shouted over the link, _When I order you to, I want you to increase the gravity of the dirt around the cage! _

"What?!" Monty turned to look at Lloyd and Harumi, "How's that going to help?!"

"...If we increase the density of the dirt, then… it'll force anything of lower density up from the ground… like water… and destabilize the structure!"

_I'm on it!_ Rina informed Lulloyd, _Just tell me when! _

With a strong kick, the wood to the bars broke apart. Several of the Vermillion rapidly swarming inside ready for a fight, swarming the space to put the three in for another fight for their lives.

_NOW! _Lulloyd shouted, _Just do it now! _

As the disguised Lloyd, Harumi, an invisible Monty and impared Alacr readied to face the horde, the building suddenly began to shake. Harumi looked down, seeing something beginning to seep out of the ground. A Vermillion stepped in it, causing his foot to begin to hiss angrily.

"Let's go!" Harumi shouted, blasting the Vermillion with a disc. With a shout of support, Lloyd dragged Alacr forward as the two made a rush for the Vermillion just as the tower began to sink and collapse into the acidic ground.

* * *

Flanked by two Vermillion warriors, Krux' stepped his way down into the mouth of the massive black cave. It had recently rained, a small stream of water flowing down the center of the entrance as a result. He scoffed at it and raised his Time Blade into the air, calling on a bit of its power to charge it to act as a lantern. The Vermillion, able to see in the dark, simply hissed to him.

"I've returned!" Krux' called out, "You can show yourselves to me!"

There was no response. Krux' sighed and walked further into the cave, moving until the light of the mouth was far behind them and he was deep enough that he could feel the moisture in the still air. Rolling his eyes, he reached out and tapped his foot on the rock in front of him, flashing his blade once more and stepping back.

Steadily, the rocks in front of him began to shift. Like the pages of a book, two massive rock slabs began to open up. Large clawed hands wrenched them open, and a red light shone from the massive hole that they revealed. The arms thrust the slabs aside as those hands, both several times larger than Krux' himself, thrust out and gripped the edge of the hole. Steadily, a large beady red eye lifted up and shone down on Krux' and his escorts, bathing him in red.

As the head rose, the rest of the body did as well. Steadily, it raised until the massive dial that Krux' had come to be known as the 'Time Matrix' (not to be confused with the one he used to wield) was shining a strange filtered light over him instead. Through the opening between the neck and that massive circle, however, were the two faces that he wished to see.

"What?" The double to his brother, Acronix, yawned to him.

"For what reason have you summoned us?" Krux, thankfully looking far different from himself for differentiation, spat, "You know that you can communicate to use through our horde."

"I have taken care of Lloyd," Krux' bowed, "He will no longer trouble us."

"Wait, really?!" Acronix leaned over the console, a massive grin on his lips, "Did you really?! Wow, and with that blade? I would have thought you'd need the reversal one for that!"

"This is a very welcome development…" Krux nodded his head, "I believe that means we are ready for our next phase."

"Oh?" Krux' leaned upwards and looked out to the cave, "You are ready to attack the Time Tribe?"

"No… _you_ are ready to attack the Time Tribe!" Krux laughed, "You know the plan."

"Of course I do, I simply make clear that I know my place in your plans," Krux' smirked, "I'll attack the Tribe with your massive machine, and when I do I will drive the war between those two sides further apart than ever before. We'll start by turning that Teran my brother left in charge of the tribe. The first domino will fall and I will have my people back."

"With us as your advisors, of course," Acronix added, "But yes, you will have what you want. And we will have it through you. Do you understand this?"

"I do," Krux' smirked, "Let us go right away, there is no time to lose!"

"Perhaps not right away," Krux frowned, "We have had to devote quite a number of Vermillion to intercepting that foolish plan made by those pitiful leaders. It would be best to await their return."

"Why?" Krux' shook his head, "Your machine is strong enough to take on entire armies without even moving! Whatever you faced in your former worlds, it will not happen here. And if we win with just what we have, will that not mean that when we fortify your machine with all of the Vermillion, they will be underprepared to counterattack?"

"He makes a good point!" Acronix pointed out, "And besides, we were already ready to go a week ago!"

"Hrm… it is a tempting idea," Krux nodded, "Very well. But you will stick to our original plan, understood? You can leave no witnesses that would tell the others of our attack."

"Of course," Krux' smirked, even as he stepped forward and reached his hand out. The Iron Doom bent forward and Krux reached out, taking hold of his hand and hoisting Krux' into the machine.

"Appearances aside," Acornix let Krux' take his seat as the Iron Doom began to climb its way out of the hole it had been in, "You have surpassed all our expectations. I am impressed that you have managed to do so much in so little time!"

"It is all about planning ahead," Krux' smirked as the Iron Doom slowly slithered its way out of the cave with a massive groan, "One that doesn't plan ahead is one that fails to take more than a single step."

"Well said," Krux nodded in approval as the Iron Doom finally slithered out of the cave for the first time in months.

From the massive gaping mouth of the cave, the Iron Doom stood on a small plateau. Behind them, they could look to see the ruins of the Amber Tribe. The land had been abandoned sans for Skylar, who was too disgusted by the ruins of her former people to ever dare look for them. With the Vermillion operating from another location, the Twins had remained perfectly hidden for months. Beyond those ruins, they could see the mountains that would lead to the Time Tribe, and the start of their conquest. The three inside the Iron Doom all smiled together as they readied to being their full domination of the world in the final step of their plan.

Suddenly, a massive rumbling filled the area. Krux' turned the Iron Doom around, only to feel dust billow up to cover the machine. He rapidly moved the arms to clear the dust away, only to see that the entrance to the cave had been covered by a massive stone slab. The dirt was perfectly straight, and standing on top of the stone was a figure in golden robes.

"You?!" Krux' spat, "But, I left you for dead!"

Mage didn't say anything. He lowered his head, his fists gripping. Krux' lifted the Iron Doom's left arm to swipe him directly off the slab. Mage kept his head lowered and thrust his right arm out. The arm suddenly struck a seemingly solid wall of air and recoiled hard, snapping backwards away from him. The force caused the Iron Doom to slide across the rocks, the sound of it scraping carrying on in the air with massive screeches.

"I've finally found you…" Mage raised his eyes, his pupils on fire with rage, "It's time to save my world."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, we come to a confrontation that has been building with Mage! 
> 
> A quick note I wanted to make: in this case, Krux’ is read as “Krux Prime” to establish that he is the Krux of Mage’s universe. Generally, which one I establish as the Prime is based upon the importance of the character. It's relative to which universe the group is currently in. I got the idea from an old fanfic I read a long time ago that designated them with * instead. I've learned too much calculus, so I used ' instead. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!


	33. Chapter 33

"You said you finished him off!" Acronix grabbed hold of Krux''s chest armor, dragging him up from the control console, "Did you lie to us?!"

"I have never lied to you!" Krux' spat back, shoving Acronix off him, "He's simply harder to deal with than the others!"

"He's seen the Iron Doom now, you fool!" Krux growled at him, "Do you realize this means that if he is not killed here, our plans will be for nothing?!"

"I'll take care of him," Krux' turned back to the controls.

As soon as he did, Krux gripped his arm to stop him. Krux' looked up, only to be thrown hard across the room. As he smashed into the metal plates behind him, the plates began to open up and snakes amoved up to grab hold of him. Krux' shouted in terror as he was suddenly yanked into the floor, his vision being swallowed up by red as teeth and slithering bodies enveloped him. He continued to sink further into the floor, until a voice rang out around him.

_You will get a chance to correct your mistake, _An amalgamation of Krux and Acronix's voices rang from around him, _Until then, you will stay here! _

"You must be the other Acronix and Krux!" Mage shouted, leaping into the air with one eye copper and the other gunmetal as his foot turned metal. In his left hand, he held Aevum, the blade glistening with energy and pulsing angrily. His left arm was bandaged from the knife wound. He swung Aevum down on the Iron Doom's head. The head was enveloped in time energy, and the ground underneath the Iron Doom cracked as Mage transferred gravity directly into the Iron Doom. The ground began to creak with the sheer force of his attack.

"You know of us?" Krux asked calmly, even as his hands gripped the Iron Doom's console.

"You two have faces I'm already really FAMILIAR WITH!" Mage shouted, leaping backwards from his kick and spraying massive jets of flames from his right hand. The ground under the massive machine went bright red as the flames burned across the surface of the Iron Doom. The heat was enough that several snakes inside were melted where they slithered.

The metal of the Iron Doom, however, was only slightly singed. As Mage drifted back to the ground with gravity, the behemoth whipped around, sending the spiked tail flying straight towards Mage. Mage saw the tail at the last second and held Aevum out, catching the tail with it. The tail slowed in time with a blue glow stretching over most of its surface, but the impact sent Mage flying backwards off the edge of the plateau.

"It seems what they say is true…" Krux muttered, adjusting his neck and the snake attached to it, "He truly has the ability to use every element."

"Hmmph," Acronix scoffed, "I think we should test if he can truly use _every_ element!"

A massive slide of ice shot up the side of the mountain, stretching up into the air and bending over like an arch. With a flash of the element of speed, Mage shot up the ice and up high into the air. As soon as he was, his body turned metal, sending him plunging straight towards the machine. The Iron Doom reached onto its back, drawing out a crudely cobbled together but deadly massive double bladed staff it took in both hands and shot up into the air to face the oncoming boy. Mage had one hand on Aevum's sheath, with a finger ready to slide Aevum out.

Just as Mage was about to connect with the staff, his body turned back from metal. Wind rocketed from his feet, sending him straight over the staff. The Time Twins let out a collective growl as Mage flipped around, thrusting his feet out and releasing jets of fire that blasted him down towards the Iron Doom. The machine turned to stop him, but Mage wasn't stopping.

With a single motion, Mage sliced through the Iron Doom's head. His body turned into a thin line that ended with him behind the Iron Doom on the ground, Aevum fully extended. The machine rocketed for a few moments, then let out a massive wail of pain as a gasp appeared on the side of its head. The Iron Doom swung its staff backwards, attempting to spear Mage into the ground. With its head enveloped in slow energy, however, it misjudged its speed and swung past him. Mage turned to smoke just before it went overhead.

When Mage reformed, he reached out with one hand and yanked a massive pillar of earth straight into the back of the machine. The Iron Doom staggered forward, letting go of its staff with one hand to grip the side of the mountain the now closed off cave entrance was in. Mage drew up two more pillars to strike its chest, snapping it back upright. He sheathed Aevum again to reach out with both hands and blast the torso with frigid ice to pain the snakes inside.

Mage's eyes went brown as the Iron Doom turned towards him. Pillars began to erupt from the ground like fists, rapidly striking the ice and shattering it. The Iron Doom was knocked from one direction to another, each impact of the pillars breaking the rocks apart and sending massive boulders, some the size of Mage himself, flying off into the air. Mage placed his hands on the ground and growled. The onslaught continued, snapping the behemoth backwards until one massive pillar rose from the ground.

"ORA!" Mage thrust his own fist forward, sending the pillar soaring straight into the Iron Doom's torso. The machine let out a cry of pain and finally toppled backwards, the impact cracking the rocks and snapping its head over the side of the plateau. A massive ring of where the rocks Mage had used to strike him was torn into the ground underneath the Iron Doom's base, stretching all the way to its lower back.

Mage panted heavily, sweating pouring down his forehead. He'd used up at least a quarter of his elemental power in that onslaught, maybe a sixth if he was pushing himself to his limits. He could feel the massive force of life coming from that machine, if only for the massive amount of heat all of those snakes were putting off. With that feeling still there, he didn't flinch as the Iron Doom pushed itself back up to its feet.

"That was a good one, boy…" Acronix's voice rang from the machine, "You clearly have some combat experience. But the Iron Doom is a machine that not even you can surpass!"

Mage sensed the projectile before he even knew he was dodging from it. A black cocoon shot straight out from the Iron Doom's right shoulder, exploding into the ground and leaving a small crater from it. Mage saw another being loaded and ran forward. As it soared towards him, he drew Aevum again and swung upwards. The cocoon was split and slowed as Mage raced forward with it, unabated.

The Iron Doom sent its fist soaring straight down towards Mage. Rather than attempt to meet it head on, Mage turned into a shadow and used the shadow of the Iron Doom's arm to make his way underneath the arm and torso. Mage saw a massive flap on the front with marks that seemed to indicate it'd been welded back on at some point. Thinking fast, he reached out with metal, gripping hold of it and giving it a massive yank with his powers.

"Not again!" Krux's voice shouted out. Mage, so focused on tugging, was too slow to avoid the hand moving to grab hold of him. His body was sent soaring into the air, the g-force of being picked up weighing down on him and making the world spin. When he stopped, he took in a deep breath and looked down to see he was being held so far in the air it would give most people vertigo. In his confusion, he'd dropped Aevum.

Mage didn't wait to see whether or not he'd be dropped or crushed. Instead, he electrified his body, sending it straight into the hand of the Iron Doom. The fingers convulsed and yanked open as he did, sending Mage tumbling through the air. Mage sent water out of his hands to steady himself, then turned his body to spray down the front of the Iron Doom with it. His other hand shot lightning straight out into the Iron Doom, shocking the entire machine as he did.

The Iron Doom roared in pain as the lightning was sent straight up its body. Mage had no way of knowing, but he had hit some of the main electronic components in doing so. The machine doubled over as it attempted to use its snakes to ground the current inside of it. Krux and Acronix both sputtered as their control panel started to rapidly spark and burst, sending little arcs up into their hands as they did. Mage landed on the ground, his breath heaving hard.

"YOU!" The Iron Doom screeched, sending its fist down towards Mage once more. Mage steadied his stance and then reached out with both hands, gripping the fist coming towards him with metal. He strained as hard as he could, causing the first to stop in midair and begin to shake. He raised one arm up into the air, his palm open and facing the air. The massive fist trembled violently and began to rise up. The Iron Doom tried to sling its other fist, but Mage twisted his hand upside down in the air.

The fist caught in Mage's element suddenly squealed, then it snapped as the forearm was twisted a solid 90° away from it sbody. The machine screamed out in pain, jerking its arm free and out of Mage's grasp. An exhausted Mage saw the fist still coming at him and leapt backwards, ice spreading out along the ground where he landed sending him skidding backwards. As he leaned against a rock and forced himself to catch his breath, the fist struck the ground and was sent down into the earth, shattering rock which would have surely crushed his body had it hit.

"I'M SICK OF THEM ALWAYS ATTACKING THE ARMS!" Krux shouted through the Iron Doom in genuine rage, "I'll rip your arms off for that, you insolent child!"

"If you had let me instal the laser cannons before we left that stupid girl's world, we wouldn't have this problem!" Acornix shot back just as angrily.

"That modern technology has removed your ability to think of solutions with what we have!" Krux spat at his brother, "You think far too small, just throwing punches!"

"I'm the one controlling the footing, you're the one focusing on attacking!" Acronix countered, "Which you should be doing right now!"

"I am!" Krux turned back to the viewport, only to see Mage floating in the air with copper eyes.

Mage, despite sweating profusely from exerting so much power at once, placed his hands on his head. Suddenly, both Krux and Acronix slammed their heads onto the console as an intense and painful scream was going off inside their heads. It didn't seem to be coming from anywhere except inside of their heads, making it impossible to drown it out. Both brothers cried out in pain as the scream only intensified, seemingly threatening to deafen them and break their minds.

"H-He's trying to kill us!" Acronix shouted.

"Vermillion…!" Krux strained, slamming his fist down on the console, "Take this noise… out of our heads!"

Both Twins connected themselves to the hive, and, within seconds, all of the snakes in the Iron Doom were sharing that same scream. The scream was dulled enough that both Twins could look up with eyes filled with pained rage. Mage felt it happening too late and saw the arm of the Iron Doom he'd broken suddenly twist back into place with a heave and come right form under him in an uppercut. He went soaring up into the sky, his body searing in pain. Thinking quickly, Mage drew Aevum and struck his leg with the flat of the blade. His body was slowed in time, giving him enough time to see where he'd land. When he struck the ground, metal vanished from his legs that absorbed the impact. With or without it, though… taking those punches would easily break all the bones in his body.

The twins, however, weren't going to give him time to think. Several Vermilion leapt out of the Iron Doom and straight towards him. Mage brought his hands together and increased their gravity, sending them down towards the ground just as they all swiped at him. He held Aevum out with a pant and then his body flashed with speed. It was a single straight line, but gave him enough time to end up behind them and bring the sword down on them as they landed.

Mage held one leg out, then he fired wind from it. He focused, spinning his body around as he did. The wind rapidly kicked up and began to swirl around him, drawn in from the area with a suction force that grew and grew against the Iron Doom. Soon, Mage started to lift in the air as a massive vortex formed around him. The darkened tornado that soon surrounded him, with a single spark from his hand, was suddenly consumed in flames. The massive deadly fire whirl continued to grow and grow until it was nearly as tall as the Iron Doom itself, casting a deadly red and orange light over the beast.

The Iron Doom reached out to try to grab Mage inside of the tornado, but the sheer force of the flames scorched its arm and the machine bellowed out in pain as it removed its now blackened hand. The fire whirl grew larger and larger as he forced more and more wind into it. The Iron Doom warbled as the force of the tornado began to suck its body towards it. Massive rocks and debris along the mountain were rapidly sucked into the tornado, only to be either incinerated or burned as they entered. The Iron Doom plunged its staff into the ground just to give itself something to hold onto as the pull began to actually overtake it.

"This is insanity!" Krux shouted, "We are the Hands of Time! We cannot… lose to a child! This… we have a solution for this!"

"Indeed… indeed we do, brother!" Acronix shouted, clinging to his console as hard as he could, "And it is, far more simple than I believe you think it to be!"

Mage screamed in effort, twisting his fire whirl to the point it lit up the mountains for miles across the flat plains. The Iron Doom's grip began to loosen around the staff as its tail was sucked into the flames. The Vermillion screamed in pain as it scorched and incinerated snakes left and right inside of the machine. Krux started to show fear in his eyes, gripping the console tightly.

"Brother!" Acronix shouted, drawing himself back up from the viewport, "Do you trust me?!"

Krux opened one eye. Acronix held the reversal blade in his hand, clutching it like his life depended on it. Krux stared at it, then he nodded his head. With approval, Acronix focused and suddenly the blade activated. Time slowed down, stopped, and then suddenly began to reverse itself. Acronix felt the flow of time reverse for him and grow faster as he did so. He focused on the images he was seeing, holding on until he finally found the moment he needed.

The blade released its grasp on time, and Acornix found himself back inside the cockpit of the Iron Doom. Mage was floating in front of them, just readying his sonic attack on their minds. Acronix grabbed the Iron Doom's console and tapped buttons quickly. The head of the Iron Doom bent down, the eye shining towards Mage. Mage, too focused on preparing his attack, didn't hear the laser charging up from the eye until it had already fired.

Mage shrieked in pain as his body was sent flying from the air and down into the ground. The impact kicked up a massive dust cloud he went flying out of, smacking against the ground and each time carving a rut into it. When he stopped, finally, Acronix saw that Mage's body was partially metal. Mage's clothes were burnt from the laser impact, however, and his robes showed a massive angry burn across his left side and chest.

"Brother?" Krux turned to Acronix, "What were you?"

"I asked you to trust me," Acronix smirked. Krux blinked, then his eyes narrowed and gave a small snicker. Acronix snickered along with him, then stood up from the console and looked down to the Time Matrix.

"It's been too long since I've had a real fight," Acronix cracked his neck, reaching down to pull the forward blade out of the Iron Doom, replacing the slot with the reversal blade, "I'm going down there to finally have some fun!"

"Don't you favor that power too much?" Krux raised his eyebrow, "I believe you should utilize more of our might. Regardless of his injury, he is still a powerful foe."

Mage was already starting to drag himself up to his feet, coughing at the dust in this throat. He extended Aevum out, the massive blade shining in the air. Acronix rolled his eyes and reached out with the other hand, pulling out the slow mo blade as well, "There, I'll use both of my powers. How about that, brother?"

"That is better," Krux agreed, "Get him lined up for a finishing strike from the Iron Doom. I will ensure that when the time is right, he will be struck down."

"Good!" Acronix laughed, "I will be claiming that sword of his when this is over! It's like a time blade sword… a time sword!"

Without hesitating, Acronix leapt out of the Iron Doom's cockpit. As he soared through the air, Mage stumbled up to his feet, coughing hard and wiping away blood from his mouth. Acronix fired the slow mo blade at the ground right before he landed, forming a bubble that, when his feet entered, slowed his descent and allowed him to land on the ground fully. When the blade's effects wore off, the impact on the ground released a loud thud and made several rocks quake on the ground. Acronix stood up and looked to Mage with a deep grin.

"I think you should see this as an honor," Acronix raised his two blades, "You're about to be killed by one of your future rulers! With you out of the way, we'll have no one left to really oppose us. I heard you were a kid, but I didn't realize you hadn't even hit puberty yet!"

Mage panted hard, clutching his burn and forcing his back to straighten up. Slowly, he formed a ball of water and held it against his burn, tensing hard and closing his eyes as he fcooled the wound down. Once he knew it was okay, he formed a light layer of frost over the burn with the water on top of it. It wasn't the best idea, but it dulled his pain enough to put it out of his mind. He gripped Aevum in both hands, staring down the blade's length.

"Sadly, I don't think you have a good concept of what a fight entails yet," Acronix smirked, "I admit, you managed to almost get the better of us. I mean, a fire tornado! I never even realized you could do that. But hey…"

Acronix disappeared into the air. Mage tensed up, taking a fighting stance with his fists in front of his chin and moving up onto his toes. He swung his left knee up in front of his gut, blocking Acronix's kick to him. Acronix leapt back onto the ground, running forward and locking both time blades with Aevum, giving Mage a genuinely impressed glare.

"Not many people can predict where I'll end up…" Acronix paused, "Where did you learn how to do that, boy?"

"I had a good teacher," Mage spat.

Mage threw his body backwards just as Acronix forced his arms apart, blades swung out like claws. Mage used the move to bring his foot into the air, trying to kick Acronix. Acronix dodged by moving his head, landing on the ground on all fours by the time Mage had his footing. Mage inhaled, then he thrust his head forward, spitting acid straight towards Acronix. Acronix brought the blades in front of him, hearing the liquid splatter over the twin blades harmlessly. He looked down to the dripping liquid and then looked to Mage with slight disgust.

Instead of acknowledging him, Mage formed a ball of light in front of him and let it loose to blind Acronix. Acronix managed to shut his eyes in time, but when he opened them he was surrounded by what looked exactly like him. A circle of Acronixs were around him, each of them raising their fist. Acronix jumped, then popped into the air using the forward blade just as each of the Acronixs underneath him fired jets of flames at where he stood. Acronix twisted to lean down and fire the slow mo blade, hitting the center of all of them and spreading out in a bubble to catch all of them. Acronix landed on the ground and picked up a rock, chucking it into the circle.

The bubble of slowed time faded, and the rock passed through one of the people, shimmering like a mirage. Acronix smirked. With that in mind, he ran over to the large ring where Mage had pummeled the Iron Doom with rocks and scooped up a massive amount of dirt, flinging it into the circle. As each of the Acronixs turned to him, he watched them all shimmer until one just to the right of the closet one didn't. As soon as he saw that, Acronix disappeared in time and reappeared behind the true one, slamming him into the ground.

The power of form burned off of Mage like flames. The true Acronix raised his blades to plunge them into Mage's head. Mage turned into smoke, floating up behind Acronix. Acronix shot the slow mo blade behind him, sending a bubble of slowed time to envelop Mage. The blade faded in color as its charges were out. Undeterred, Acronix looked up and willed the Iron Doom to flung its arm down towards the ground.

When the bubble expired, the gust of wind the Iron Doom produced blew the smoke off away from its normal course. Mage rapidly pulled himself together, panting hard as his heart pounded from his smoke nearly being scattered away. Acronix, not bothering with using the last of his forward blade charge just yet, flew straight towards him and knocked his shoulder into Mage, driving him directly back into the mountain. Mage coughed up blood as he slid down the wall in pain.

"You know how to think on your feet," Acronix smirked, "But you're a child! How long can you keep this up against me? I've been trained to withstand wars. You look like you can barely stand on your feet anymore!"

"I'm the one that stopped the war…" Mage coughed, stumbling fully onto his feet and gripping the rock behind him to hold himself up, "I'm the one that saved everyone!"

"And look where it's gotten you," Acronix pointed the still recharging slow mo blade forward at Mage, "Weak, beaten, and alone! You can't take us down, no more than you could take down that other Krux," He scoffed, "You're going to die here, boy. Your corpse will still be warm as we turn that former war into a happy memory. We will dominate your world!"

"I won't let you…" Mage coughed, "I won't let you hurt anyone else! You made my Krux hurt his brother!" Mage called on the power of earth to move rocks up his body to help steady himself, "You hurt Skylar, all of the guards that were hurt protecting the Summit, and now me…" Mage lifted his head up, his eyes filled with determination, "I will be the last one you two hurt!"

"Hrmph," Acronix shrugged, "Then prove your actions with words!"

Acronix thrust his fist out, and the Iron Doom slithered forward to strike the wall above where Mage was pressed against. The action caused it to crack, sending rocks down towards him. Mage, feeling that trying to control them would leave him wide open, called upon speed, flying past and around Acronix as he did. Acronix responded by using his forward blade, the blade's charge fading as he appeared in front of Mage. Mage turned his right arm to metal, raising it to block Acronix's blades. His left hand awkwardly tried to fumble to draw Aevum, letting Acronix easily knock him back.

"Why do you keep sheathing that blade, boy?" Acronix pointed to it, "It's not good form to do that in battle!"

"Because I don't want to get impaled by it if I go flying!" Mage hissed, "And it's easier to focus elements if I use both hands."

"Ah… so you haven't learned how to fight with a sword yet," Acronix sighed, "And here I thought you were almost cool."

Mage redrew Aevum seeing that the blue blade Acronix held was starting to spark again. He thought quickly, his body turning into shadows. Acronix blinked in momentary surprise, and when Mage reappeared in his shadow with a spinning kick, Acronix was stumbled. Mage followed up by increasing Acronix's gravity, rooting him momentarily to the spot as he moved to cleave Aevum at Acronix. Acronix caught Mage's wrist with the prongs of the time blade as the sword hovered in front of his chest. He grinned in victory, only for Mage to bring his other hand, encased in ice, right into Acronix's gut. Acronix was sent down onto the ground, striking it even harder than the punch due to his gravity accelerating him faster.

Acronix fired the slow mo blade to save himself, catching Mage in it. Mage's body and perception of time slowed down, giving Acronix time to react. The Iron Doom spun its tail around, striking Mage and sending him skidding across the rocks once more. The tail entering the time meant that it slowed down, and Acronix cancelled the bubble. The tail stopped, showing Mage using both hands to hold Aevum out and stop the tail. The slowed time effect transferred into the tail again, giving him the ability to hold such a thing back.

Acronix, feeling the gravity effect vanish, stood back up and panted to catch his a grin, he walked forward towards Mage, holding his blades up in the air. Mage continued holding back the Iron Dom's tail, unable to feint away yet.

"Did you think that was enough to take me out?" Mage growled, "I've been training with elements for a long time. I'm not ready to pass out just yet!" In reality, his body was starting to go numb in a few places for how much he'd just poured out of him.

"You know, boy, I think you should hear a saying that my brother and I have used for a long while," Acronix smirked, "Would you like to hear it?"

Mage responded by leaping into the air, sliding over the Iron doom's tail as it flung by. Acronix disappeared in forward time. Mage spun about, feeling Acronix behind him. Acronix continued to attack him with his accelerated time strikes, each one making him thrust his head back and forth to meet them. Mage didn't take time to plan counterattacks, instead focusing on dodging. Acronix would strike in and out of time, freezing any elemental blasts in slowed time to prevent them from attacking him. Flames, ice, lightning, water and acid flew about in all directions as Mage desperately called on all of the ones that he could use.

"It's one you would do well to remember!" Acronix skidded to the ground in front of Mage, grinning hard, laughing as he shouted, "CONTROL TIME..!" Acronix disappeared in forward time.

Suddenly, Mage grinned. He sheathed Aevum. Mage thrust his left arm out, focusing until his Time Matrix's two hands had turned to the right. Just as Acronix appeared in front of him, he held his palm up, firing a beam of blue light. The twin was caught in time, flying through the air towards the boy who spoke calmly.

"...Control Everything." Mage finished.

Mage delivered another icy punch directly into Acronix's torso, shattering the time around him and sending him flying backwards. Mage panted, but the smirk on his face remained. It grew even wider as Acronix raised his face with a mixture of pure livid rage and twisted confusion.

"W-What?!" Acronix sputtered, standing up and clutching his chest, "You… you!"

"That's not the full saying either," Mage panted, raising his arm, "That's only half of it," The two hands of time on his arm turned down, "Control time, control everything-

Mage blinked forward in time, appearing right in front of Acronix. Mage reached out and grabbed hold of Acronix's shoulder and smashed his knee into Acronix's chest, making Acronix wheeze as the air was kicked out of him. Mage lit his other fist on fire and grabbed ahold of Acronix's other arm, burning the armor and slamming him into the ground.

"-Lose control, lose everything!" Mage finished with a triumphant grin.

"You could use that this entire time, and you didn't?!" Acronix sputtered, "WHY?! You could have ended this entire fight already!"

"I have been," Mage gestured to Aevum," You have to be using that thing constantly under forwarded time just to get it to move normally. I've trained an awful lot with someone just like you," Mage lowered his eyes, "Someone…. Someone you hurt badly…" His smile completely vanished back into that almost feral growl, "One I'm planning to pay back in full. I'm not supposed to ever use time against people..."

Acronix tried to move his hands, but Mage gripped harder to threaten him. Mage looked up to him and spat directly to his face.

"_But you two aren't people, are you?_" Mage growled darkly.

"BROTHER!" Acronix shouted in true terror.

Krux, standing atop the Iron Doom, aimed the reversal blade directly for Mage. Mage's clock hands turned down as he shot his hand upwards. The combined effects of Mage forwarding time and Krux reversing it collided in the air together, sparking out and fizzling into the air once they did. The action, however, let Acronix scramble away from Mage.

"Tssk!" Krux spat, "Stupid thing!"

Mage attempted to turn his matrix hands to slow, but Acronix was faster. He had blinked forward in time and tried to get away from Mage. Mage reached out with his hand and used a metal palm to grip the metal armor he wore and trip Acronix. Acronix, as he fell, managed to just barely fire off a slow mo shot that slowed Mage down from selecting another power of time to use as he got back up to his feet.

Once the bubble of slowed time faded, Mage landed on the ground and held his arm out. He had maybe two minutes of using his time powers like this before he would pass out. Krux' knocking him out earlier meant that he'd almost gotten back to a full charge of elements before this… but all of this meant he was about to pass out. He had to end this quickly.

"What's wrong?!" Mage taunted, "I thought you two were masters of time!"

Acronix hooked the time blades into his belt, then he brought his hands together. Mage watched as suddenly he formed a disc in his hands, the exact same that Harumi formed. Mage ran forward and leapt over it with a small application of gravity, the disc curving off into the distance. Having watched Harumi during training, he saw the disc turning in the air to go right back at him and turned the clock hands to the right to fire and catch the disc in slowed time again.

The twin fired off several more discs of desperation, each one dodged or caught in time by Mage. With Mage closing in, Acronix suddenly struck the ground with his fist, causing the rock shelf to turn into bricks. Thanks to the cracks, it seemed the slab was no longer one large sheet of studs. Acronix built a hasty set of haphazard stairs and jumped into the air. Mage followed him up the stairs, but the Iron Doom's fist swung out to catch Acronix and barely miss striking Mage.

Mage shot his hand up to once more to try to slow time to catch hold of Acronix, but Acronix had already fired off the forward blade as soon as he saw Mage's clock appear. The two effects once more met in the air and cancelled out, sending a ripple through the air that made the hairs on Mage's arms stand up. Mage, grunting, turned towards the Iron Doom as Acronix climbed up onto the arm.

"I think you should wait before you try anything else!" Krux shouted, "Look!"

Without thinking, Mage turned to see what Krux was saying. As soon as he did, his eyes widened as soon as he saw what was there. Morro was suspended in the air by snakes, his body limp and fangs plugged into him. No… the closer he looked, that wasn't his Morro, but it looked just like him! Was he like Monty and the others?

"I should have you know any damage to the Iron Doom is damage onto him!" Krux smirked, his hands shaking as he played their leverage, "And no matter how fast you forward through time, the Iron Doom can kill him faster than you can reach him! I suggest that you stand down, child, unless you want both yourself and him to die!"

Mage stood in front of the Iron Doom, looking up towards the sight in front of him. As he did, his blood started to run cold. He didn't know if the Twins were bluffing, but he couldn't take the risk and find out. He had to play this safe, and that meant he couldn't dare risk that Morro's life. Acronix stood up on top of the right fist of the Iron Doom, catching his breath. Mage tried to look for a solution, he rapidly let the hands switch on his time dial, but he couldn't think of anything.

Finally, Mage lowered his arms. Almost immediately, Acronix blasted him in a bubble of slowed time. Acronix, finally getting himself back from the rattle, leapt back down to the ground using the forward blade behind Mage. Acronix trained both blades on him as he looked up to his brother.

"That was annoying," Krux growled, "I think it's finally time we end this. Bring him up!"

From the floor panels, the snakes retracted Morro into the machine and instead brought up their earlier guest. Krux' was shot back onto the floor, coughing hard as he did. He looked over his body, checking rapidly that there were no bites of marks on him. Before he could truly get himself oriented, Krux had reached down and forcibly dragged him to his feet.

"It is time for you to correct your mistake!" Krux thrust Krux' against the console, "That red button will fire the Iron Doom's laser. It was the only thing so far that actually put a stop to that pesky boy. Finish the job you failed to do earlier, and we will forgive you."

Krux' looked down over the console, his expression plain as he looked to the boy, trapped within time so slow he wouldn't be able to move out of the way before the laser caught him. Krux' looked to Krux, who held the reversal blade still. Krux' sighed and nodded.

"Fine, fine…" Krux' turned, "He's more trouble than he's worth anyways."

Krux smirked and nodded. Krux' stepped forward, reaching out with his hand and pressing the button down just as told. The Iron Doom's eye glowed, pulsed, and then charged. The button glowed for a few moments, blinked, and then went solid. Krux nodded, and Krux' reached out and pressed it again.

The laser fired out from the Iron Doom. As soon as the red light passed by the cockpit, Krux' turned towards Krux. His foot swung straight up from underneath him, kicking the reversal blade straight from the hand of Krux. As the blade went into the air, Krux' caught it and then held the blade out of the viewport, sending a blast of reverse straight for the laser. The laser, slowed by entering the bubble that surrounded Mage, was mere inches away from him before the effect caused the laser to reverse straight back into the Iron Doom. Acronix's slow mo blade charge faded from overuse.

Krux shouted in rage, leaping forward to try and tackle him to the floor. Krux' quickly twisted to the side, letting Krux grab hold of the console instead. Krux' swung the flat of the blade out, backhanding Krux hard enough he went down against the chair. He shoved Krux down into the chair, then he smashed his foot to hold Krux down while training the blade at him.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Krux spat at his double, "What do you hope to gain from this?!"

"To finally rid the world of my misdeeds," Krux frowned, then he shouted as loud as he could, "LLOYD, LESSON ONE!"

Mage turned to see Acronix readying his other time blade. His memory flashed back to what Krux was saying, then he reacted. Mage flashed with speed, carrying himself away from Acronix. Acronix, unable to see where Mage was, was forced to simply appear where he had been. When Mage reappeared, he blasted Acronix off his feet with time.

"Lesson one!" Mage shouted, "It's best to fight time without ever touching it!"

"You… you planned this…" Krux stared up at Krux', "You did this! You planned for this to happen. You convinced us to divert our forces to intercept their plan so we would be forced to fight him head on instead of with our armies!"

"I had to make him come alone," Krux' smirked, "Lloyd can't go all out if he has to worry about people around him."

Krux tried to get up, but the foot pushed him back down, "You're the reason that boy knew where we were! You injured his friends to get him angry enough to come here alone, and now you betray us when you see us at our most vulnerable!"

"I left a little message inside Skylar," Krux' informed him, "He'd been here before. He just needed to hear it to realize you were hiding the first time."

"Has this all been your doing?!" Krux growled, "Our losses, our victories, have you engineered everything?!"

"Since the beginning, but not every moment," Krux' shook his head, "Only what I needed to. All I did was wait for my moment to strike. As soon as I saw what you two had become when you broke me out of my prison, I knew that if I were to walk your path I would end up as ruined as you two are. You're nothing more than hollow husks, using the veil of power and birthright to justify your insanity. You two were made for each other…." Krux' sighed, "I simply wish I had seen it sooner."

"We're the Hands of Time!" Krux shouted, staring Krux' down, "You will never win against us!"

"For one that claims to have mastered time," Krux' narrowed his gaze, "It looks like time wasn't kind to you."

Krux snarled at Krux'. As he did, the panels of the Iron Doom began to open once again, the snakes rising to swallow him whole. Krux' looked down at them, giving Krux enough time to lunge for the blade. While Krux' pushed him back down, the snakes were able to lunge for him. To avoid them, Krux' leapt backwards, giving Krux time to get to his feet and open more panels using the hive mind to attack him.

"You've made a grave mistake crossing us," Krux growled as Vermillion warriors began to rise from the Iron Doom and panels open to attack him, "You will die for your transgression."

Krux' backed up, watching his odds get worse and worse off. Then, just before he was about to be attacked, he shouted, "LLOYD! LESSON TWO!"

Krux heard something from outside. Mage had rocketed up to the cockpit of the Iron Doom using wind in his feet. Krux turned towards the sight, but it was too late. Krux' smirked and ran forward, directly into a Vermillion warrior. Just before he collided, the hands on Mage's clock went down and Krux' was enveloped in forward time energy. Krux' appeared beyond the warriors, saluted, and leapt out of the Iron Doom.

Mage reached out with his arm, catching Krux' in it. He immediately drew Aevum with the other hand and flung it towards the ground. Just like the time blade, the sword formed a bubble of slowed time that caught the two as they fell to it. Mage fell to the ground once the bubbl faded, heaving for air and working to get air into his exhausted lungs to gather up what little energy he had left inside of him. Krux' turned away from him.

"How… long…?" Mage gasped.

"...Since the beginning," Krux' held up the reversal blade, "I had to get you to come here alone so you could use your powers without worrying about your friends. This blade will heal my brother and your friend. That's why I had to wait for the moment to take it"

"You, you nearly killed them," Mage crawled back up to his knees as the Iron Doom began to twist towards them again, "You could have killed them..!"

"I knew you'd read Skylar's mind to hear my message," Krux' stated with another sigh, "I needed to convince them I was on their side. We have them alone and cornered. I need you to use your power to rip that thing apart."

"I can't…" Mage coughed, "I can barely move!"

Krux' turned, firing the blade directly into Mage. Mage suddenly felt his body's energy being restored, as if all of his efforts were reversed. The reversal blade ran out within a few seconds, but it was enough to give Mage enough of his energy back to fully stand.

"There, you have enough power now, I'll need some of this for myself after all," Krux' stated flatly, "That thing is too fast for you to use your metal on. That thing runs on snakes. If you can take out the snakes, it won't be able to move. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I… do," Mage growled, his mistrust still flaring, "Don't lose that blade, or I'll lose you."

"I'll hold you to that," Krux' chuckled, "Well, you'll need time to pull this off. I'll buy you that time. And leave my brother's sword," He frowned, "I'm certain he didn't give that to you."

"I needed something to give me an edge," Mage grumbled, "Thanks to you."

"And I'll be telling him later just about that," Krux' informed him.

"Your fight is not over yet!" Acronix called out from behind them, "You've simply shifted the tide!"

Acronix appeared behind them, his forward blade swiping with a rage towards Krux'. Krux' twisted and reached up, clashing their time blades together. The pulse of time elemental power between them caused the blades to crackle, sending out sparks that illuminated Acronix's livid rage. Krux' looked up to him, then a smile trickled over his features. Reversal power pulsed in the blade, and when Krux' blinked, Acronix was back to where he started.

"Your fight is not over yet!" Acronix called out from behind them, "You've simply shifted the tide!"

This time, when Acronix appeared, Krux' simply twisted his body to the side and reached out, grabbing Acronix's right arm and heaving him directly over his shoulder using the momentum of Acronix's leap. As Acronix slammed into the ground in front of them, Krux' turned to Mage and gave him a nod.

Mage looked up to the Iron Doom, his eyes narrowed and determined. Mage gathered up his newfound energy and rose up into the air using gravity, hovering between the entrance to the cave -the slab now being cracked enough it wasn't fully serving its purpose- and the Iron Doom. The Iron Doom turned towards him with a hiss, a very angry Krux still at the controls. The elder twin looked down towards where Acronix's blast of slowed time had been knocked aside by his alter, then back to Mage angrily.

"What do you think you can do against us, child?" Krux snarled, "A true warrior can be stabbed in the back and keep swinging into battle. Just because you have gained an ally does not mean we have gotten any weaker."

"If you were a warrior, would you always be running away?" Mage threw back, "Your warriors always ran whenever we beat them. If you really want to say that you're as powerful as me, then you should stand and fight!"

"Oh, I will," Krux reached out to grip the controls for the Iron Doom, "Your time is up, boy!"

"Speaking of time," Mage gestured, "Your machine runs on snakes, doesn't it?"

Krux didn't respond, instead bringing both of the Iron Doom's arms up to fling out and sling their fists towards Mage. Mage, instead of attempting to block them, shot up into the air with a burst of flames from his feet. He flipped in the air and reached out with earth, pulling out a platform for him to stand on at the top of the cave mouth. As the Iron Doom raised its fist from striking the slab, the slab fully shattered, revealing the cave mouth once more.

"Just so you know!" Mage shouted, "I've never done this before, so you better be ready!"

On the ground, Krux' turned his head from looking at Mage's declaration by dodging another rapid strike by Acronix. Right now, all he was doing was playing defensive, and it seemed that either Acronix didn't care or was just ignoring it. Acronix slung bursts of slowed time at him, each time making his charge use up itself that much faster. It seems he'd tilted the two Twins as well, which was definitely according to plan. As Mage reached his hands out towards the Iron Doom, Krux' pulled his hands into his chest as Acronix thrust both his blades forward to send him sliding backwards across the ground. When Krux' looked up, it was with a grin that was all-too-familiar to Acronix.

"I should mention that I spent years locked away with my brother under a dragon's watch, unable to leave. And that was without ever being allowed to touch our powers!" Krux' grinned, "Seems like you two didn't exactly want to take the _time_ for that training."

"Those sorts of things will get you scrubbed from my memory even faster once you're no longer breathing!" Acronix spat, disappearing in forward time again.

Krux' reached onto the ground and picked up a rock, throwing it far ahead of him. When Acronix appeared and clashed blades with him, Krux' let off another charge of reversed time. Rather than it striking Acronix -which Acronix flinched thinking it was- the charge shot out and struck the rock in the air. Krux' twisted his blades in the air, rotating Acronix's arm in a painful angle to force him to break off his attack. Krux' immediately grabbed Acronix's shoulder, throwing him in the path of the boulder. The rock reversed straight into Acronix's face, striking him hard enough to make him shout in pain.

"You…." Acronix growled, turning around only to see Krux' had thrown more rocks. This time, however, they were up in the air. As Acronix looked up, he saw the rocks covered in reversed time and soaring straight back down towards him. He dodged out of the way, only to be met with Krux' with a rock in hand swinging for his face. Acronix managed to blast his arm with slowed time just long enough to dodge it.

"Not bad," Krux' smirked, "But my brother is faster. And I didn't fail to beat him."

"Don't compare me to someone that you bested," Acronix rubbed his face where the rock had struck him, "It's an insult to a warrior!"

"Oh, but insulting you just helps me buy more time!" Krux' laughed, "It's all about time, isn't it?"

The Iron Doom let out a long groan that Acronix had never heard before. Acronix turned towards the machine, seeing that its body from the neck down was bathed in green light. When he traced the source, he saw Mage, his hands extended, with the clock on his right hand having the hands turned down. The green energy was bathing from his hands, his eyes shut and his focus centered clearly on the machine.

"What do you think you're doing, boy?!" Krux shouted through the speakers, "You have no chance to beat us! You've left yourself wide open for-"

As the Iron Doom moved to raise its arm, the machine seemed slower than normal. Krux looked down at the machine in confusion, attempting to force it to move. The sword cleaved down towards Mage, but as it did Mage reached out with one of his hands to thrust it aside with a burst of metal. As the arm was sent off course, Mage returned right back to his focus.

"What?" Krux looked down, "The machine shouldn't be this slow!" He looked down towards the metal of the machine, "...The machine itself isn't aging, that must mean…"

"Don't you know?" Krux' asked coyly, "Living beings can be accelerated on their lifespan by forward energy. I believe my brother called it… the time strike?"

"TIME PUNCH!" Acronix screeched.

"Are you always punching them, though?" Krux' asked with a smirk.

"...YOU!" Acronix shouted, throwing himself towards Krux'. Right before they connected, however, he used the last charge in his time blade, causing his body to instead turn and appear at the base of the Iron Doom. He reached forward as soon as he did, ripping open a small hatc to look at the snakes inside.

"BROTHER!" Acronix shouted, placing his hand on his head, "The snakes are aging! The longer you let him use his powers, the faster they'll age!"

"The hive mind is moving in accelerated time!" Krux shouted back over their bond, "They're hearing our orders later than we're giving them!"

Acronix gave an angry tssk and shot his body towards where Mage stood. He scrambled his way towards Mage, only to suddenly find himself back where he started. Krux' looked down to his depleted reversal blade and shrugged, walking towards Acronix and shaking his head.

"Now I can't have you doing that!" Krux' declared, "You're the Masters of Time, aren't you? Well, he's the Master of everything. And I do believe that you, right now, can't afford to waste your own time."

Acronix brought his hands together, forming several Rhotatae discs that he fired off towards Mage. As the discs soared through the air, Mage made no move to block them. When they got close to him, the discs disappeared within time, only to appear behind him. Acronix fired more discs, but each time they skipped forward past him. The field of forward time had fully surrounded him from outputting so much.

"The Iron Doom will collapse if this continues!" Krux declared, "We have to get out of here!"

"How?!" Acronix shouted back.

Krux looked around the battlefield. The Iron Doom would be nothing more than a fancy statue if the snakes died, and Mage had already done a fair amount of damage to it, more than he was willing to admit. Mage was too powerful for them to take on like this, or at least when he had that alter with him. He tried to send another strike towards Mage with the Iron Doom, but it skipped across his forward time field.

Suddenly, the Iron Doom began to crackle. From behind Krux, Morro was raised up once more, unaffected by the aging process. If the boy could even target Morro outside of the hundreds of snakes, he was even more of a threat. Krux held his hand over a button, then with a wince he struck it. Morro's eyes shot open as suddenly the snakes began to force his green power to emerge once more, flowing through them wires until it spread throughout the Iron Doom.

"Get on!" Krux shouted, "We're LEAVING!"

"What?!" Acronix protested, "We can't! We have to-!"

The blue lines began to trickle around the Iron Doom. Acronix turned to see a swipe of Krux' once more, and as he did he dodged to see the Iron Doom starting to float. As soon as he did, he grabbed hold of its side and hoisted himself up onto it.

"What about the reversal blade?!" Acronix protested.

Krux, in the cockpit, looked to Mage. Mage opened his eyes to see the Iron Doom beginning to float. In confusion, he looked up into the sky, only to see a strange portal in it. They were trying to run again. They were going to run. Like those warriors ran. Like they made everyone in the Summit. Like everything they did. Either run, or make them run. He couldn't let them run. His eyes flared again with newfound purpose as he reached out.

"I won't let you run away!" Mage shouted, "You've caused enough pain to this world!"

Krux' leapt towards the Iron Doom, attempting to climb aboard. Acronix swing his body to the side and then kicked him off, sending him off towards the ground. Krux' landed, coughing as he did. Acronix pulsed the last two charges in his forward blade, making his way up the Iron Doom until he was at the cockpit.

"We can't do this, brother!" Acronix shouted, "We're winning!"

"We don't have enough Vermillion out there to run the Iron Doom!" Krux shouted back to him, "We have to leave, now! Regardless of if we win or not, we cannot afford to lose this vessel!"

Mage felt a shift in the Iron Doom. A cracking blue portal, swirling with black energy that opened to what looked like an empty void of nothing was now above the Iron Doom, and it was heading towards it. Some force, unlike anything that he'd felt before, was pulling the Iron Doom in. He had to hold it in place. He had to do something to keep them from leaving. From running.

With a loud shout, Mage's robes began to shake. He thrust his hands up in the air, and the ground from around him shot up like hands to grab the Iron Doom's hips. While he did, he poured even more power into it. His Time Matrix turned to slow and he shot a beam out like a whip, catching hold of the bottom of the Iron Doom. The wind itself shot down from the portal to try to drag the machine back. Mage's eyes began to crackle and pulse with power as he pulled them down. Gravity tried to weigh it down. Metal tried to grab at its body. He burned through his energy harder, faster, more and more, all to keep them from running. As many elements as he could summon, as many as he could use.

"I...I'm not!" Mage shouted in effort, feeling the waves of exhaustion pulsing over him again, "I'm not… letting… you… LEAVE!" His voice reverberated, "I AM THE DRAGON LORD! AND YOU! ARE! MINE!"

The portal crackled harder. Mage shouted, thrusting his hands out and pouring all he had in him into the hold. Right at the point where the Iron Doom was being held in its elemental grasp, the top half began to creak and twist. The force pulling it up into the sky was now acting right at that point, and metal began to twist and creak as it was stretched.

"He'll rip us apart!" Acronix shouted, "Do something!"

Mage began to pull his arms down. The sheer force of it was enough that it felt like he was pulling the actual Iron Doom down. The Iron Doom's weight increased threefold as he poured everything he had into his pull. The creaking of the Iron Doom didn't stop as he began to pull away from the portal and towards the ground, its shadow looming over Krux'.

"Let me give you a hand there, Lloyd!" Krux' smirked, raising his hand up towards the Iron Doom. As he readied the last charge in the reversal blade, Mage pulled the Iron doom even closer. They were going to either break the machine, or stop it from leaving. Mage was hovering off the ground now as he pulled down. The portal seemed to grow more violent, more angry. He was playing tug of war with some sort of void. Krux' knew with this one charge, everything would be over.

Suddenly, Krux' felt something. His vision blurred. He looked down, then coughed. Something… something was pouring down his chin. Was… was that blood? His eyes saw it. A sword in his chest. As he stared at it, the spear suddenly thrust forward, sending a spray of blood across the rocks. Krux' tried to gasp, but instead he coughed and spat more of it up onto the ground. He turned to see who had stabbed him, only to have an armored gauntlet grab his head and slam him into the ground.

"I apologize for my tardiness," Machia stated coldly as she pulled the spear from Krux', "Let us finish this escape, shall we?"

As Krux' gurgled along the rocks, Machia calmly walked forward. Behind her, the squad of Vermillion she had detached from her two idiotic underlings was with her. She'd had a feeling that this would go south somehow. She'd gotten caught up on the way. Thankfully, the group that encountered them wouldn't be doing it a second time.

"Oh Dragon Lord!" Machia shouted, picking up the reversal blade, "I believe you should let my masters go!"

Mage barely heard her through the raw power he was sending through him. He only turned his head down because he saw something on the rocks. When he did, he realized what it was he saw. It was red. Red of someone on the ground. Red like blood. Someone's blood. His Krux's blood. The blood of someone he cared about. The blood of someone… someone else.

His vision flashed. His breathing quickened. His eyes faded back to normal as his hands trembled. The force of elements stopped on the Iron Doom, only the pillar of earth holding it into place. Vermillion scrambled up the pillars. Mage's breathing quickened. That sight. It looked like them. He saw Acronix in bed, barely alive. Skylar, beaten badly as she was. The man that had apparently been working for him. Another ally of his was gone. Another one.

And the one that did it looked just like the one Skylar described to him.

With a scream of pure anguished rage, the rock underneath Mage burst apart. The Iron Doom was all but forgotten to him. Instead, he soared straight towards Machia. Machia turned the reversal blade towards him, but Mage was faster. He hit the ground with a crunch and then rammed right into her. He knocked Machia straight onto her back, holding her down with a tears in his eyes and rage everywhere else.

"I would let me go, Dragon Lord…" Machia grinned, "The only way for you to save your friend is to use the blade… and look at that…" Machia turned her head to a warrior that had picked it up and was beginning to climb the pillars towards home, "It's getting away."

"You think that's the only thing that can use reverse?" Mage formed the Time Matrix over his wrist, "You think I'm not strong enough to do that?"

Mage thrust one hand out. The rock the warrior with the blade was climbing on was suddenly ejected out and onto the ground. It burst apart when it landed, sending the blade sliding neatly towards Mage. Mage took it in his right hand, then pinned Machia's arm down with it.

"My masters are still getting away," Machia remained calm, "You really should…"

She trailed off. The hands of Mage's matrix were turning to an odd orientation. They turned upwards to 12'o'clock. When they landed, the matrix began to spark violently with orange. Mage looked down at her, his expression unchanged as in that moment, he had only one thought he voiced aloud.

"Skylar didn't get her chance to take her revenge…" Mage whispered, "And I don't need control over my power to get it for her."

"L-Lloyd….?" Krux' gurgled, shifting himself enough to look at the boy.

Mage's hand pulsed, sending reverse energy into Machia. Suddenly, the Vermillion villainess began to scream. Mage's expression went unchanged, focusing down on her as he poured untapped, pure reversal energy into her body. Without the time blade, he couldn't control his power. Hence why he never needed to use it. Machia writhed under him, screaming more as she felt what was happening to her. Mage kept going. He didn't need control for this.

Machia's snakes began to get smaller. Machia's continued to writhe, the sound of her shrieks dying out. She was de-aging. She went past the point she had her intellect, leaving her as nothing more than snakes, all writhing and shaking with the terror of knowing something was wrong. Krux' watched on in horror as Mage just kept going. He refused to stop. Machia's eyes soon were lost. Her armor emptied out as the snakes aged back to the point of requiring the egg to survive. He continued to pour his power until, finally, there wasn't anything left of Machia. After a long few shakes of his hand, Mage finally let go. There was nothing left of Machia but her armor.

Suddenly, the earth pillars holding the Iron Doom snapped. Debris rained down on Mage as the Iron Doom began to accelerate up. A few of Machia's group that had failed to get on board in time were thrown off and into the mountains. Mage saw Krux and Acronix in their cockpit, looking down at him as they went upwards.

Mage stood up, reaching out to grab out onto them. When he did, his vision pulsed. He gasped, falling forward onto his knees. He… he'd used too much power. Controlling raw time energy… it was the last of it. He'd burned through all that Krux' had given him back, and then some. It was… it wasn't enough. He looked up towards the Iron Doom as it accelerated towards the portal. He… he had to stop them! His arms, however, refused to move.

"KRUX! ACRONIX!" Mage shouted, "THIS ISN'T OVER! I WILL COME AFTER YOU! I SWEAR ON MY HONOR AS DRAGON LORD!"

There was no response from the Iron Doom. Instead, the machine vanished into the air. When the portal closed, it was a with something that sounded like a soft screech on the breeze. Mage was left on his back, staring up at it. He wasn't able to pass out. His body was in that state of almost numbness from overuse. Again. But he still had one more thing to do.

Krux' was coughing blood and his breathing was slowing. Mage pointed the reversal blade at him.. He'd used too much energy, so much power. He'd failed to stop them, he had to do something. He had to save him. Krux' had done so much to… to try to win. Even if it was horrible things, things he wasn't okay with… he had to try. The blade glowed.. Mage fired it, holding its field over Krux' until he saw the wounds retreating. When Krux' was healed, he dropped the blade onto the ground. He tried to turn the blade towards himself, but his energy failed him.

Even everything he had, hadn't stopped those two from running away again. Mage gritted his teeth at the sky. He failed. He would have to go after them.

"I swear it…" Mage whispered, "I swear… I will come after you… if it's the last thing I do…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, we hit a conclusion to one of the most in-depth arc I've created in NV. This fight was one I planned from the very beginning of the fic's inception over a year ago, and I'm so happy to finally be able to post it. I'm hard at work on the next arc, and i hope you will all stick around to see where the story continues to go!


	34. Chapter 34

With a crackle of energy, a blue portal opened in the sky. The Iron Doom came hurtling out of it, crashing down into a massive courtyard. The world around it was dark; the ground and nearby walls were black and purple, while the sky was nothing more than dark clouds crackling with lightning. Acronix and Krux sat within the cockpit, each of them panting heavily. Both of them were silent, not wanting to bring up what the other one knew they would have to discuss. The ship's onboard sensors were haywire, meaning that aside from the dark world around them they could see with their own eyes, they were unaware of anything around them.

"We lost… another blade," Acronix grunted out after a long silence.

"Along with all three of our commanders…" Krux added flatly, "And all of now younger generation of warriors we left behind."

"Curse that child…" Acronix snarled, "Curse that double! Curse them all! Curse that stupid world and curse us for ever going there in the first place!"

"We will have to expect fierce resistance from the locals next time around," Krux shook his head, "It seems that our plan to trap those pesky flies was still successful, at least."

"Yes… and yet we still lost almost everything!" Acronix huffed, "I'm getting tired of this. Are we not destined to rule the world? Are we not the true and rightful heirs to everything?!"

"...It seems, we will need to rethink this," Krux muttered, "We have been going at this far too brazenly. We perhaps… need to ally with other powers to gain the upper hand this time."

"Yes, because that will solve all of our problems!" Acronix threw his arms out, "Like one of those will just come falling from the sky right now to save us!"

Before Krux could respond, the sound of horns suddenly sounded from around the Iron Doom. The two looked out the viewport, turning to face the Iron Doom towards where the sound was strongest. As they did, they came face to face with a massive tower, stretching up with massive pillars that stretched all the way to the dark clouds in the sky. The sound came from the tower itself, as if the entire thing was sounding.

"Where in Ninjago are we?" Acronix scoffed, "This is just far too much!"

"**And who would you two be?" **

The sound of dragon wings flapping brought the trio to look forward. A figure, shrouded in shadow, was floating in front of the Iron Doom in front of the fortress. The figure was roughly the size of a person, but the wings they were using to hover were nearly as long as that of an actual beast. In one hand, he held a massive staff that was just slightly shorter than he was. The only feature on him they could see was his glowing purple eyes.

"This must be some sort of local warlord," Krux scoffed, using the Iron Doom to shout, "Leave! We have no qualm with you!"

"**I believe you do,"** The voice was smooth, but came from inside of their heads, "**You have something that should not belong to you. Surrender your machine, or I will destroy it."**

The ground under the Iron Doom began to turn liquid. Slowly, the ground pooled up like a plasma, a black substance that had bits of purple and red within it that glowed and flowed about inside it independent of the motion of the substance. When it formed in full, massive spikes were pointed right at the center of the Iron Doom.

"We have nothing that belongs to you!" Acronix called out through their mech, "You will get nothing by fighting us!"

"**While that may be true, your unexplained entrance is enough for me to engage you in combat. Surrender. I will give you no more chances." **

"If you believe we will surrender, you clearly do not know who we are!" Krux spat, "We will fight you, if only to show you how idiotic you truly are!"

"**I see. Your chances have expired. Prepare yourselves." **

"Pfft, what can we do?" Acronix chuckled, "He's one person."

The figure raised his staff to his right, then swiped it across his body. The twins didn't see what happened. What they did see was the head of the Iron Doom separated from its body. The head crashed into the ground beneath them. The figure raised its staff once more and made a slash across its chest.

The last thing the Twins saw was a line form between their chairs, right before the Iron Doom was sliced in half.

* * *

In the world of elements, Krux looked down at the bed of his brother. Beside him stood Mage, staring at him with a fierce glare. Outside the tent, both Harumi and Monty stood in case he attempted to try anything. Mage had one hand on Aevum as well, ready to draw the blade and stop the twin if he tried anything that was outside what he'd promised.

With a sigh, Krux leveled the reversal blade at the bed. He gently touched its tips to Acronix's chest, then he focused. Reversal energy began to flow, concentrated and controlled, into the figure on the bed. The days that he'd remained injured rewound minute by minute. Krux inhaled and exhaled slowly, focusing intently so as not to rewind the body any further than he absolutely needed to. The power consumed all of Acronix laying in bed, stretching over him in full.

Finally, Krux released the blade's effects. Mage kept one eye on Krux while he moved to slowly undo Acronix's bandages. As each one was taken off, it revealed that the skin underneath was completely healed. Piece by piece, Mage removed them all, until Acronix's body was fully visible. The sudden change in temperature from being so neatly insulated by the bandages caused him to open his eyes, turning to look at Mage and gently sitting up.

"Lloyd…?" Acronix asked, his voice somewhat hoarse, "You… did you just…?"

"It wasn't me," Mage smiled faintly, "It was him."

Acronix turned to see who was standing beside Mage. Brother and brother met eyes for the first time since their battle. Both of them stared at one another, not wanting to say the first word. Krux handed the reversal blade to Mage. Just seeing that alone gave Acronix all the understanding that he needed. Krux stared at his brother with a hard look, one filled with worry and regret. With a sigh, Acronix sat up in bed, finding while tired, it caused him no pain.

"I wish I could say I saw this coming," Acronix sighed, "But… I didn't think I would ever be looking at the sky again."

"I knew that the ones I was working under had the power to reverse time like I used to," Krux informed him, "I simply needed to ensure I could take it without them thinking anything the wiser about me."

"...I thought you were going to kill me…" Acronix muttered, "I thought, you were finally having your revenge for… for what you saw as an evil I'd committed against you."

"The choices I made and the punishment for them were my own, brother," Krux got down on his knee beside the bed, "I… I did what I had to, when I thought it was right. I did what I thought was right. I know that it caused you far more pain than you needed… but I won't say that I was accepting of your help when you offered it at first."

"Why?" Acronix gripped the bed sheets, "Why did you do this? Why… why did you make yourself the villain, all over again?"

"...When they broke me from my prison, it was not by choice," Krux sighed, "I saw that day the might they held. I had heard the tale of the Raiders by then, but when I saw them and their machine of war, I knew we couldn't win. We couldn't win by fighting them head on. Even Lloyd wasn't fully able to take it down," Krux hung his head, "I needed to get in with them. I needed them to trust me. I had to make a plan to save us. I was already seen as the villain for so many things. Something like that… wouldn't add much to the perception I already had. Even if it meant losing you again, losing everyone… I would take it."

Acronix stared at Krux for a long while. Mage hadn't lost his wary expression of the brother thus far. Harumi and Monty both stood simply watching events unfold, waiting for something to happen. Krux didn't lift his head up. He was seeking anger, or regret, or coldness from his brother. His words made it clear he knew what he had done.

"Brother…" Krux whispered, "I don't ask you to forgive me. I ask you to simply understand what my goal was. Please. Know that I did this for the good of our people. If I hadn't, they would have marched on them and killed them all. I will go back to the dungeon. I'll do whatever you ask. I just want you to-"

Acronix hugged Krux. Krux let out a soft inhale as Acronix hugged him as tightly as he could. The weakened brother clung to him, dragging them together and pressing his chin into Krux's neck. Krux, after a few moments, felt tears well up in his eyes and hugged Acronix back. The two brothers sat there, silently, tears falling down both their faces as they indulged in the first time they had truly been on the same side again for far too long.

"You always take these things on yourself…" Acronix muttered, "You made yourself the villain when Morro was killed so our tribe wasn't blamed… and now you were willing to put even more distance between us…. All for the sake of our tribe that turned its back on you?"

"It takes more than one person to lead a tribe like that," Krux muttered back, "And I couldn't ever come back to help you do it if there wasn't any tribe to go back to. If… if you saw their true power, if you saw how insignificant it made us, you… you would know that, that I did it to protect us. I had to protect the tribe. I had to protect… protect you."

"That's enough…" Acronix gasped, "Please… I understand. I don't need you to say anymore. I'm so glad to finally have you back…" He squeezed a bit more, "I'm glad that I didn't lose my brother, to my own decisions."

Krux smiled sadly at him as the two finally parted their hug. Krux reached down to hand Acronix back his armor, letting him slowly move to fit it together. All of the injuries that Krux had inflicted on him were gone, leaving him in the same state of body he was before all of that had gone down. Krux had truly made good on his promise to heal his wounds.

"I have one more victim that I need to heal," Krux stood up, "Shall we, Dragon Lord?"

"Mhm," Mage nodded. He turned and guided Krux out of the tent quickly, standing in front of Skylar's one nearby. He waited for Krux to enter with the reversal blade, moving past him and standing over the brother just as before. Krux didn't seem bothered by it; in fact, he seemed more calmed that Mage was still suspicious of him, even after he'd betrayed the Time Twins for him.

The same process took almost half the time to do on Skylar, given how recent her injuries were. After a minute, Mage stepped forward and unwrapped her bandages. After helping her into a shirt for modesty, the last member of the Amber Tribe leaned up in her bed, groaning to herself. She rubbed her head, only to look at her healed arm as though it shouldn't have been able to. She looked around the room for a long few moments, then laid her eyes on Mage.

"Skylar…" Mage's angry and wary gaze broke out into a relieved smile as his hands trembled, "Hey…"

"I'm… okay?" Skylar asked, only half feeling the presence of Mage in the room by her, "I'm… I'm not dead? I thought… I was sure that Krux did me in. Like… he wasn't letting up and… and…" She stopped as she laid eyes on Krux in the room.

Skylar took in the sight of Krux, standing beside Mage, holding a blade of what had to be reversal energy, and what that all implied. It wasn't long for her to get the gist of it, but it took far more of her to ask the question of why in her head. She looked to Krux with a mixture of anger and confusion, while he looked to her with a smiling neutral gaze.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that," Krux sighed, "I needed to send a message to those two. Sadly, you were the one that was forced to undergo all of that. I didn't know that you would be there… I had hoped it would be someone far less personal to him," Krux gestured to Mage, "My plan had to have him alone for everything to work."

"Your plan, huh?" Skylar narrowed her eyes, "So this was all some sort of plan to you? Where are the Vermillion?"

"Gone," Krux informed her, "The twins behind all of this were forced to flee. They're currently in some other place… and the forces they left behind have been in such disarray we've been mopping them up quiet cleanly."

"Is he lying?" Skylar immediately turned to Mage. He shook his head. Skylar only looked more confused after learning that he wasn't lying.

"He… he tried to kill me," Skylar sat up further, "He tried to kill me, Mage. He held some sort of, some time blade at my throat and he said he would kill me. I can't… how are you sure?"

"Because… he helped drive away the Vermillion," Mage mumbled awkwardly, "I don't trust him either, but he drove them off with me and I don't know why he would get out of that other than proving he was with us the whole time."

"So you beat up your brother and me to do that?" Skylar rubbed her wrists, "Why would you not want as many people to come as possible?"

"You'd hold him back," Krux stated flatly, "Lloyd is the most powerful one we have. I needed him fighting at full strength. You would have just given him something to worry about."

Skylar looked taken aback by that comment. She looked a combination of hurt, insulted, and a strange sense of understanding all mingled together. She tore her eyes off of Krux and moved to stand up in the bed. She hopped up on her feet, making sure that they were working. After she'd ensured that her body was working, she looked to Krux, then smirked.

Suddenly, Skylar thrust her fist out. She connected right into Krux's chin, sending him straight down to the ground like a sack. Skylar rubbed her now sore fist, but didn't look anywhere near regretful for it. Mage stared at her in shock while Krux slowly stood up, cradling his now bruised face. He was smiling at her despite the pain.

"That's for beating me up," Skylar growled, "I'd hit you more, but you did heal me so… I'll let that one slide."

"Good," Krux sighed, "If I were just in a fight with you right now, I don't think even this blade could help me. You know all my tricks now. There is also one more thing that I should do," Krux handed the reversal blade to Mage, "If you would?"

Mage, confused, took the blade and stepped back. Krux smiled at him, then he turned to Skylar. He put his hands at his sides, then he bowed straight down at the hips. He held himself almost completely horizontal, shutting his eyes and prostrating himself before her. Skylar blinked and took a step back in confusion.

"Forgive me," Krux stated firmly, "I used you. I hurt you and used you to achieve my own goals. No matter how noble they were, or I thought they were, it doesn't excuse I put someone of your status and strength in harm's way. I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I must ask it of you regardless. On my honor as a former leader of the Time Tribe and that of a warrior, I ask you to please, find it in your heart to forgive me!"

Mage and Skylar were speechless at first. Skylar, after a few moments, ran a hand through her head and rubbed the back of her neck. She smiled, then chuckled, then she started laughing. Krux blinked in curiosity and looked up towards her slightly. Skylar looked back down to him, still grinning at him and putting her hands on her hips.

"Geez…" Skylar sighed, "When you go and do this it makes it kinda hard to hate you, you know?" She shook her head, "Look, I'm not going to forgive you just like that. That'll be a bit before I can really be that good with you. But like… I can go ahead and say that I'll put it under consideration, how about that?"

"That's all I ask!" Krux raised himself up, "Thank you, Lady Skylar."

"Woaahhh I did not okay that Lady business there!" Skylar frowned, "I'm just Skylar. I'm not old enough to be a lady. Maybe in a few years but like… not right now."

"It's just a sign of respect, but I understand your positioning," Krux smirked, "I don't expect you to call me Sir Krux either, then."

"I would literally never call you that," Skylar shook her head, "You're not even in a position to be called sir."

"Quite," Krux sighed again, "I must speak to my brother a bit more. I need to tell him about what happened and what we should expect. The world thinks that I'm still on the loose, and I'm certain everyone in the Summit learned of what happened to him. I must ask him if I can move forward by his side, and if I am allowed to, what that will be like."

"Good luck with that," Skylar yawned, "Now that I'm out of bed… gosh I need to bathe and then probably get some stretches in. I've been down for a few days."

Krux nodded to her. He left first, leaving to go speak to Acronix. After that, Skylar looked at Mage, giving him a small sigh and then moving in to put her hand on his shoulder.

"You didn't go too crazy seeing I got hurt like that… did you?" Skylar asked, "I know you're a little emotional and… it sounds like it was just the perfect way to cap off your day."

"I'm still here," Mage replied honestly, "So, I don't think I did."

"You're not talking like you normally do," Skylar pointed out, "Plus, I haven't seen you smile once since we started talking. It's almost like you aren't happy to see me."

"I am happy to see you!" Mage protested, "I'm… I'm just thinking. They… they got away, Skylar. Even after all that I did to try to stop them, they still managed to just… just run away. I didn't manage to do anything."

"I guess that means Machia got away too," Skylar frowned, "I guess I'll just need to wait for my next shot…."

"Machia is gone," Mage told her, "I got rid of her."

"You… wait, you, you did what?" Skylar cocked her head, "As in…?"

Mage's gaze was firm, "She isn't here anymore."

Skylar looked at him as though he'd told her that he'd managed to touch the sun itself. Mage didn't have the slightest hint of lying on him, which made the situation even harder for Skylar to believe. Once it finally hit her what he was saying, she looked down at the floor and gripped her fist.

"You just said you didn't go too crazy," Skylar pointed out, "You're telling me that you… you killed someone for me?"

"She was just a snake," Mage shook his head, "You were going to do the same. She… she came in and forced me to let them go. But I didn't let her go. I refused to let her go."

"But you still…" Skylar looked aside, "...Uhm. Thanks, then. I… I mean, I guess I was going to do that to her but… I just, never even knew you had that in you."

"I do, and I took care of her," Mage opened up the tent flaps, "So you don't have to worry about them anymore. You can focus just on rebuilding your tribe and getting to finally relax. They won't be coming back here. I'll make sure of it."

"Mhm…" Skylar didn't sound enthusiastic, but also didn't seem like she wanted to talk. She left the tent, putting Mage all on his own. He looked off towards the distance, inhaled, then he made his way out back towards the makeshift command center.

Still holding the reversal blade, Mage made his way towards where he'd last seen Harumi and Monty. The two were standing now with Lloyd and Lulloyd, the four of them all outside of their planning tent. They were deep in conversation, and Harumi in particular was tapping something on that odd watch of hers. He walked up, listening in for a bit before he decided to talk.

"There's no doubt about it," Harumi shook her head, "They're in a different universe, again. Mage really did force them to escape with their lives."

"This means they're vulnerable now, right?" Lulloyd asked, "They left behind like, all of their army. And… I mean, they would only run if he managed to deal some serious damage, right?"

"They're probably messed up in the head," Monty yawned, "They just had their little double betray them. Probably going to be crazy on top of being weak. Not a good combination."

"We rounded up all the Vermillion that were left," Lloyd crossed his arms, "They can't have that many left! We need to go after them right away and take them out. We might have finally gotten the chance to do some serious damage."

"But that thing rebuilds itself, literally," Harumi pulled up a hologram of the Iron Doom, along with a countdown timer that started at 58:00:00 and counted down to 57:59:59, "I ran some algorithms and it looks like they have just over two days before they'll have enough snakes to be back at full power. I was estimating how much they lost and how damaged they were, so it's probably safer to say two days if we want to lowball it."

"Then we don't have time to lose," Lloyd turned to the group, "We need to get after them, right?"

There was a simple nod shared among all of them, even Monty. Lloyd stretched out his arms and nodded, "Then we need to plan a trip to get back to Dareth's place and get traveling again. We gotta get going as soon as possible. We should say our goodbyes, then get going."

"Are you going after them?" Mage asked.

The group collectively turned to look at the boy. Mage looked to each of them, raising his eyebrow. After the initial shock wore off of his arrival, Harumi turned her watch off and spoke for the group.

"We're planning to get moving out as soon as possible," Harumi told the boy, "We were going to try to get as many leaders together to tell them we were heading out. We would prefer to get to wherever they escaped to tonight, if we can."

"When do we leave?" Mage asked.

"We?" Monty eyed Mage, "You're joking."

"Nope," Mage shook his head, "When do we leave? I can get us a carriage and get us moving in an hour."

"Mage…" Harumi frowned, "You can't come with us. You're too important to this world."

"I'm the one that let them get away…" Mage gripped his fist tightly, "I had them, right there. I could have… could have stopped them from getting away. But they did. I wasn't strong enough to do it right. They got away because… because I was too slow."

"Normally I don't agree with her, but she's right," Monty turned his head aside, "You're too important to leave. We're all just important people in our world. You're the symbol of this world. You can't go leaving it to chase some personal revenge."

"It's not revenge!" Mage stamped his foot into the ground, "I have to defend my home! You… you can't just give up on a hunt when you think they've run too far! I have to go after them and make sure they don't come back and hurt my world again!"

"Mage, you saw them, you saw what they're willing to do," Lloyd stepped forward, "We can't protect you. We don't know everything about this. We don't even really know all the details about how we're even traveling across universes. We're chasing after the twins. They could be lying in wait for us, or worse. If something happens to you-"

"You can't protect me?" Mage's eyes glowed red and silver, one arm turning metal and the other licking with fire, "I have more power than all of you combined! I stood up to that giant Iron Doomy thing! I was able to get in some pretty good hits!" He cancelled his elements and took a step forward to meet Lloyd, craning his head up to look him in the eyes, "You all need me."

"I, uhm.. Don't think that's how that works, Mage?" Lulloyd asked awkwardly, "It's like… it's not a matter of that, it's that you're, you know…"

"If he gets hurt, we'll mess up an entire world," Harumi tapped her watch a few times, "We can't risk that! Mage, you could die if you come with us. The four of us, we've all accepted that this mission is dangerous. We're putting our lives on the line," Monty cleared his throat, making Harumi's eyebrow twitch, "...We're putting our existences on the line." Monty approved with a stretch.

"I'm going with you," Mage held up the reversal blade, "They had three of these. I got one of them. I managed to do what I don't think you guys could. I did some serious damage to it. And I did it all without ever letting on that you all were involved. I did everything I was supposed to. I'm not some kid. I'm the Dragon Lord. And I can't let my world get threatened. As long as those two are out there, there's a chance they can come back. I have to go after them so… so I can remake the peace I was trying so hard to create! I mean, create it again! I can't rebuild if I know it'll be knocked down again!"

"So?" Monty spoke up, "You're saying that you're doing this not because you're pissed off they managed to get away, but because you see yourself as some sort of protector for this place?"

"Yes," Mage straightened himself up as he replied.

"It… it isn't good to come with us if you're only doing it to get even," Lulloyd, seeing where Monty was going, continued the thought, "Like, you can't run on wanting to get revenge forever. Sooner or later, that won't be enough."

"I want revenge," Mage turned to Lulloyd, "But that's not all."

"If you come with us," Harumi added, "You'll have to accept that you might not come home. If the Twins manage to do something to catch us off guard, or we get into a bad universe, we could lose everything. You have to be willing… to not come home. Do you know what that means for this place?"

"If I get hurt," Mage replied, "Acronix and Skylar will make sure everything keeps running smoothly. We'll figure something out. There are people here that will keep it working."

"And if we say no to you coming with us?" Lloyd asked curiously.

"Then I'll just force you to take me along," Mage warned him, "I'm going with you, either way. I'm determined to see this through."

There was little, it seemed, the four of them could do to sway the mind of this child. Mage was coming along with them. It wasn't like he wouldn't be helpful: he'd shown himself to be incredibly skilled with using all of the elements, and clearly had more skill than an average kid his age would use. He'd already seen conflict, fought the Twins, and partially won. There was no doubt he'd be a powerful ally with them. It was just a matter of whether or not they could morally bring a child his age along with them.

"I only have one rule," Monty grumbled, "You don't use water anywhere near me. I don't care what sort of foe you're fighting. You don't even touch that stuff when you're around me."

"Huh?" Mage blinked, "Why?"

"Because water will cause him to burst," Lloyd pointed out, "Ghosts can be 'killed' by using water."

"... But… doesn't the air have water in it?" Mage held his hand up with an aqua glow, condensing down water droplets onto his hand.

"Water has to be at a certain concentration to hurt me," Monty pointed out, using a blast of wind from his hand to dry Mage's hand forcibly, "I can hold ice and walk on snow as long as they remain that way to. It's gotta be a liquid and it has to be at a certain level. I can drink anything that's not water based too."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable bringing you along, Mage," Lloyd sighed, "But… I guess you're not exactly a weak little kid. Make sure you tell Skylar and Acronix about this."

"I'll do that right now," Mage nodded, "And I'll get us a ride back to Dareth's place."

Mage soon left to get things prepared for them. Lloyd and Harumi shared a look. Monty didn't seem to care they were bringing the kid, as his protests looked like they melted away the second Mage was gone. Lulloyd wasn't quite sure how he felt. Both Lloyd and Harumi, however, were both well aware of what this would mean to drag him into this. Had Mage not insisted and stated he'd be going either way, there wouldn't have been an argument.

Within an hour, just as Mage claimed, there was none other than the Firstbourne waiting there for them. The beast huffed out as Mage rubbed her snout, helping her to relax. They were waiting patiently, the space cleared out for the group. In front of the carriage was Alacr, Skylar, Krux, Acronix, Nya and Griffin, all of which were looking at them in various states of confusion and wonder.

"She'll take us there," Mage informed them, "...She's been waiting for me. I… told her not to come with me when I was going after Krux."

"You're really taking him with you?" Nya asked as Lulloyd walked up carrying Monty's gun bag again.

"He insisted we take him along," Lloyd pointed out, "And I'm not sure we can really turn him down given how helpful he was."

"He's still just a kid… and the Dragon Lord!" Griffin shot back, "What are we gonna do if he ends up getting himself hurt out there?"

"We'll make every effort to protect him," Harumi assured him, "We'll make sure that he stays safe."

"Is that enough?" Nya asked, "You're not only going somewhere I don't think we can follow, but also fighting those Vermillion."

"I'll be fine, guys!" Mage called out from behind the group, "I can handle myself out there. I need to do this to make sure they don't come back. We barely chased them off this time. Let's not do it again!"

Krux was standing beside Acronix. All of the others sans Acronix were staring at Krux with varying levels of mistrust. Krux, having accepted this was going to be his reality for a long time, decided not to think much of it and instead just looked at Mage. Acronix was silent for the moment, his head hung slightly. Alacr, being half supported by Skylar, stepped forward, bandaged around his body.

"You saved not only my life, but the lives of all of my friends," Alacr bowed his head, "Thank you for what you have done for us. While many people won't know about what happened, you will remain in our minds for years to come."

"We rescued you so Mage could get to the Iron Doom and do his thing without worrying," Monty shrugged, "But you're welcome."

"What Monty is saying," Harumi stepped forward, "Is that we're just glad that you're recovering. We did what anyone in our position would have done."

Alacr couldn't help but quirk a small smile up at their conflicting responses, "Indeed."

"You better take good care of him," Skylar sighed, "It's… kinda sad I only just got back up, but if he needs to get going soon then I get it."

"Don't worry, we'll probably be coming back here," Lloyd turned to Mage. Mage pulled the reversal blade off his belt, then walked up to Acronix.

"They all agree we should hide this thing so the Twins don't get it," Mage handed the blade to Acronix, "They think you should keep it. If they come back looking for it, then we can hide it here rather than with us. Krux helped me get this thing so… it's only fair that you take it."

Acronix wordlessly reached up and took the time blade. He stashed it under his own hip, then he raised his eyes at Mage. Mage was taken aback by the cold and serious look in them. Krux looked to his brother with a little bit of nerves, and Acronix spoke with a cold tone.

"Is what Krux said true?" Acronix asked, "Did you kill Machia?"

Both Nya and Griffin turned to look at the Mage. Mage, stunned, didn't say anything. When he didn't, Acronix took that as exactly what he needed to hear. He inhaled sharply, the wind whistling through his teeth, then he let out a long and disappointed sigh.

"My brother says he watched you not only use reverse when I forbade you from touching that element, but you held Machia down and subjected her to the full force of your raw reverse energy," Acronix growled, "Is that true?" Mage was silent, silenced by the force of Acronix's words.

"Not only did you let your anger take control of you, then," Acronix looked up, "But you willingly used that element against another living being. You ignored the fact that she was a person, a being to care for, and you decided to take her life into your own hands. Is that it, Mage?"

"She… she was just a snake…" Mage stated, stunned that his mentor was talking to him like this, "I did what I had to do.."

"Just… a snake?" Acronix growled harder, "That's how it starts then, isn't it? First, you justify it by saying they aren't human. Then you justify it by saying someone being evil makes them not human. You'll push your boundary even more. If you're willing to use it on a thinking, living being, then what's stopping you from doing it on a human?"

"Machia… she… deserved it, though!" Mage protested… but he felt the shame and a cold well up in his chest as he realized what Acronix was saying to him.

"You promised me," Acronix ground his teeth, "You swore to me you would never turn your time powers on another person with the intent to harm. This goes beyond just using something to line up an attack, Mage. You willingly removed someone's life. You took away something from Machia because you were angry. Is that right?"

Mage wanted to say something. The group around him was silent, knowing this was an important lesson between teacher and student. Mage was completely toppled from any defense he could have mounted. Acronix was telling the truth, and he had nothing left to say. He bit her lip, then nodded his head meekly. Acronix's anger seemed to loosen a tiny bit.

"You admit it… so I will make the punishment a bit less harsh," Acronix looked to Krux, then back to Mage, "I will no longer be your teacher. You are forbidden from touching your time powers outside of this world now, or ever."

"What?" Mage looked up, a genuine sense of fear and terror in his voice, "But...but I can't… you're the only one who can teach me reverse and pause!"

"It seems you have no need to wait for someone to teach you control," Acronix stated firmly, "When you clearly have none of it yourself."

"Hey, wait up a minute," Monty stepped forward, "You can't go doing that."

"This isn't a conversation that concerns you, Monty," Acronix shook his head, "He has to learn discipline. The only reason I would not go to our tribe's dragon and have his powers removed is I don't believe that it's possible to."

"We're going off on a life or death mission here," Monty shot back, "And you want to hold him back from moment one?"

"And risk him trying to turn his uncontrolled powers onto someone that doesn't deserve it?" Acronix shook his head, "He has already proven he can't be trusted to hold such power. If it can't be taken away, he can't be allowed to use it." Mage flinched visibly, his eyes hazing up.

"I don't think you get it," Monty stepped forward, "It's not just your world that's at stake here. The Twins will keep going to literally any universe they can until they win. We can't go and take away his abilities before we even get started."

"He shouldn't be using them in the first place," Harumi pointed out, "Fenwick said that if we mess with time in other worlds, we could cause a collapse. We don't want to do anything that'll put stress on the other worlds."

"She's right," Lulloyd shuddered, "He said that, if we do too much damage, we could… we could destroy worlds."

"But… but Acronix I…" Mage looked up, "I was… I was doing what I needed to. She, she tried to kill Krux. I had to… I had to pay her back so she couldn't hurt anyone."

"You clearly still need to learn compassion, if it only takes anger to remove it from you," Acronix pointed out. When Mage hung his head and looked ready to cry, Acronix let him hang there for a few moments before he shook his head, "While he may not touch his Time Matrix, I will allow him something to give him an edge in battle."

Acronix reached down to his hip, undoing Aevum's sheath. He handed the sword to Mage, who looked at it and nervously took it in his hands. He looked up to Acronix, who looked down at him and gave one single nod of his head.

"You're… giving this to me?" Mage asked quietly, "You said you would only give this to… to people you deemed worthy."

"You're a long way off of that," Acronix turned away, "Don't take this as me saying that you were in the right, Mage. I simply can't send you away into battle without giving you something to know you have a chance to survive. If I can't go with you, then it's my job to make sure that you at least have a fighting chance."

"I… I, I'm grateful for this, Acronix," Mage moved to gently strap Aevum to his side, having to turn the hilt so it stuck out past his side to have the sword fully in lace, "I'll… I'll do my best to remember that."

"You best," Acronix inhaled sharply, "Come home safe, Mage. I don't approve of you leaving like this… but I understand why you feel you must go. You must do what you think is right. I believe these are the most capable hands I can send you off in… so keep yourself safe."

"What will you do with…?" Mage gestured to Krux. Krux grimaced, and Acronix let out a small groan.

"Firstly, I will hide this thing where none will find it," Acronix held up the reversal blade, "By hiding it where even I will not find it. As for my brother… For now, we will gather the other leaders and inform them about his return. We'll make up a story to my people saying that he left prison to help fight the Raiders and he asked me to join him, hence why I was away. I doubt they will fully accept him, but for now… it is the best course of action."

"We'll be keeping an eye on him," Sykalr pointed out, "Not like we expect him to get his power back or anything. Just that we'll make sure he's really with us."

"I'm glad to know you think that way about me, Skylar," Krux pointed out coyly.

"Hush," Skylar threw back.

There was little more to say. Steadily, the group of four, now five, crawled onto the back of Firstbourne. A saddle had been rigged up with multiple seats, letting them all sit down. Lulloyd handed the gun bag to Monty while the Firstbourne gave a soft grumble while Mage took the reins. Lloyd, Harumi and Lulloyd all took seats as well. Looking back to the group, Mage was about to take off before he perked up.

"Wait a minute!" Mage looked around, "Where's dad?!"

"Right here," Garmadon's voice sounded from the other side of the Firstbourne. When Mage looked down to see him, Garmadon sighed, "You need to work on your awareness, son."

"H-Hang on one second, guys!" Mage told them. The group said nothing as Mage leapt down off the dragon and into a hug from his dad. Garmadon reached up and placed his hand on top of Mage's head to hold him tightly. As soon as he did, a wave of emotion struck the boy.

"I'm… I'm going now, dad," Mage sniffed, "I uhm. I'm sorry I didn't come to you first. It's just, Harumi said that we have to go quickly, and I uhm…"

"No need to say anything, son," Garmadon sighed, "I know what you must do. I have heard everything you have said. While I worry for you… these four have proven strong and dependable," Garmadon looked up towards them, "Promise me you will rely on them."

"I will," Mage smiled warmly, "Thank you dad. Really I, I… I'm going to make this place safe again. I'm going to prove myself."

"You already have, son," Garmadon pulled back a bit to look Mage in the eyes, "You've become a fine young man. Now, it is time for you to grow one step further on your journey. Be safe, and be prepared. Promise me you'll come back safely."

"I will!" Mage quickly nodded, "I have to come back to help Skylar with her tribe, after all!"

Garmadon let out a sad chuckle, then let go of his son. Mage quickly leapt to climb back up onto Firstbourne, his spirits lifted a bit. He looked back to the others, who each gave him a smile.

"Let's get going," Lloyd nodded. Mage cracked the reins, causing the Firstbourne to spread her wings and take them into the sky. The gathered leaders all looked on as the dragon faded off into the distance, Mage looking on at them and feeling a sudden pang of loneliness in his chest. He quickly waved his hand to them, and each of them waved back to him. He continued to wave long after they were gone. When he stopped waving, he lowered his hand nervously and reluctantly.

"It's not too late to turn back," Harumi pointed out as she saw Mage looking unsure, "You don't have to come with us."

"I… I do need to," Mage turned to face the group, "I have to get those Twins. I have to make sure they don't come back and hurt this place. It's my duty as the Dragon Lord to do that. I have to do what only I can do."

"Then get settled in, big shot," Monty opened the gun bag and began rifling through rifles, "It's a long trip."

Mage, seeing the bag filled with what he guessed were weapons, looked down to Aevum. He unstrapped the sheath of the sword and handed it to Monty.

"I… I want you to put that in there, if those are weapons you aren't using," Mage looked down to the sword, "...I can't, I can't use this. Not, not after what he said. I have to earn it."

"Seriously?" Monty raised an eyebrow. Lloyd, not giving Mage time to respond, took Aevum and stuck it down into Monty's bag. When Monty looked up to him with a look of exasperation, Lloyd just looked away.

Mage felt a strange sense of distance fill the space as he sat with the group. Now that he was alone with them… he realized he didn't really know any of them. He'd interacted with them all, Lulloyd the most, but unlike everyone in the Summit, he didn't _know_ any of them. He hardly knew what most of them could do! He realized rather quickly that if he was going to be traveling with them… he should make an effort to talk! Since Firstbounre knew where she was going, he simply turned around and created a small sound pocket so they could all talk normally.

"I have a question," Mage asked, "How did you all rescue Nya and Griffin?"

"Lulloyd came up with a plan and it was working pretty well," Lloyd responded quickly, "Until we ended up getting surrounded by Vermillion when our distraction went wrong."

"Then… how did you get out?" Mage asked.

"We weren't sure what was going on at first," Harumi leaned in, "But, now that we know what you were doing at the time, it actually makes a lot of sense…"

* * *

Without any choice, Lloyd, Harumi and the invisible Monty all readied themselves for battle. With a shout, the group leapt straight out of the collapsing tower, right into the middle of the oncoming Vermillion. If the new plan worked, they would surprise the swarm just enough to get away. Several warriors were already turning to them, ready to take them head on.

As soon as the warriors saw them, they stopped. Then, the warriors began to shake. One Vermillion dropped his sword, reaching up to his head and grabbing hold of it. Harumi and Lloyd looked on in shock as he did, unsure what was going on. Monty, taking his chance, replaced a pistol with the SoS and cleaved the warrior apart where he stood.

"What…?" Lloyd blinked, "What…?"

Suddenly, there was a scream. The sound of weapons clattering to the ground was mixed with screams. The group stepped closer to the broken bars, taking in the sight outside. The Vermillion that had surrounded them were screaming, holding their heads and shaking. They looked distraught, terrified, shaken to their core. Their eyes were unfocused, not looking at anything and instead screaming at nothing.

"What's going on?" Harumi asked in a daze, "They're… they're all…"

"W-Where… where is it?!" Blunck's cry came the most potent of all, "Where are they?! I can't feel them! Where… where are they?!"

"I-I don't know!" Raggmunk shouted back, "They're gone! I don't know where they are! They're gone! They're gone! They're gone!"

_Guys!_ Lulloyd's voice came over the mental link, _I don't know what's going on, but get out! Hurry! _

The warrior that Monty had cleaved apart wasn't even bothering to get back up. There wasn't any need to think of why this was happening anymore. Quickly, Harumi helped Alacr along while an invisible Monty and Lloyd made their way out. They turned towards where Veloc and Kine had disappeared to, following after their trail as fast as they could. Behind them, the tower that Rina had worked to collapse was already rapidly sinking into the ground, yet no Vermillion seemed to care.

What awaited them was nothing short of a cobbled together oddity. Lulloyd had turned his mechdragon into a strange four legged walker, with a large cabin where the wounded warriors were being held inside. Because of this, the head was awkwardly stubby and stuck onto the ground, with the legs just as short and spindly looking. Lulloyd sat on top of the dragon head.

"Come on!" Lulloyd shouted, "We gotta go!"

Kine and Veloc quickly leapt up into the cramped transport, followed by Amdala and Cereb. Rina, Baux and Gale all were already inside. Quickly, they loaded Alacr inside, then Monty, Lloyd and Harumi followed suit.

"Wait for me!" Chamille gasped, running after them. As the form of a Vermillion melted away from her body in oddly appearing patches, the power of form over Lulloyd, Lloyd and Harumi melted away in turn. She leapt into the transport, then shouted, "Go!"

Quickly, the strange walker began to scamper its way through the bog, the feet keeping them above the acid as they scurried their way towards the Poison Tribe and, more importantly, safety.

* * *

"They must have panicked when the Twins left this universe," Lloyd pointed out, "And left them behind. They're connected to the Twins. If they're in control of the hivemind, it'd be like suddenly having everyone you know ripped away from you in an instant."

"That must be why we could sweep them up really easily after the Iron Doomy was gone," Mage pointed out, "We captured a lot of them. They'll be taken care of."

A silence fell over the group as the landscape below them unfolded. To Lloyd, the world looked ike something out of a painting. The scenery shifted each time he looked at it, yet nonetheless looked beautiful. Yet it was also something that they would all be leaving behind. Yet again, they were after the Twins. Yet again… they had failed in their mission.

"I'm, uhm… it's good to have you along with us, Mage," Lulloyd smiled, "It's, always nice to have more company."

"Mhm," Mage agreed, "You all worked hard to try to help my World and… well, I actually realized this, but, I never said thank you!" He looked up, "Oh, wow I never said that this entire time! I'm sorry! Thank you, really, thank you guys! I know you all worked really hard and… and I don't think that we'd have even gotten anywhere near this far without you."

"Huh?" Lloyd raised his head up, "You don't have to thank us. We brought this mess to you and… it's not like you ever asked for it."

"Well then you all came in to try to clean up your mess, that's more than most would do!" Mage insisted, "Like… when I was traveling around when the war was, you know, getting going, I saw that a lot of people made messes but… didn't clean them up. I helped a lot of smaller villages cause troops came through and left them all messed up. And you guys were willing to come and do this when like, they were trying to take over the whole world! I don't know how I can even really thank you for that! Oh! That's another reason I'm coming along."

"Well, it's like Lulloyd said, we're glad to have you," Harumi added, "We don't mean to come off like we don't like having other people with us, it's just… it's dangerous, and we don't want you to get hurt because you're coming along with us. But, you are pretty strong."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Mage sighed, "And, yeah, I get that you guys think that I'm important. And I am. But… it's because I'm important I gotta do this. I have to trust the people I leave behind to care for things while I go and make sure they're safe. That's what I think, at least!"

"Let's not debate the moral implications of bringing a twelve year old across the multiverse to chase after two murderous power made twins," Monty groaned, "Relax. We don't know what we're getting into when we get there."

There wasn't much point to arguing with him, so the group relented. Mage in particular did feel rather tired, so he was easily able to lean back and go out within a few minutes. Lloyd and Harumi went back to resting, and Lulloyd, unable to rest, continued watching. Monty kept cleaning his guns, shifting around the large sword inside of his bag with a grumble as he did.

It was four hours before they arrived back at Dareth's inn. The place was far more sparsely populated than the last time they were there. The Firstbourne landed near the entrance, letting them all disembark with Lloyd taking the gun back so Lulloyd could get a break from the cargo. Monty said nothing. Mage, in turn, gave his dragon one more hug.

"I… I have to go away for a bit now, okay?" Mage spoke quietly, "I have to… have to go help them. I made a mistake and… well, not a mistake. I just… I have to go after them. They're not gonna stop until then."

The dragon grumbled low in her throat. She shifted upwards, pushing Mage back a step. He frowned at her, putting his hands on his hips and shaking his head.

"Look, they're rounding up the Vermillion and getting them put into a big cell like Chen!" Mage pouted, "I'm not needed her right now. I need you to stay here to protect them. And, uhm, I'm not sure that you can come with me, being a big dragon and all."

"He's right," Monty's voice came over the wind, literally whistling past Mage's ear, "Only people with power like you can travel."

The dragon rumbled again, turning her head away. Mage gripped his fist for a moment, then he nodded his head to what she'd said to him.

"I… I promise, okay?" Mage looked up, "I'll come back. And, I'll make up for leaving you out of the fight, okay? I'll come back. I won't leave you behind again once I do!"

The dragon grumbled once more, and Mage let out a sigh of relief. He raced forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. She snorted against him, closing her eyes and relaxing into his embrace. When he let go, he gave her one last rub before turning towards the others that were waiting at the entrance to the inn.

"Ah, there he is!" Dareth's telltale voice came from the entrance, "The one and only Dragon Lord! To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Ah, we just need to use this place for a few minutes!" Mage called out, "Is Firstbourne here?"

"She landed behind the building," Dareth gestured, "She said the path was too small."

"Thanks Dares!" Mage called out, "Come on guys, let's go!"

It seemed Dareth was indeed still a universal constant. Harumi attempted to say hi to him, but Monty pushed her along before she could try. He still had his clothes, looking a bit more tribal than before, his impossibly pumped up hair and slight belly. The group were able to walk freely through his place, seeing that indeed there were a multitude of rooms off to the side. Dareth simply offered relaxation services to travelers, hence the spa pool and massage room they'd snuck in through. Mage rushed through it quickly out the backdoor. The group ascended the rocks back up to the same cliff face they'd originally entered from. Mage was already waitingthere, seeing as it was the end of the path.

"I'm ready to go now!" Mage smiled, "Let's do this!"

"Here," Harumi walked forward and placed a shard of crystal in his hand, "Since you had a reaction to the green power, I'm guessing you can travel with us. Don't lose that, that's the key to you traveling with us. If you do lose it, you can't come with us."

"Alright," Mage moved and tucked it into his robes, "Done!"

The group gave a nod. Monty turned towards the wall, then he focused. A golden aura twinkled, then shot up into the air. Mage watched in awe as a golden dragon wrapped around his body, hovering around him protectively. Monty let it fully colhease, its tail whispering in the air. The beast swirled around him, then Monty pointed one hand out and held his crystal out from his hand. With a burst of wind, it shot straight out like a bullet. It struck the wall, and the dragon shot directly after that. It poured into the space around the crystal, and in it, a rip formed on top of its surface. A tear-shaped hole opened up, the dragon fading into it. With a wave of his hand, the crystal shot back into his hand.

"W-Wh-WHAT?!" Mage bounced in front of Monty, "YOU COULD MAKE A DRAGON THE ENTIRE TIME?!"

Monty shoved Mage back and crossed his arms, "And you're going to forget that I can. I don't do that. It's a personal reason and don't ask why. I won't tell you and they can't."

"B-But it's… that's DRAGON!" Mage shouted, "You know how important those things are, right? You'd be like, you'd be like-"

"Drop it," Monty shut him down with a wave of his hand, "You need to get ready to make this jump."

"In his world," Lloyd explained, "Monty can use something called chi. His chi looks like a dragon. He's just really upset about letting anyone see it."

"I literally just…" Monty groaned and shook his, "Just make the jump already."

"I wanna see more of his chi!" Mage shouted.

"Maybe later," Monty sighed, "Last chance to turn back, kid. Once you got out there, you wont' look at your world the same way again. And you might die. And I can tell you, dying sucks. You're up first, Lloyd."

Lloyd gave Monty a bit of a dirty look, but Mage noticed he hefted the gun bag up on his shoulders, making Monty shrug. Lloyd stepped forward, giving a small inhale before he stepped into the rift. He disappeared after a moment. Lulloyd turned back to the group, then he followed suit with a small jump inside. Harumi took a bit longer, but once she jumped inside, she was gone as well. Monty gestured to him to move forward.

Mage took a small moment to inhale, thinking and readying himself for the task. Then, with a loud shout, he ran forward straight into the portal and vanished. The last thing he saw was Monty's confused features as the light faded and soon, he was being pulled away in nothingness.

* * *

When Lloyd landed, the first thing he noticed was that Dareth's studio, was no longer a studio. He came out of the void with a few seconds of dizziness, then he shook himself and focused around him. They were inside something more akin to a warehouse, with various stacks of boxes piled up all around them. They appeared from what must have been the back wall, a small gap between two stacks of boxes allowing him to exit into the main space. The boxes weren't labeled, and nothing about the place seemed to scream 'Dareth' at all.

Taking a few steps forward, Lloyd then noticed that the doors to the place were slightly ajar. They were in a massive room, and he could only see the doors as two tiny slots on the other side. Lulloyd and Harumi followed after him, both of them walking up to him and looking around to see where they were. The unfamiliar setting was enough to put them on edge.

Then, there was the sound of a shout, and Mage came barreling out of the rift. He slid forward stumbling as though he'd almost fallen over. His eyes turned brown and, from under the floor, a pillar of earth shot up to catch him and let him orient himself upright. He took a deep breath and bounced forward on one foot, standing beside the three and looking around confused.

"Woah… where are we?" Mage blinked, "It… kinda looks like you guys!"

"I think we're not in the anime anymore," Monty sighed as he exited the portal finally after them, his dragon chi absorbing into his back as the rift closed, "Thankfully."

"This place doesn't feel right…" Harumi shuddered, "It feels… wrong. Something in the air here is off."

"Well, let's go take a look," Lloyd suggested, pointing to the doors on the other end of the room. No one had objections. In the darkness of the strange warehouse, only Mage's golden robes stood out. Monty was already eying him, thinking of ways to do so. As they walked, Lulloyd noticed Monty open the gun bag on Lloyd's back, much to Lloyd's annoyance, and exchange his current cape for one that looked like it'd been through a battlefield. He swung the red, tattered and burned cape over his shoulder, tying it off and once more letting it flap as he walked.

When the group reached the doors, the sight they saw was startling. Outside, there was no sunlight. The entire sky was blanketed in dark black and purple clouds, swirling about in various points almost like hurricanes in the sky. Instead, light was being provided by massive red spheres mounted on buildings. It was clearly a modern version of Ninjago City in terms of what Lloyd and Monty knew, but one important building, Borg Tower, was missing.

Instead, in the place of that large landmark was instead a massive black fortress. The fortress was a tower that reached so high up it touched the tip of the clouds in the sky. The building was made of glowing black and purple substances that almost looked like liquid constantly moving about inside of an invisible mold. At ground level, it spread out almost like an infection, digging into the ground with its roots. The fortress had one entrance that was being guarded by none other than the Stone Army, rendered with purple in place of their red armor. Normally, that detail would have gone over their heads, if they weren't in a building within the large walled compound surrounding the fortress.

"This…" Harumi's hand gripped Lloyd's arm. The two shared a knowing look of pained recollection.

"Mhm…. great, looks like the Overlord won here, or at the very least we're right after he did," Monty yawned, "Thought you said that we can only go to worlds where he was defeated."

"I… did, I don't know what this is about," Harumi nervously shuddered, "This… this place is wrong. It feels wrong. Everything about it, it all feels wrong. That's, that's dark matters. That entire fortress is made of Dark Matter."

"What?" Lloyd shook his head, "Dark Matter is only found on the Dark Island."

"She's right, " Monty pointed out, "I've seen that stuff before. That's it."

"You have any idea what they're talking about?" Lulloyd asked Mage.

"Nope, not at all," Mage shook his head.

"Good," Lulloyd smiled a tiny bit, "I'm not the only one anymore."

"Hey! What are you doing here?!"

The group turned to see none other than Dareth rushing in through a side door to the large warehouse. He wasn't wearing his normal brown robes, however; they were instead a mixture of purple and brown, making his outfit look darker than normal. They were far more elegant as well, with patterns and letters painted down the sides to make it almost ceremonial.

"Dareth," Harumi sighed, "Okay, good, I thought we weren't even going to-"

"Why are you here, how'd you even get in here?!" Dareth rushed up to them, grabbing Lloyd's shoulders and shaking him, "Has anyone seen you?!"

"What?" Lloyd, used to Dareth's behavior after his last adventure back home, only blinked at him in confusion, "I, don't think so, we haven't even-"

Suddenly, the entire group sans Monty was sent clutching their ears as a deafening roar of horns filled the room. Lloyd shook his head, feeling a weird familiarity with it as soon as he heard it. When he saw Harumi straining to look up and place the sound in turn, he realized what it was. It was the Horns of Destruction!

"Don't just stand there!" Dareth shouted, remaining still, "If he found out you're here, you gotta get out!"

"Sure, how?" Monty asked calmly.

Dareth, looking up to realize his error, grabbed Lloyd's arm and began tugging him along. Lloyd gripped Harumi, who gripped Lulloyd who did Mage, carrying them along in the chain. Monty, turning to see there were Stone Warriors beginning to race towards them, rolled his eyes, drew the SoS, and followed them.

Dareth led them out the side door, showing they were now inside of a massive rocky training area. It seemed he still was a trainer. He led them past the site and back towards a small home behind it. He threw open the door, ushering them all inside. Once they were, he ran over and slid by a bookcase with a massive wheeze, holding his gut as he pointed towards a hole in the floor.

"T-Take… that that… whew, I gotta lay off the trophies…" Dareth shook himself, "Follow that tunnel, I'll get Sun to come pick you up by the time you get out! You don't wanna be in here when they come looking for us!"

"Why?" Lloyd rubbed his head against the ear-splitting horns, "Why, what's going on?!"

"There's not enough time!" Dareth threw the door open dramatically, showing a ladder, "Just get going! You guys don't wanna end up captured, do you?!"

Without much choice, Lloyd relented and hopped into the hole. He slid down the ladder, landing in what was clearly an escape tunnel. The ceiling was low enough he had to crouch as he walked. Mage and Lulloyd followed quickly after, both with confused looks. Harumi stopped to give Dareth a quick word of thanks before following, with Monty closing the door above them and the bookshelf scraping back into place.

"What's going on?" Mage called out, "Are we being followed?"

"If we don't book it, then we probably will be," Monty blasted the tunnel with wind, "Less thinking, more escaping."

Lloyd, not wanting to defy the ghost, quickly raced his way down the tunnel. It was clearly well used, with the walls being held up by posts and the ground showing several footprints from likely previous escapees. They ran for almost five minutes inside of the tunnel, moving far enough away the horn sound began to die down. They continued to run through the tunnel until they reached another spot with a ladder that went upwards presumably to the street.

There wasn't any need to wait. Lloyd ascended, bringing them along with him. When he opened the hatch up top, he found they were not on the street, but instead in what looked like an office room under renovation. He pushed a tarp out of the way, dragging the others up with one hand. As soon as Monty floated up from the hole, the large open windows nearby showed the tower they had just escaped from was now several blocks away.

"Didn't he say something about Sun coming to pick us up?" Harumi asked nervously, running up to the window and sliding under the sill to peer up.

No sooner had Harumi said that, did something descend from the skies. At first glance, it looked like a ship, but Lloyd immediately recognized it as none other than the Destiny's Shadow. His birthday gift back during the Time Twins first rampage looked relatively similar, but with the green removed and instead painted over with white. There was one person in the driver seat, with some sort of display covering his face.

"Get on!" The man called out, the wings folding in and the railing retracting to let them on board. Without debate needed, they all hurried their way onto the ship. The wings unfolded once more and the jets kicked in, sending the Destiny's Shadow up into the air at a rapid pace. The pilot brought them high in the sky, weaving around buildings rapidly away from the tower. They were floating far off in the distance, near the edge of the city, before the pilot finally stopped.

The display folded back, letting the pilot stand up. The first thing that stood out about him was the fact he was a young man around Lloyd's age. He had white glistening hair, cut messily around his head. He wore heavy robes with a breastplate and armor, with several small weapons stashed under his belts, with two straps going across his chest that painted a golden splotch where they intersected. His entire motif seemed to be a mixture of white and gold. The design looked similar to that of the armor Lloyd and the others wore during the Serpentine incident. He had a sword hilt sticking up past his shoulder, made of what looked like smooth wood. With how far his robes spread out behind his legs and without any ninja-like armor on him, the man almost looked like some sort of knight. He stood up and made his way over to the group.

"It is good to see there are still people that resist the tyrant," The white haired man bowed his head, "Allow me to extend my official welcome to you. I am Sun! The light that shines hope in the Emperor's darkness!"

"My name is Harumi," Harumi bowed back to him, "That is Lloyd, Lulloyd, Monty, and Mage. To avoid some confusion… do you recognize any of us?"

Sun shook his head, "No, I do not believe I do. I am certain I would remember such interesting faces. Especially… his," Sun made a gesture towards Mage with a nervous smile, "He looks rather out of place, a memorable feature if I say so myself."

"Thanks!" Mage beamed, "I always try to look unique!"

"May we ask who you are?" Harumi continued, "This is a weird question, but… is there anyone here that is the son of Garmadon and Misako? Green Ninja, legendary savior?"

Sun blinked at Harumi. After a moment, he smiled gently and placed his hands on his hips, "If you're looking for the son of Misako, then you're talking to him. To be more clear, I am the son of Wu and Misako."

Had this been a few jumps prior, the group would likely have had a much more unique reaction. Instead, all they could do was stare at Sun and process that in their minds. When Harumi finally got over it, she grimaced and sighed, "I guess we found our deviation, then."

"Deviation?" Sun smiled gently, "You are quite an odd bunch, aren't you?"

"Very odd, yeah, I'm a ghost, if that didn't register as odd to you then you have weird standards, let's just move this along," Monty waved his hand, "Emperor, world, rundown, give it to us. We're travelers from far away, over the Endless Sea. Yes, I know, I'm a ghost, don't mention it. We need to know what's going on, k?"

"Well, I suppose I can help with a bit of that," Sun turned around, "Come, we can make our way back to the rest of my team, from there we can get out of this city and-"

The Horns of Destruction sounded once again. Sun whipped around, moving one hand to his hip and drawing what looked like a wooden hilt and… nothing else. The group looked on to where he was looking, and saw that nearby, several jets were flying towards them. From their coloration and shape, Lloyd instantly recognized them as being of Nindroid design.

"Tssk," Sun inhaled, putting a smile back on his face, "I guess we must fight our way out. I have not a clue know what you did, but it looks like the Emperor wants you gone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, we bring the second major arc of Ninjaverse to a close and begin the third! Originally the opening to this chapter was at the end of Chapter 33, yet for pacing issues I moved it here.
> 
> Normally, I take a hiatus after a big chunk of the story, yet due to the situation I was able to write up to, currently, Chapter 45. My plan is to finish the remaining chapters in this arc over the coming week, after which I'll be taking a bit of a break while still posting chapters.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!


	35. Chapter 35

"Those are Nindroids!" Lloyd turned to Sun, "We have to get out of here!"

"My thoughts exactly, friend," Sun did a backflip, landing perfectly in the seat of the Destiny's Shadow and quickly tapping several buttons. An energy field formed a bubble over him, protecting him from the elements as he turned the ship around. The two small wings extended to the sides as the ship banked hard to the right. The group steadied themselves against the rails as Sun rapidly steered them away from the oncoming swarm of Nindroids.

"What are those?" Mage asked calmly, peering over the railing to look back at the robots that began drawing rifles from their backs.

"Get DOWN!" Monty shouted, grabbing Mage and throwing him to the deck. Mage was stunned as Monty grabbed his gun bag, drawing out a massive rifle with a scope on the end, "Get me closer!"

"Closer?" Sun shook his head, "I'm attempting to get away from them!"

"Dang it… this is normally Ronin's job!" Monty scoffed, leveling his rifle out and twisting the scope to zoom in, "Keep it steady then. You got any guns on this thing?"

"There's a turret on the back," Sun turned his head to show the second seat connected to an energy-beam gatling gun, "Is anyone among you a good shot?"

"I am," Lloyd stood up, "He's been teaching me!"

Monty rolled his eyes, zooming back into his scope. Lloyd quickly rushed up into the seat, the chair turning around and bringing him up to grip the controls of the gun. The system looked like what Nya had installed on the Bounty 2.0, and as soon as he saw the targeting system he felt familiarity rising up within him. After a few moments to adjust, he quickly slung the gun's barrel to the horde of robots and began to fire.

The ghost fired his first shot, his body not even moving as the gun fired off. The bullet was sent right towards the targeting eye of one of the Nindroids, causing its body to violently arc with blue electricity and then fall from the sky. Lloyd unleashed his volley of fire down on the Nindroids, the lasers flying right into the darkened skies and scattering the group out. Monty sighed and adjusted his aim, firing off and sending another down to the streets.

Sun gave the Destiny's Shadow a massive jerk to the right, causing Lulloyd to go sliding off and nearly fall from the deck. Mage shot his hand out, sending a massive flash freeze of ice behind Lulloyd to catch him before he fell off. Lulloyd gripped the ice wall thankfully before reaching onto his back and drawing out his Mechdragon brick. He looked to Harumi, who looked over to Mage.

"Mage!" Harumi shouted, "Go with Lulloyd!"

Mage turned to her, blinking for a few moments before nodding his head. Sun righted the Destiny's Shadow, letting Lulloyd and Mage leap over the side of the ship. Sun stared at them in shock until the Mechdragon shot up beside them a moment later, roaring and spewing green flames as Lulloyd twisted the controls to veer the group right down towards the oncoming horde. Mage stood up behind Lulloyd, extending his right arm as his fingers crackled with electricity.

"Sun," Harumi raced up to where he sat behind his energy field, "Does this thing have an onboard map of the city?!"

"Yes, but I doubt that would help us right now," Sun stated as calmly as he could, turning them once more, "Why do you ask?"

"Are you going anywhere in particular?!" Harumi turned out towards the city, "My watch can plan an optimal route!"

"I am trying to shake our pursuers at the moment!" Sun declared, "You should get down and-"

Sun stopped as a rain of red lasers from the starboard side of the ship crashed down on his energy bubble. Harumi rapidly formed a disc in her hands and turned it upwards to protect her, the lasers shattering her disc on impact. She quickly flattened her body down as best she could, Lloyd twisting the barrel to begin firing away at the surprise attack.

Monty continued to fire shots into the Nindroids, missing roughly one in every five shots with how Sun continued to veer the ship. Lulloyd shot his Mechdragon right into the barrage of lasers, missiles firing off and taking out small groups of Nindroids as he went. Mage ran along the back of the dragon, using gravity to run along the length even as he went upside down, firing off lightning with his hands to strike Nindroids as he went. As one tried to grab onto the tail, Mage shot out his hand, eyes gunmetal as he yanked the Nindroid up off the tail and sent him flying away into the air.

"They won't stop coming!" Lloyd shouted, firing the gun even faster as he did, "They must really want us captured!"

"I have a personal relationship with the Emperor," Sun sighed, "As he does with me. Just showing my face is enough to send out all of his forces to capture me."

"Glad to know we ran into the literal one person that gets us hunted down from minute go," Monty grumbled, firing off again and snarling, "Stop jerking the ship, Sun!"

"I would prefer we not have our engines filled with laser blasts!" Sun threw back, "Hold on, I shall take us through them!"

"You're doing what?" Lloyd asked, only to suddenly feel his back thrown into his seat. Monty turned his back solid and slammed it against the railing, while Harumi gripped onto the nearest bit of faux-roof of the ship. Sun drove them straight up into the air,. The swarm followed them, firing their lasers up as they approached the massive layer of dark clouds that blanketed the city.

"Hold on, my friends!" Sun ordered. The ship hit the apex of its arc, then suddenly flipped forward to the bow. For a brief few moments, all feeling of weight was lost from them sans the weightless ghost, making Harumi and Lloyd's stomachs churn. The ship did a roll to its port side, righting itself upright and slamming Harumi and Lloyd down just as the ship shot forward directly into the confused horde.

Lloyd twisted the gatling gun forward, pointing it and rapidly firing away at the Nindroids that quickly adapted to begin firing at them. Harumi fired off Rhotatae discs, trying to take down as many as she could. Monty thrust his rifle forward, taking more shots and downing more Nindroids, some striking the deck and being thrown off by Sun rocking the ship back and forth.

Seeing the Shadow making its move, Lulloyd rapidly typed buttons on his dragon's console. The four legs suddenly retracted into the mech, turning the supplementary boosters double in size and firing straight backwards. Mage ran up the side of the dragon, bracing himself against the spines as he brought his hands together, his eyes going red as he sprayed a massive wave of fire in a semicircle around himself to attack the Nindroids that got too close. The dragon rocketed its way to catch up to the Destiny's Shadow.

"What's your plan?!" Harumi shouted over the roaring wind as the ship cut through the wind.

"Not dying is the first priority," Sun declared, "I have sent out a signal to the Bounty, they are setting up an extraction point. We must make it there before they arrive."

"G-Great, we're trading one death ship for another…" Harumi groaned, sitting upright, only to flatten down as a laser threatened to blast her head off.

Sun, seeing a patch of skyscrapers close together, spun the ship vertical and blasted forward. Both Lloyd and Harumi gripped their seats and fought falling off the Shadow as Sun rapidly began to weave them in and out of the buildings. Lasers rained out behind them, shattering glass and filling the air with reflecting bits of glistening blue and red. The force of Sun rapidly bobbing the ship in and out of the buildings continued to smack Lloyd and Harumi against the shop. Monty had long given up trying to shoot, instead just holding on calmly and waiting for it to end.

Finally, the Shadow burst out between two buildings, the Nindroid horde having thinned behind them significantly. From above the buildings, the Mechdragon came roaring down, its legs extending back out as Lulloyd did a barrel roll from one side of the Shadow to the other. Sun panted heavily as he saw the horde behind them dissipate, giving him time to reorient and smile towards Lloyd and Harumi.

"We have escaped the jaws of the beast, friends!" Sun shouted, "We should arrive there in a minute!"

The Shadow rounded the side of one of the buildings. As soon as they did, Lloyd saw a figure hovering in the air on a jetpack. As soon as he saw the shape of the armor, he immediately knew who it was. General Cryptor slowly raised a massive rocket launcher on his side, his target sights zooming in. He let out a small laugh before he let the rocket fly, sending it straight towards the Shadow's starboard.

Sun tried to swerve out of the way, but the rocket still struck the underside of the ship, blasting a massive portion of it open and causing the ship to rapidly destabilize and go down. The energy field around Sun dropped as he rapidly yanked at the now on-the-fritz controls, trying to orient them upwards. Lloyd was thrown forward from his seat, the gatling gun shorting out as he did.

"Hang on!" Lloyd shouted, crawling his way down and reaching out. He grabbed hold of Sun's arm, then reached out and extended his hand to Harumi. As soon as she took it, he focused, spinning his body into Airjitzu. The force of lifting three people up at once caused him to shoot straight up only a fraction of his normal amount, but it was enough to carry them up and over the Shadow as it went straight towards the ground and crashed into the streets below with a burst of flame.

At the apex of Airjitzu, the Mechdragon shot out, catching them just before Lloyd fell. Sun's eyes were wild and looking around in pure confusion, trying to parse what just happened. Lulloyd tried to go forward, but Cryptor loaded another rocket and fired. It burst apart right in front of the Mechdragon, causing him to yank backwards and steer them away from the attack. Cryptor loaded another rocket, taking aim and firing to let out a blast to shave some bricks off the left side of the dragon.

"It is no use," Sun ordered with a growl, "Cryptor's pursuit shall not end! His targeting system is too advanced, we must defeat him on the ground!"

"Are you sure about that?!" Lulloyd asked, only for another blast to nearly throw him from the cockpit, "...S-Sure, why not?"

The Mechdragon soared down towards the street. As they approached, the dragon rapidly reverted into a brick. The group of six dropped down into the middle of a four way intersection. Lulloyd landed, caught his brick, and traded brick for sword and posed ready for battle. A moment later, Monty came soaring down from the sky, landing beside them with an annoyed look at Lloyd. The others took similar stances. Cryptor landed on the ground in front of them, smashing his left fist into the ground and cracking it as he lifted himself up and laughed.

"So, you found yourself new allies then, Sun?" Cryptor reached onto his back, drawing a pair of purple energy-like katanas, "It appears I will need to update my information on them. Perhaps defeating them will give me what I need!"

Sun inhaled. He took a step forward in front of the group, reaching down to grab a wooden hilt. He spun it around in his hand, bringing both hands to grip hold of it in front of his stomach. He inhaled, jerking the hilt up by his right cheek. Suddenly, the space around the sword began to grow darker, turning blacker as if light was sucked in towards the sword. A massive broadsword made of glistening yellow light extended from the hilt, pointing right towards Cryptor as Sun slid his feet apart and took a knightly stance.

"Stay back!" Sun shouted, "I will take Cryptor! His Nindroids will be here soon. I must you to deal with them so I may focus on their general!"

"Like we wouldn't be doing that anyways," Monty rolled his eyes, quickly looking around, "...Where's my bag?!"

Lloyd turned apologetically towards the crashed Shadow nearby. Monty turned towards Lloyd with a rage in his eyes he hadn't even seen yet from the ghost. Monty spat on the ground in front of him, then blasted off with wind towards the wreckage to reclaim his guns. In the meanwhile, the others readied for the incoming swarm.

"I got this!" Lulloyd shouted, "I've dealt with flying guys before!" He ran forward, rapidly striking the street around them. As portions turned to bricks, he rapidly rebuilt them into a massive barrier in front of them, almost like a massive riot shield. He did the same in all four directions around them, angling them back to give them protection from lasers from above. Lloyd, Harumi and Mage gave him a nod of appreciation.

"What are those things?" Mage asked, "I didn't hear you over the… everything."

"Robots, we call them Nindroids," Lloyd growled, "They're like… they're made of metal, and run on electricity. It's, sort of like lightning."

"Really?" Mage looked up towards the swarm, "I don't think I like them."

"You shouldn't, they're being controlled by someone evil," Harumi formed two discs, "Get ready!"

"Mage," Lloyd turned to him, "How are you doing on your elements?"

"What do you- oh!" Mage gripped his fists, "I'm fine. I still got more than enough energy."

"Harumi and I aren't good against enemies in the air," Lloyd looked up to the flying horde of Nindroids, "Can you somehow force them down to the streets? We can take them out once you do!"

"I can do more than that!" Mage's body crackled with lightning, his eyes blue and the bolts coursing from one hand to the other, "You guys get ready, I'll get them for ya!"

With that, one of Mage's eyes flickered to copper, levitating him into the air with gravity. Almost immediately, the horde of Nindroids turned their sights to him, sending lasers right towards him. Mage suddenly turned to smoke, the pieces of him rapidly flying off in all directions as the Nindroids swarmed over him. The smoke shot up into the sky, reforming together to put him directly above the oncoming wave. As soon as he was, he had a massive smirk on his lips as he sent a massive wave of lightning down into them.

Nindroids dropped to the streets as their circuits were scrambled by Mage's onslaught. As soon as they struck the ground, several of them were sent flying as Lulloyd, dual wielding hammers built up from street signs, spun them about and sent them into the buildings nearby. Lloyd shot forward, shouting his 'NINJA-GO!' as he spun into Spinjitzu, rapidly sucking up Nindroids and discarding them off into the ground hard. Harumi formed green power in her hands, blasting away at them and forming Rhotatae discs to fire off into the robots.

"Your friends are rather… strange," Cryptor mused, still facing down Sun, "I've never seen data like this before. I must study them. Perhaps I should take them instead!"

"I will not allow you to!" Sun shouted, his weapons glowing even brighter as he leaned back slightly, "I shall take you down today once and for all, Cryptor!"

"Intriguing… you think your ability is enough to deal with me, then?" Cryptor laughed again, "Go ahead and try it."

Sun's frown grew, but so did his focus. He inhaled deeply, bringing his focus onto his sword. He lowered the blade in front of him, causing it to leave a trail of bright light behind it as he did. The wedge-shaped trail remained in the air even as he continued to move it, painting a golden band in the air. Cryptor held his swords out to either side of him, just waiting eagerly to see what he was about to experience.

With a burst of speed, Sun shot forward. As he did, he held his sword out, causing the golden trail to form behind him and leave a ribbon in the air. When he reached Cryptor, he shot his blade down, striking it against both of Cryptor's purple energy swords. Without stopping, Sun continued to run forward, slicing back and forth and leaving a perfect arc of each of his attacks against Cryptor. Cryptor remained still, but Sun's attacks never stopped. He sped up more and more with each strike, causing his ribbon to form even faster and rapidly merge around itself.

With one massive strike, Cryptor stumbled backwards. Sun stuck his foot against Cryptor, then he leapt up into the air and did a backflip. When he landed, Sun raced forward and swung his sword once more at Cryptor. Cryptor, staggered, caught the sword with both of his own. Sun pressed his attack against the robot, thrusting his weight against him. As soon as Sun did, his body slid forward and stopped. The second it did, his eyes burned with a golden wisp on them.

"Kinesis, release!" Sun shouted.

Instantly, the golden ribbons left in the air began to expand. Sun squatted down, then lapt up into the air on one foot. The ribbons burst violently, the entire band exploding like a band of gunpowder. The light shot out, consuming Cryptor within it due to the ribbons concentrated around him by Sun's attacks. Sun landed on the ground just outside of the explosions, the light band on his sword disappearing and leaving him with just the wooden hilt once more. He pulled his sword over his chest, then sliced it out to his side just as the light faded away. Cryptor was consumed in a massive explosion of pure light.

Sun heard something. Sun twisted around, grunting as he saw the two purple swords coming right for him. He took two steps back, planting his right foot behind him to push Cryptor's blades back. The shiny Nindroid didn't seem to have any scratches on him, and instead he almost looked to be shining even harder as a result of the attack. Sun was pushed back on his foot as Cryptor pushed his robotic strength against him.

"I almost felt a tingle with that one. Your abilities will never be enough to overcome us members of the Emperor's Hand," Cryptor taunted him, "If you give yourself to the Emperor, he may have mercy on you."

"I know any mercy I accept from him will give me nothing that I truly desire!" Sun growled, pushing backwards on Cryptor, "A freed Ninjago, a world without the darkness… none can gain that if we are to live under the constant gaze of fear that he brings to us!"

"You know nothing of how this world was before you existed, boy," Cryptor pushed Sun back, drawing his blades apart and staggering Sun backwards, "You would do well to remember your place."

Cryptor took another step forward. Then, with a loud bang that rattled Sun, Cryptor's head violently shot forward. He collapsed onto his knees, the back of his head now opened up and sparking wires and electricity. Cryptor turned around to see the business end of a shotgun before it fired again, sending his head right down into the ground and making his body jerk and twitch for a few moments.

"And you'd do well to remember there was a ghost on the battlefield," Monty scoffed, raising his shotgun up, his massive gun bag strapped around his left shoulder and right hip, "Especially an armed one."

Monty cocked the gun again, getting ready to double tap Cryptor into the ground. Before he could, Cryptor's body jerked again as he suddenly pushed himself up, reaching his hands up and clawing at his face. Monty fired anyways, striking Cryptor in the chest and sending him sliding across the ground. Cryptor raised his right arm, firing off two darts. They stuck into the shotgun, causing it to blast apart in Monty's hands. Monty hissed in pain as his solidified hands took the pain of the burst.

"Gaahhhhhh!" Cryptor's voice suddenly came out distorted and scratchy, "What have you done to my body?! Do you know how long it took me to craft this?!"

Cryptor grabbed hold of his head, jerking it about and then dragging it up off of his body. When he tossed the thing aside, the now blasted helmet went down to the ground. In its place, someone's head remained. His robotic hands reached up and clawed away at bits of scrap left over, brushing his hair over and adjusting his glasses as he did.

"You're kidding me," Monty growled, drawing a pistol from his armor, "Cryus Borg?"

"Ah, so you've heard of me?" Borg laughed, adjusting his head and putting 'Cryptor's hands down on his hips, "Well, I suppose that isn't that uncommon. I do produce all of the Emperor's Nindroids on commission, after all! Tis a very lucrative business deal, oh, I say!"

Monty raised his pistol, firing several times right at Borg before he could finish. With the press of a button, org's suit went invisible, making the shots arc off into nowhere. Monty replaced the pistol and drew his SoS, looking down into the blade's glow in the darkness. He saw Borg appearing behind him and, a moment later, Monty leapt away to avoid the energy swords slicing at his back.

"Well done!" Borg congratulated him, "Most of my opponents aren't able to track my movements! Is that perhaps due to that interesting looking sword you have there?" He suddenly frowned, "If I still had my helmet, why I'd be able to tell what it was right away."

"Yeah, normally you don't admit that," Monty redrew the pistol, aiming and firing off five more bullets into the now scrapped helmet.

Suddenly, Sun rushed in front of Monty, holding up his light-filled sword again and pointing it at Borg, "Monty, this man is my opponent! I cannot ask you to aid me in this fight.

Monty stepped through Sun, causing a shiver to go through his body and Monty's gun bag to fall against Sun's back as he did. Monty turned and scoffed, "And I can help you with this. Less talking, more grabbing my bag and fighting."

Sun gave the ghost a confused look, but picked up the bag and slid the strap on his back regardless. Monty held the SoS in one hand and a pistol in the other, ejecting the slide and slamming it down onto his belt to reload. Borg looked down Monty's body, his eyes glistening as he grinned in almost… glee.

"Objects on your body… they appear to take on the properties of your form, yet at the same time they will act as they would normally once they leave your body… yet your bag and sword have yet to do so," Borg suddenly drew up a keyboard on Borg's right arm, rapidly typing in notes onto it as he spoke, "It is if, some sort of phenomenon occurs that transforms objects on your body upon continual contact, but undoes itself once it has left it! Your guns appear to be corporeal like your hands, but also pass through your ally! I must know more about you!"

Monty shot forward with wind, slicing the SoS down and stealing a glance into its blade as he did. His slice was caught by both of Borg's blades. Monty then aimed the pistol at the SoS, firing it several times. The bullets shot straight off to the sword and up into the air, right by where Borg's head was. Borg threw his weight backwards, activating jets on his feet that sent him flying away. Monty, looking down into the blade again, shot up in the air in an arc, then blasted down with his feet up in the air to intercept Borg.

Borg raised his arm, the metal rapidly moving to form a cylindrical cannon over his left hand. He turned it towards Monty, a wild smile on his face. Monty, however, threw his body to the left just in time to avoid it, instead pointing his own pistol down to blast at one of Borg's jets. While one jet remained, he damaged it just enough to make Borg spin out and strike the pavement.

That was when Sun suddenly came forward, training light behind his sword again as he did. Sun turned to Monty, silently telling him to buy him time. Monty nodded his head, turning and angling to slice into Borg's other side. Borg devoted one sword to each of them, using his robotic suit to put pressure on them. Monty, however, turned his pistol to Borg's head, forcing him to duck and let Sun keep moving. Monty guessed Sun needed to keep moving to build up that ability of his.

Borg turned to try to blast Sun with two of those little rockets in his arm, but Monty shot a grappling cable from his arm to wrap around Borg's arm and yank it aside. The two rockets flew off and struck a nearby building, sending glass raining down on them. Sun simply leapt up into the air and onto the side of a building to keep moving, still trailing his ribbon, but Borg's unprotected head forced him to rocket out of the range. Monty matched him, using the SoS to keep predicting Borg's attacks and keep him off guard. As he did, Sun shot in and continued to strike and slice at Borg and leap away, building up more of that ribbon in the air.

Seeing how much Sun was building up, Borg began to grow desperate. Seeing his attacks were being countered at every turn, he typed in a command onto his arm. Suddenly, a squad of the Nindroids still raining firing down onto Monty's allies broke off from the main group, leveling their lasers towards Sun. Sun did several backflips, gasping and trying to look for a spot to keep moving as the lasers pushed him towards a building. Monty, seeing this, rolled his eyes and used wind to shoot up into the air, grabbing one of the Nindroids and putting his pistol back in his armor. Monty's body turned to wisps that shot into the robot, possessing it and causing it to shake as he overrode its programming. The nindroid reached out with his left hand, catching the SoS before it could fall from the sky and spinning its laser rifle to blast away at its brethren.

Sun, seeing his chance, instead ran forward into the lasers as they thinned out, right for Borg. With two massive and powerful strikes, he knocked one of the swords away from the inventor. Borg was put on the backpedal as Sun violently slashed at his blade, flashing ribbons of light right into Borg's face that he emerged from to strike again moments later. The perfect path of where Sun's attack path was now in the air, right until he leapt overtop of Borg and grabbed his back. He shoved Borg forward right into the arc of light he'd just created, stopping as he did.

Borg looked around, seeing that all around him, the ribbons had been collected, putting him in the center of them all. He looked towards Sun, just as he panted and raised his sword up. Sun shot it in front of him, releasing the stored energy. Borg, seeing just how much was around him, had only enough time to raise his arms up and cover his head before he was caught in the massive explosion of light.

The burst of color was enough to make Lloyd, Harumi, and Lulloyd, who were all still fighting on the ground, turn to look at the light as Mage shot from position to position to drive the Nindroids down to the ground. Lulloyd leapt backwards, landing behind one of the large 'shields' he created. He turned to Lloyd and Harumi, then pointed towards one of the buildings nearby. The two nodded, racing behind Lulloyd. Lulloyd struck the barrier, causing it to break apart. He rapidly threw the bricks towards the building, building it back up directly in front of the glass entrance that was now penetrated by several laser bolts. Lloyd and Harumi raced forward after the bricks, sliding into the open lobby just in time. With their cover now established, the two took point on either side of the 'shield' while Lulloyd raced to slide behind with them.

Across the battlefield, Monty landed beside Sun, leveling his gun at Borg and growling at him as he did. Sun panted heavily, holding his sword but shaking a bit from the effort he'd put into that attack. As the light cleared, the two saw Borg still standing, but with smoke rising off of his body. His armor was slightly scorched, and he was panting heavily. He slowly sat up, putting his gaze towards the two, no longer smiling as he had before.

"You… you two pests…" Borg growled, "Do you know how long it took me to design this thing?! If you keep that up, I won't be able to collect data on you!"

"Yeah, that's the point, this is a fight after all," Monty growled, "I swear, nobody knows how to just shut their mouths and just get to beating each other up anymore."

"Do not insult me, you fascinating spector of scientific intrigue!" Borg shouted, "I am a proud member of the Emperor's Hand! I will serve the Emperor until my final breath! If you think a little _light show_ is going to stop me, I will show you just how adaptable my suit is!" He lowered his head, panting a bit as his smile returned, "Oh… oh yes, I will indeed show you why my genius secured me a spot in such an important group."

Borg typed more keys on his suit. Suddenly, he stiffened, gasping out as his arms shot. Strange liquid metal began to flow out from under the crevices of the armor, moving over and sealing up the holes that were present in the armor. The scorches disappeared as he seemed to heal back the damage. The metal moved and molded up around his head as well, reforming the helmet that Cryptor was so used to wearing. The scope, however, was now glowing a deep blue, and the metal moved to form a massive blade along the length of his right forearm.

"I've invested quite a lot in this new 'nanomachine' technology!" Cryptor's voice came in place of Borg's once more, "My suit can repair any damage done to it at a moment's notice! I find it a rather wonderous thing. I have now analyzed the impact of both your swords and bullets, and strengthened by armor against it. You two no longer will be able to touch me." It seemed Borg considered Cryptor a separate persona from his change in dialect.

"Ah, so you're one of those guys," Monty sighed, "Great. Round two."

Sun looked far more nervous than Monty. Upon seeing Cryptor reforming his armor, Sun's breathing was coming a bit faster. He looked around several times, his sword hands shaking a bit in exhaustion. Monty, seeing this, lowered his weapons, instead looking back towards where his group lay still fighting off the massive horde of Nindroids sweeping their lasers against the barrier in front of the building they were hunkered down in. If Sun was losing his nerve, they were in trouble.

A massive round of blue lasers fell from the sky, flying straight towards Cryptor. Cryptor held his new sword arm in front of him, taking the massive blasts head on. Ghost and knight turned around, just in time for a massive spotlight to shine on them. Monty immediately recognized the ship as the Destiny's Bounty, the spotlight having extended from the bottom of the ship. Upon seeing them, the spotlight retracted, instead lowering a massive metal claw that shot down towards the wreckage of the Shadow on the ground.

Immediately, Monty and Sun nodded and turned around. Before Borg could attack them, they raced away and towards the claw that wrapped around the broken mini ship. The two dodged the fire of Nindroids to grab onto the wreckage. As the claw began to retract, Lloyd peeked his head from around the wreckage and then turned to Harumi and Lulloyd.

"C'mon!" Lloyd shouted, leaping out from behind their cover. His allies had no hesitation following after him. Harumi fired off more discs towards the skies, taking out Nindroids that got too close. Lulloyd, seeing that the Shadow was being raised up by the claw, looked around and struck parts of the street, throwing them forward to rapidly build a crude set of shaky stairs in front of them. Lloyd, acknowledging this, ran in front of the two, leaping up to the last stair and holding his arms out. Both of them grabbed hold of one arm as he used the stairs to leap up into the and twist into Airjitzu. The three shot out, smashing into the side of the Shadow's former cockpit and grabbing hold just in time.

"MAGE!" Harumi shouted, trying to be heard over the battle. Mage, turned, still hovering in the air as he looked to his allies. He dodged an oncoming robot arm and sent fire into his feet, sending him straight up into the sky. The Shadow retracted up into the belly of the Bounty, just in time for Mage to throw his body horizontal and blast after them. Just as the Bounty's jets turned down to fire off, Mage shot under them and up into the bottom of the ship. The Shadow fully retracted in and the floors closed under it, letting Mage collapse onto them and the group slump off the wreckage.

The Bounty's jets shot out at full force, sending the ship into the sky. As it did, the Bounty began to rapidly glow as large discs along its body glowed. The discs vanished, and the effect grew to spread over the entire ship. The Bounty was cloaked, blending into the sky just as the Nindroids fired off towards it. Cryptor, lowering his sword, looking up towards the fleeing vessel just as the ship fully disappeared into the air. All at once, the ship vanished from his sensors, causing him to curse as the ship rapidly took off to safety.

"Is… is everyone okay?" Lloyd asked as he forced himself to stand up. By looking around, he saw they appeared to be in a massive hollowed out part towards the stern of the Bounty, looking like a massive repair area for the Shadow. Given how the claw continued to raise the Shadow until it was suspended in the air, that seemed to be the case.

"I'm good!" Lulloyd shouted.

"Me too," Harumi groaned.

"I'm...just gonna lie here for a little bit… but me too…" Mage gasped out on the floor.

"You don't need to ask that of me," Monty scoffed.

"As am I," Sun declared, fully sitting up, "Assuming that Nya has 'guised our escape, we should be safe now."

"This… wait, this is the Destiny's Bounty?" Harumi asked. Once she looked around, she moved to nervously grip onto the Shadow instead.

"Uh… yeah," Lloyd nodded, "Did you never see one before?"

"No, and the fact you just said 'one' is why," Harumi gulped, "Being on any form of the Bounty is asking for it to crash."

"Then you shall be relieved to know we have not crashed her!" Sun declared with a reassuring smile,, "Been shot at, yes. If this ship stops flying, well, a crash shall be the least of our worries."

Slowly, the group took their time to get to their feet. Despite Harumi's reservations, she nervously put her feet down and stumbled forward to regain her footing. As the others did the same, Sun walked over to take a look at the damage to the Shadow. As soon as he saw the gaping hole in the bottom of the ship, he grimaced hard and turned his head away, sighing as he put his hand on the ship.

"I am sorry, Shadow," Sun declared, "I failed to protect you. Thank you for buying the time to get to safety, even if I was not able to grant you the same protection."

"Can't you, uhm, rebuild it?" Lulloyd asked as he looked around the room, "Looks like, you got plenty of spare parts around here."

"We will need it for what is to come," Sun turned to Lulloyd, "Yet, having this ship damaged is a strike to my own heart. You see, this ship was the last gift that my father and mother gave me before they were taken from me."

"Taken from you?" Lloyd suddenly felt a cold pit in his gut, "But, you said your father was Wu, right? He's not…is he?"

"If you mean passed from this world, no,," Sun shook his head, "But, they were both captured by the Emperor. We have been fighting for years to get them back. The Emperor keeps them as slaves to taunt me…" He gripped his fist against the Shadow, "He uses them as a bait to keep me both coming towards him and preventing me from racing straight for him. It is my duty to rescue them, and to save all of Ninjago from the tyranny that black hearted man bestows on it."

The group gave each other a long look. Monty sighed and walked over, rudely yanking his gun bag from Sun's shoulders and then tossing it right at Lulloyd. He caught the bag, sighing and sticking his brick inside and slinging it over his shoulder, forgetting it was there moments later. Harumi and Lloyd worked their way around the crowded space to get closer to Sun.

"Your, outfit," Harumi gestured to his strange white robes and lack of any sort of head wrapping, "You're, a ninja, right?"

The question made Sun shake his had with a small chuckle, "I have been taught the ways of the ninja, yet I do not observe them. I am simply Sun, son of Wu and bringer of light. I am no ninja," Sun held out his hilt and turned it into a sword, "I am a knight! A defender of the weak, an arbiter of justice, and the one that will rescue this land from shadow!"

"Right…" Lloyd pointed to his wooden hilt, "Out of, well curiosity, pretend we know nothing about this world for a minute. Just humor us. What is that thing?" Lloyd pointed to Sun's sword.

Sun raised his eyebrow with a smile, putting his hand to his chest, "It is my weapon, of course. It is what I have bound my light to. I carved it from the leg of a treehorn. Their legs actually are trees, if you would believe it. It was my first display of strength, and I carry this to remind me of the fact I have come far from the boy that I once was."

Before the two could ask any further questions, Mage had opened a door to the compartment they were in. As soon as he did, there was a man standing in front of it that he immediately smiled to see. When the man didn't smile back, Mage's mind kicked in and he quickly stepped out of the way, not saying anything. Sensei Garmadon stepped past him, looking around with a stern look on his face.

The man was wearing clothes that none had seen him in before. They reminded Lloyd of the robes he'd seen Wu wearing during the Battle of Stiix. Instead of his normal robes, he was instead in what looked like a vest with leather armor fitted over it, with several straps and buckles of yellow and black fitted around his sides. Several shurikens and knives were stuck into his belt. His hair was cut short and slicked back, unlike his normal loose and unkempt gray hair. On his hip, he had a massive sheath where a large dagger stuck out, a purple blade that shone in the low light of the ship. All of it alone looked to be a far less welcoming man than they were used to, and his sharp words highlighted that.

"Sun!" Garmadon's voice boomed in the room, "Who are these people? Why did you bring them with you?"

"They are allies, I found them sneaking out of the Emperor's grounds," Sun bowed his head, "Dareth contacted me to pick them up."

"Dareth did so?" Garmadon mused, looking around and then immediately freezing upon seeing the ruined state of the Shadow, "Sun! What have you done to the Shadow?!"

"It was Cryptor… well, Borg," Monty spoke up, leaning against one of the workbenches, "I don't know which one you refer to him as. He shot some rockets at it. We managed to save it from going to total scrap."

"Do you know what this will do to our plan?!" Garmadon shouted, causing Lloyd, Harumi and Mage to all flinch hard, "We can't move through this city on the Bounty! We're taking far too many risks showing up the way we did. Damaging the Shadow will mean we could miss our window!"

"Forgive me," Sun bowed his head, "But our window may now be lost. The Emperor may discover the route that Dareth helped construct. They came from that way."

"You five," Garmadon ordered sternly, "Come with me."

Garmadon turned around, stalking his way out of the room angrily. Mage flinched as he walked by, not wanting to make eye contact with the angry man. Lloyd and Harumi shared a look together as they nervously walked after him. Lulloyd hefted the bag up and came with them, while Monty yawned and followed along as well. Sun came after them, hitting a few buttons to turn off the lights and causing a few robotic arms to begin moving and scanning over the Shadow displayed in the room.

Once the two were out of the main room, Lloyd immediately recognized that this ship wasn't the rebuilt ship that Nya had finished during Chen's tournament. The hallway they walked on was clearly the same ship that Zane had discovered off in the mountains. While it looked as though a massive section had been knocked out below deck to make room to carry the Shadow, it still clearly was the old ship. It became even more apparent when they walked up onto the main deck and he saw the familiar glass bubble that was the cockpit.

The Bounty was currently flying high above the city, and Lloyd could see that the dark clouds in the sky were indeed a massive thick layer not too far above them. They were steadily moving at a pace fast enough to jerk him forward if the ship were to suddenly stop. Once they were on the deck, Garmadon sharply turned and led them up into the cockpit. Sun continued to follow behind them. Once they entered, the group saw the rest of the gang.

In several states of being seated and standing were the five other ninja that they all knew well. However, none of them looked to be the same people they were all used to seeing. Instead, they all were wearing leather armor like Garmadon, with their ninja robes trapped behind it. Their armor was scuffed and dirty, burned in several places and dented as well. They each wore one glove with odd markings on the back of each. They were each in varying states of injury as well, most notably with Nya wearing a massive bandage wrapped around her forehead. From the state of their armor, the frowns on their faces and the injuries, Lloyd almost instantly got the impression these ninja were not the more cheerful ones that he knew.

"Woah," Kai stood up, grabbing hold of a handle and forming a tonfa made of fire on his left arm to point at Mage as he entered, "Who are they?!"

Mage, without missing a beat, turned his eyes red and the flames of the tonfa suddenly went out. Kai looked down in shock as Mage gave him a little grin and walked on by.

"Sun rescued them from fleeing the Emperor's grounds," Garmadon informed the group, "For now, they are our allies. How goes the course, Nya?"

"We should arrive at the wreckage in a few minutes, "Nya informed Gamradon, shifting her bandage as she leaned against a massive spear made of water, "Not sure what the Emperor was doing with it, but we'll know soon."

"Good," Garmadon put his hands behind his back, "How are the rest of you doing?"

"I'm fine," Cole grunted, shifting a massive mace made of earth on his own back, "No one looks like they're chasing after us."

"Could be doing better," Jay rested himself up against a small glave he was polishing on his lap, "Getting really tired of having to repair this thing after every battle, though."

"Oh zip it," Kai reformed his tonfa and pointed it again at Mage, "And I still wanna know who they are! Especially why two of them look… weird!"

Lulloyd and Mage looked to one another, neither of them sure how to explain. Mage still appeared to be something like out of a cartoon, and his smooth form made it hard to parse next to the others. Lulloyd, meanwhile, could pass well enough if he stood still, but any amount of movement made him almost confusing on several accounts.

Lloyd turned to Harumi, who nodded and stepped forward, "I'll introduce us. My name is Harumi. This is Lloyd, Monty, Lulloyd, and Mage. We're travelers that came here to help prevent an evil from rising in this place. Has someone named Krux and/or Acronix arrived here as of late?"

Garmadon's eyes narrowed, "No… but I wonder how you would know those names. The only people in Ninjago that should remember them are myself, my brother, and a very knowledgeable tea maker."

"Forgot that bit," Monty growled, waving his hand, "Let's get this whole introduction stuff out of the way. We've already gone through this once before, and I'm not really into the idea of explaining it. Krux, Acronix, they here?"

"I would suggest you watch your tone," Zane sat up from the corner, walking forward with a solid ice crossbow that looked as sharp as the look in his eyes, "While you may be allies, we should remember to treat each other with respect."

"It is actually rather timely that you mention them," Garmadon pointed out, "Given that we know where one of them is."

"Really?" Harumi stepped forward, "Where? It's imperative that we stop them right away!"

"Krux?" Kai stood up, "Isn't that one of the guys the Emperor took out the day he took over the city?"

"Took out?" Lloyd turned to Kai, "Wait, what do you mean, 'took out?' Like, he captured him?"

Garmadon narrowed his eyes, "How curious that you know of the man, but you know not of his fate. You mentioned him along with the name of his brother, a name that you should not know."

"He… wait a minute," Harumi shook her head, "You're saying that Krux is… dead?"

"Yeah," Nya turned from the console, "He turned up dead the same day that Chen's Island blew up and the Serpentine went missing."

"Wait a minute," Mage shook his head, "I fought Krux! He can't be dead yet!"

"He's most likely this universe's Krux," Monty sighed, "You were able to keep Garmadon straight, why not him?"

"Well because you guys said that it was three months before you got to my world!" Mage protested, "So, I don't know how long it's been since the Emperor came to power! It's not stupid of me to think that maybe he like, got her earlier than we did?"

"I doubt it," Harumi interjected, "Time moved parallel for us between our worlds. That means it'd only be a week since they arrived here. And judging by the state of things, the Emperor has been in power far longer than that."

"...Uh, I'm not following all this," Jay scratched his head with the tip of his weapon, only to then shriek out and rub his now stinging head, "Owh!"

"...Sun," Garmadon turned to the knight, "Are you certain you saved them from the Emperor's clutches?"

"I am indeed," Sun bowed his head again, "I have no doubts in my mind that they were fleeing the Emperor, just as we are."

"You speak as though you are not from this world," Zane added, stepping forward; once closer, the group immediately noted he wasn't the Titanium Ninja, but still in his blonde haired original form, "I believe you could do well to elaborate."

"Should we tell them?" Lulloyd whispered, "I'm… getting the feeling we're not making them trust us very well."

"What gave you that impression?" Monty sighed, "Just get it out of the way. If they don't believe us, that's their problem."

"I… well," Harumi grimaced, "This is a bit hard to believe, but we aren't actually from this world. We five all come from different universes. We're all on a mission to stop the Time Twins from Lloyd's world," She gestured to him, "And so far, we haven't been that successful."

"I mean, if you're all here," Kai shrugged, "Sounds like you don't know what you're doing."

"And we're just supposed to believe you're from other universes?" Cole sat up, "Sorry, but I'm a guy that needs to see some proof. Maybe if you can-"

In an instant, the group reacted. Lloyd spun into Spinjitzu, Harumi fired off a few Rhotatae and let them glide around her body in an arc, Lulloyd struck the floor and rebuilt the tiles into a small table, Mage's eyes began to rapidly glow colors as fire, earth, lightning and ice all fired from his fingers, and Monty raised his hand to both form wind and draw a gun from his armor with the suction force. The group, sans Sun and Garmadon, backed away from the display.

"...Okay…" Cole gulped as the group stopped using their abilities, "I… maybe they might have a point here."

"I have never seen those abilities before…" Sun raised up his sword, "And I doubt that they can be explained away with a weapon. They might be telling the truth."

"A single display of power is not proof," Garmadon shook his head, "But it is grounds for debate. We shall discuss this in turn. If all is right, we should be arriving at the wreckage…" The Bounty's computer suddenly began to beep, "Right about now."

"What's this wreckage?" Lloyd asked. Garmadon and Sun stepped forward, and the group cleared the way for them to pass.

"A few days ago, there was a battle at the base of the Emperor's Tower," Sun explained as the group began to funnel out of the cockpit, "That is the building from which you were fleeing. The Emperor encountered someone and destroyed them. We heard word that the wreckage may hold valuable pieces for us. The Emperor deposed it yesterday, and we are here to try to steal parts before he finds out."

"This, Emperor sounds pretty tough," Lloyd pointed out, "Why would anyone go up against him?"

"That's what we wish to find out," Garmadon declared as he walked to the edge of the railing of the Bounty, "Prepare the rooms! We'll fill up on salvage as much as we can!"

The Bounty was hovering over a massive landfill, one that looked to be situated just on the edge of the city. Lloyd had a strange feeling of deja vu that the Bounty had been here sometime before. Unlike the previous landfill, however, this one had massive towers made of strange black rocks. The two looked towards the sight, then over towards what was inside.

Almost immediately, Lloyd felt a cold dread fall over him. Once the others saw it, they too were silent. Sun, seeing their mutual hesitation, turned to them and raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"What's the matter, friends?" Sun turned to them, "Do you recognize that thing?"

"Yeah…" Harumi gulped, "There… might be a reason to worry about who actually died."

Laying in the middle of the junkyard was none other than the Iron Doom, split apart straight down the middle, its shell broken and empty. The once proud and mighty force they had contended with was now nothing more than scrap.


	36. Chapter 36

"That's… that's the thing I fought!" Mage turned to Lulloyd, "What's going on, why is it all beaten up?!"

"I don't know…" Lulloyd gripped the railing, "But… this is bad."

"You said the Emperor did this, right?" Monty turned to Sun, "Right?!"

"Yes," Sun remained unphased by Monty's harsh tone and angry look, "The Emperor fought this beast and disposed of it himself. He is an incredibly powerful being. He did not conquer Ninjago without showing how powerful he truly is."

"I have never seen that before," Garmadon looked down to the machine, "If you know something about it, tell us now. If we are in danger from just its scraps, we must know."

"If, it's empty you don't have anything to worry about," Lloyd gulped, "That thing is called the Iron Doom. It's the vessel that my Time Twins were using to travel from world to world. It used to be filled with thousands of snakes to make it move but, it's empty now. The… The Emperor must have just destroyed it."

"Yes," Garmadon eyed Lloyd, then turned around, "Nya, lower anchor! Kai, Cole, Jay, without the Shadow we'll have to do this by hand. Get the tools you need and take the anchor down. Zane, get the list of what we need and have it ready. We must do this quickly before they realize that we're here. The Bounty's cloak will only protect us for so long."

"Yes sir!" The ninja shouted, then collectively dispersed.

"Do you want us to help?" Mage turned around, "I can use some elemental power!" His eyes turned gunmetal as his arm turned metal, "I can easily rip metal off that thing!" In response, Garmadon eyed Mage, the worry of sending a child clearly showing on his face.

"That could be very useful for us," Sun turned to Garmadon, "I have seen him in battle. He was able to take on an entire fleet of Nindroids on his own. It was an amazing feat."

"He may go," Garmadon turned to him, "Mage, was it? The others will direct you to what they need. I would like to keep the rest of you back. I have several questions I would like to ask you."

"Uhm… sure," Lloyd agreed awkwardly, "We're glad to answer anything you have to ask."

"Sun, you stay behind as well," Garmadon turned to him, "I can already sense they have many questions about you."

"Indeed they should," Sun chuckled, "They asked if you were my father."

"Oh?" Garmadon gave a small smile, one that not even Monty could read, "Then perhaps we should see more of what... 'misconceptions' that they have."

With that, the other ninja began to get to work. Nya dropped anchor, and Mage leapt over by Kai, Cole and Jay, giving them a giggle and letting them start climbing down before floating down with gravity instead, earning him their shocked gazes. Zane picked up a tablet and began typing in things quickly, pulling up a list and radioing down to the team at the Iron Doom. Garmadon took them down into what was normally the dining room just underneath the cockpit, which they all found was instead filled with massive racks of armor, weapons, and various tools for the group. Sun guided them to a small table and allowed them to all take a seat. Once they all had, Sun stood behind Garmadon as he leaned towards the group.

"Let us work here on the assumption that what you say is true," Garmadon narrowed his eyes, "Explain to me everything about your quest."

"Is that necessary?" Monty yawned, "It's a waste of time."

"It is indeed the opposite," Sun shook his head at Monty, "As much as I trust you after fighting alongside you, your appearances and abilities have left us confused. I would like to know more about you."

After the four shared a moment to compose themselves, Lloyd began with the explanation. The four rotated one after the other, going in order in which they'd met Lloyd and explaining as briefly as they could their journey, showing their shards of the Realm Crystal as proof. They did their best not to mention Monty's Chi, and to explain Mage and Lulloyd's worlds as best they could. Lloyd could tell by looking at Sun their tale was hard to buy.

"This… is rather hard for us to grasp," Sun rubbed his head, "While the idea of other worlds beyond our own is not out of the question, it is certainly… hard to comprehend, even when they claim to be right in front of you."

"Indeed it is," Garmadon shook his head, "This must mean you have no knowledge of our world, do you?"

"No," Lloyd shook his head, "It would help if you could give us a brief history of how this all came to be."

"I… suppose that we should discuss the day that the Emperor rose to power then, yes?" Sun looked to Garmadon. Garmadon nodded his approval, and Sun began to speak.

"None of us know where the Emperor came from, nor what his goal was," Sun shook his head, "When I was just a child, my father had a vision in the Spirit Smoke. He saw a dark figure, rising to power from a place none could reach. Months before the day that the Emperor rose to his power, he had yet another vision, this one showing him that the date of the approach was soon. He assembled myself and my team, and together we collected the Golden Weapons for the day that they would be needed. It was four years ago to month's last that he rose to his power he stands at today. That was the day that the Dark Matter consumed the land."

"Dark matter?" Lloyd sat up, "That's what the Overlord used to corrupt Ninjago."

"Indeed," Garmadon affirmed, "But the Emperor wishes not to enslave by that force. The rocks you see grow in concentration at the tower, his palace. As they are in the city, they merely make citizens stay away from them. Direct contact with those out in the streets is kept to low levels to keep the people pure… if submissive by the haze it puts on their mind."

"So the Dark Matter is an intimidation factor," Monty sighed, "Instead of just using it to corrupt everyone outright."

"Tell us about the Emperor," Harumi leaned in, "What happened when he invaded Ninjago?"

"The day he rose… it was a dark day," Sun gripped his sword hilt, "Father gathered myself and my friends together to help train to protect Ninjago. Yet… we were unable to do anything. He batted us aside like we were mere insects to him. And we learned of a truth that is more horrifying than anything else..."

"Yes?" Monty groaned, leaning his head back, "Just tell us, don't pause for dramatic effect. You're telling a story, not writing a novel."

"That thing, that Emperor… you called him Overlord," Sun gripped his sword tight enough he had to let go to stop hurting his hand, "His powers and armies evoke the image of the Overlord in legend, yet he refused that title and declared himself the Emperor instead. Speaking to him… he did not seem to be as the legends described the Overlord. Yet he is undoubtedly what the legends describe. Somehow, the Overlord was able to leave the Dark Island prison and bring with him this… this infusion of Dark Matter into our land."

"I…. I felt the Dark Matter as soon as we arrived… I was hoping I was wrong," Harumi spoke up, her voice low as she gripped her arm to stop it from shaking, "There's no doubt… the Emperor has to be the Overlord."

"Someone other than Garmadon let him walk around in his body though," Lloyd pointed out, "Who would do that?"

"We do not know," Sun looked down, "Yet that question is one we have sought to answer."

"How'd you, figure all this stuff out about the Emperor?" Lulloyd asked.

"The Emperor… has some perverted interest in me," Sun placed a hand to his chest, "He declared that day was for me, and me alone. To watch the sunlight fade from this world, to see Ninjago taken over… to take away my parents from me, he claimed it was all to show me my fate. I have no idea what he meant by that, nor have I figured it out."

"So… four years ago, this, Emperor randomly decided to take over Ninjago City by using this Dark Matter stuff, kidnapped your parents, and says it's to teach you a lesson about your fate?" Lulloyd blinked, "I'm, not the only one that's feeling weird about this, right?"

"Let's confirm something else here," Monty placed his hands behind his head and leaned back in the air, "We saw the Stone Army around that palace-tower-thing and Nindroids. Serpentine, Skullkin, Time Twins, Chen, what happened to all of them?"

Garmadon sat up, "Those are names that few truly know. Why do you ask?"

"Because we're building our knowledge here, and you already said that Krux was gone," Harumi picked up on what Monty was saying, "Can you tell us?"

"The Serpentine have been missing since the day the Emperor arose," Sun shook his head, "Their tombs were found cracked apart and emptied down to the last scale. The Skullkin were sealed away in the Underworld, sans for a select few. Chen and all of his followers… they were lost when their island was completely destroyed. The Emperor razed their island off the map the day he rose to power."

"Both Krux and Acronix were killed," Garmadon added, "Our Monastery was destroyed down to the last stone. Acronix had nowhere to return to when he emerged from the vortex. When we attempted to interfere, the Emperor drove us off. Krux was found dead in the museum the same day that Chen's island was destroyed. We had no idea that he'd returned until we saw the body."

The four were silent for a few moments. There was far too much there for them to take in. An Emperor that was the Overlord, yet didn't call himself the Overlord, had corrupted Ninjago with Dark Matter yet not done so in a way to enslave the people like normal. Sun was the son of Wu and Misako -both captured by the Emperor- and was a knight instead of a ninja. Borg was a supervillain leading a Nindroid army as Cryptor, calling himself apart of the Emperor's Hand. The ninja weren't the same as before, and the situation was bleak as if the Overlord had won in Lloyd's tworld.

"You all speak about us in a way like you know more about our lives than we do," Sun smiled awkwardly, "It is, rather strange, I will admit."

"Yeah, get used to feeling that way, pretty boy," Monty scoffed, "For once, you're not the center of attention here."

"Forgive me," Sun bowed, "I simply wish to tell you what you must know, and to give you whatever else it is that you do not have."

"...I don't like him," Monty turned around, "Do we have to take him along with us when we leave? We took the kid."

"What?" Harumi grimaced, "We can't leave! The Iron Doom is here, that means we have a chance to take out the Twins once and for all!"

"I don't think the Twins are the problem here," Lloyd looked towards the darkness outside, "If… the Emperor took them out in less than a day after everything we've done, doesn't that mean we have a really powerful enemy?"

"I think we need to get back to our discussion," Garmadon knocked the table, "Our time is short, and if you continue to ramble like that, my patience will be shorter."

"Good, let's get this exposition train rolling," Monty yawned, "Go ahead, let's get some more information."

"...I just realized something," Lloyd turned to Harumi.

"I see it too," Harumi turned. When Lulloyd gave her a blank look, she smiled apologetically to him and then turned to Garmadon, "Were you ever bitten by a snake known as the Great Devourer, Garmadon?"

"The Great Devourer… another victim of the Emperor's wrath," Garmadon shook his head, "The beast was found murdered where it slept in the sands. What is it you know of the beast?"

"That you should have been bitten by it," Lloyd frowned, "And, I know what it looks like when the Devourer bites someone, and this isn't it."

Garmadon looked truly silent for a few moments, as though trying to figure out what to say, "Very well. In my youth, I was nearly bitten by a snake. A curious young man shoved me out of the way before it could. He told me that day he was saving me from destiny. My father later said it was the Devourer itself. Was that snake the one you wish to know of?"

"Exactly the one," Harumi affirmed, "But… something about that story doesn't add up."

"Nobody was there for Garmadon in our worlds," Monty sighed, "Great. We got a mystery man in the past. This world just gets better and better."

"Well, my dad was bitten by a snake, which was bitten by a spider, which made him all, you know," Lulloyd added, "But, uh, it's not exactly the same." The four realized that the information that they had just gotten was something they couldn't explain, and thus, they needed to take more time to think this through.

"Sun's sword," Lloyd gestured to it, "We've never seen anything like it. What is it?"

"What is it?" Sun turned, his robes trailing behind him as he walked forth and formed his sword of light from the wooden hilt, "It is my Weapon. Everyone has the ability to make one. I suppose you desire a more thorough explanation?"

When the group nodded, Sun continued, "All of us have a fighting spirit within our souls. To bring it out and use it to defend yourself, you must bind that spirit to an object. It can be anything. Of course, the obvious answer is to bind it to an actual weapon, but that has its drawbacks," Sun laid his hilt down, the light fading to just have the hilt present, "By finding an object and willing your spirit into it, you will create your basis for one."

Garmadon drew a dagger he'd been carrying, "Any object can be made into a weapon, but those with an attachment to you will bond more readily. This dagger I made from the fang of a sand serpent I killed as a child. If you are a user of elemental energy, your weapon will be linked to it. I assume this makes sense to you on some level."

"Yeah, it's like Spinjitzu or Rhotatae," Harumi nodded, "Anyone can do it, but you need time to hone it, and it'll reflect any standing you have, elemental or otherwise."

"By drawing a weapon's form to its full potential, you unlock its ability!" Sun declared, raising his hilt up high, "I have named my ability Kinetic Overload. I am able to store my speed and force in beams of light as long as I continue to build them up. Once I stop, I am able to release them in a burst of power, a shower of light to illuminate whatever darkness the foul Emperor thrusts upon us!."

Garmadon slid his dagger away, "Revealing any information, even to allies, is dangerous in these times, Sun."

"A knight should allow those he protects to know what he will use to save them," Sun countered, "They should know of his feats, so he may strive to grow further and beyond them."

"If your weapon is linked to elements, does that mean you're using Golden Power?" Lloyd asked curiously.

"A valid guess for such knowledgeable friends," Sun frowned, "But… it is only partially correct. As part of the rampage the Emperor wrought upon the world before he rose to power, he broke through the seals at the Temple of Light and destroyed the Bell. I was able to strike only a half of it… and thus, the ceremony for me to awaken that power in full was incomplete. I am at perhaps only a third of the power that I would need to call myself the Ultimate Weapon Master. It is why my power reflects light, but does not allow me the powers that I need to make it shine brightly."

"What about the ninja, do they have abilities?" Harumi asked. Garmadon paused for a long moment, forcing Sun to nudge him to speak. The two shared a look, with Sun silently telling Garmadon to tell them.

"No," Garmadon frowned, "They used the Golden Weapons to train with, which meant they couldn't use abilities other than their elemental ones. Only Nya has grown to the point she can use both weapon and elemental powers. The ninja have managed to create elemental weapons, yet have no ability in them yet."

"I got a question," Lulloyd leaned in, "Why were you having Dareth make a tunnel into the grounds?"

"Because," Sun turned to Garmadon, who went silent for several seconds before giving a very small nod, "First, I must ask, and this is something I would not ask if I did not need to… are we able to trust you?"

"What?" Lloyd nodded, "Of course you can. We fought together with you and we've told you everything, what reason would you have not to trust us?"

"There are a few," Garmadon shook his head, "Your ghost ally is the first."

"What, you don't know about the Cursed Realm?" Monty scoffed.

"Do not think I haven't noticed you carrying around that sword, Monty," Garmadon narrowed his eyes, "Where did you get your hands on the Sword of Sanctuary? That blade is reserved for times of need, and guarded fiercely in the Cloud Kingdom."

"For one, those dumb guys at Cloud Kingdom couldn't guard a toothpick," Monty drew the blade, "And I didn't get my hands on it. They stole it for me."

Almost immediately, the other three gave Monty an immediate glare of confusion. Garmadon's eyes narrowed, while Sun raised his eyebrow in confusion. Quickly, Lloyd turned forward and rapidly went to explain himself.

"It, we had a deal at the time! We would steal him the sword, he'd help us out with our quest! It was our way of making him into our ally. Heh... " He leaned back to Monty, hissing, "Why would say it like that?!"

"Because," Monty spoke at a normal voice, "This way they know we aren't lying. Garmadon clearly thinks we're not trustworthy."

"While I do not fully agree with Sensei Garmadon's line of thought, I do understand where he is coming from," Sun frowned deeply, "It is rather convenient that you have arrived not only after we gain word the Emperor has felled such a foul beast, but you force Dareth to put our plan to infiltrate the grounds in jeopardy by potentially exposing our entry point. I do not share these feelings, but it is something we must consider."

"Is how Mage and Lulloyd look not enough to show you we're not from your world?" Harumi shook her head, "You've been to Cloud Kingdom, right?"

"I have never been to any other realm," Sun admitted, "The Emperor destroyed the Realm Crystal, and razed the mountains to access the Blind Man's Eye."

"You haven't been?" Lloyd blinked, "Wait a minute… Sun, how long ago were the Serpentine Wars?"

"The Serpentine Wars… they'd be roughly… 42 or so years ago?" Sun offered, "History is not my strongest subject, I admit."

"And you've only ever fought the Emperor, Sun?" Harumi asked.

"Yes, the other foes we worried I may one day faced were taken down by the Emperor," Sun grimaced, "As evil as they were… it is still sad to see so many lives taken without a thought."

"Allow me to state this so you don't misunderstand me," Garmadon stood up, "You five showed up right when we were about to make a move. Then, you demonstrate abilities we have never seen, claiming them from other worlds. You ask us questions about ourselves and press for information on everything we know, while showing knowledge of things only ones that knew this world intimately. Knowledge that the Emperor has restricted."

"Are you, you think we're with the Emperor?" Harumi shook her head, "We were fleeing from the Emperor's weird tower when Sun found us!"

"It would not be hard for you to fake being chased out to Dareth," Garmadon countered, "Let us not forget, you recognized the beast as well."

"Because that's the one we've been chasing!" Lloyd leaned forward, "We're not with the Emperor! We just want to find the twins we've been chasing!"

"Which might be harder now," Lulloyd pointed out, "Since, we don't really know, where they are."

"If they were in that thing, and survived the assault, they were likely taken prisoner in the palace," Sun declared, "That is where all of the prisoners that the Emperor finds dangerous are kept. It is a miracle that you managed to escape from it yourself."

"Which would mean the twins are either inside that tower with their battery," Monty groaned, "Or they're running out in the wild terrified about having just lost their big one-upper."

"And there are you again, speaking of things we don't know," Garmadon shook his head, "Your actions, while questionable, give us no reason to doubt that you are not working for the Emperor aside from the words you give to us. The darkness that the Emperor wields can change the soul."

"Alright, then let me throw this at you," Monty turned to Garmadon, "We have no reason to then believe that you're not just some massive ploy to help capture people that escaped. If the Emperor can change people, he could just as easily make you all into his slaves. He could orchestrate that entire battle just to make us trust you," Monty leaned back, "That sounds silly when you put it like that, doesn't it?"

"Silly, but something that we can't rule out the possibility of," Garmadon narrowed his eyes, "We live in confusing times. Such changes could not have been seen before they happened, and now here they are. We have to consider that."

There was an uneasy tension in the room. Sun stood between the group of universal travelers and the suspicious Sensei that regarded them warily. Monty stood facing Garmadon's glare directly, challenging him in a sense to see what he truly thought.

"Let us test them, then," Sun raised his hand, "I fought alongside them. I tested my blade along with Monty's arms, and his friends gave me the chance to fight. I believe we owe them at least one chance to prove themselves to us."

"And what would that be, Sun?" Garmadon asked calmly.

"If they are truly with the Emperor, they would be hesitant to strike at him in any form," Sun proposed, "And perhaps we can try that. I will place my trust in them on the line. Let them aid us in the attack. If they do so and help us as anyone else would, we can deem them trustworthy enough to proceed. If not, we can leave them and continue our mission with them only knowing a single piece of it. Either way, they will only know of that one part of the mission. They would gain nothing giving that to the Emperor. I believe that is fair, Sensei."

"You wish for us to trust them enough to go into battle with them?" Garmadon eyed Sun curiously, "On what grounds do you propose this, Sun?"

"On my honor as a knight and savior of the people," Sun bowed his head, "And on my desire to see that the light of people in Ninjago has not been corrupted by the dark hand of the Emperor."

Garmadon gave a long pause to what Sun was saying, "You are willing to place that on your honor, Sun? You would accept the responsibility if they were to be working with the Emperor?"

"I would have it no other way," Sun fully bowed.

"Very well then," Garmadon said to the group, "Sun's honor is something he holds dear to him. For him to place it on the line for you means more than I believe any of you can understand. You best work to ensure you are worthy of it."

With that, Garmadon left the room. Sun raised himself up as soon as he had, turning to the group and giving them an apologetic smile, "Allow me to apologize for his rude behavior. We have not had the best success recruiting allies. Even I find it hard to fully grasp what you all are to this world."

"Why do you trust us so much?" Lulloyd stood up, "I'm, not really sure why. We're, like, just strangers to you, aren't we?"

"Indeed, but I believe that when you have fought alongside someone, you cease to be a stranger to them," Sun declared, "The true character of a warrior is shown by the way they conduct themselves on the battlefield. As savage as you are, Monty, I could sense that you would fight alongside me for as long as you were able to. That, to me, is all of the proof I need as to where you stand."

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way," Lloyd paused, "Why are you a knight, Sun? It looks like the rest of your team are ninja. Why not train with them?"

Sun shook his head, "A ninja, by their nature, shy from conflict. They seek to end the battle before it begins. The people would never know of them. I, however, cannot work that way. The people have been swallowed by darkness. I must be a shining ray of light to pierce their minds and into their hearts. They may have lost hope, but I have not. The Emperor brings with him ruin and darkness. I will bring to this world light and hope. It is my duty to do so, and it is on my honor as a person, as a knight, that I will uphold my honor and use it to make my sword shine for all those who need to see it!" Sun thrust his sword out, the beam nearly doubling in length as light crackled and shone from its blade, illuminating the cabin and making the group turn away from it.

"That's… uh, wow, big," Lulloyd waited for the light to die down to look up, "I'm uh… I guess I'm glad that you're like, a knight then. Seems like you suit it. Uh… the way you talk, is that…?"

Sun gave a small grin, "I wished to have my speech match my image."

"Well good for you, he's a knight and we're in a world overtaken by the Overlord," Monty rolled his eyes, "Tell us more about this plan."

"Once we finish collecting what we need, I shall," Sun affirmed, "Until then, take this time to ready yourselves. If any of you can use a tool, I would appreciate your help fixing the Shadow."

"I can," Harumi nodded, "I'm not the best at it, but I can at least help out."

"I should probably help with the scrap," Lulloyd stood up, "I'm used to picking through heaps of downed vehicles after all."

"Then I'll help Harumi," Lloyd nodded, "And Monty can… do what he wants," Monty gave a nod, "If we're going to help, then we'll do it right. Let's be ready for when the time comes."

* * *

After nearly five hours of work, Harumi and Lloyd together had started to get the Shadow into a working shape. While neither of them were mechanics, they had both been on enough broken vehicles to know how to get something working again. Harumi's watch helped as, after scanning the entire Shadow, the two were able to produce a rough schematic to work on rewriting the system from. While Harumi worked on the wiring, Lloyd used his green power to start welding back together the wings and plates.

"Hey… Lloyd," Harumi spoke up as she finished mending two wires, "Do you feel… sick?"

"Sick?" Lloyd asked, raising his welder's helmet from his face, "Now that you mention it, I do feel that a little bit."

"It's our green power, I'm pretty sure," Harumi grimaced, "This place is saturated in darkness, right? I felt it the minute we got here. It's… it's really bad for us."

"Yeah…" Lloyd thought for a moment, then slid down from atop the Shadow and down to where Harumi was, "Are you doing… okay?" Harumi didn't answer for along time, instead just working on the bit of the Shadow she had her hands in.

"No… not, really," Harumi pulled her work gloves off and clutched her stomach, "This place, that Tower, the dark sky… it's all reminding me of… of him."

"We're not there, you know," Lloyd reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, "You've accepted your past. You don't have to worry about it."

"I can't help it," Harumi looked down, "I know you feel it too. We're… we're the opposite of the darkness. Our green power is meant to shine a light into it. Sun has to feel it too. I… I just can't stop thinking about… about that day when… when my Ninjago looked like this. I was able to put it off with how fast we were forced to flee but… but…"

"It's alright to feel that way," Lloyd assured her, "But you shouldn't dwell on it. Feeling sadness and fear is what makes us the way we are. It's gonna be okay."

"Yeah… yeah, I know it is," Harumi sighed, "I… thanks, Lloyd. I'm… I'm just not sure how, good I'm gonna feel through all this. I don't know how much this is gonna hit me. If I start to… get, unraveled, do you think you could… slap me?"

"Slap you?" Lloyd cocked his head, "Why that?"

"Cause… whenever, I'd get really depressed, Mizuno would come up and say something like, 'You shouldn't be depressed right now, your friends are here!' and then she'd slap me and drag me off to do something until I got out of that funk," Harumi smiled faintly, "And I just, wanna think about that a little bit. I can remember that."

"I mean… if you want me to, sure, I trust you enough to know that's what you want," Lloyd chuckled, "But, uh, if I do you gotta explain it to everyone else. Monty will have a field day with the fact I slapped a girl."

"I'm pretty sure he'd do the same without a reason, but I will," Harumi reached out, gripping his wrist and using it to pull herself up, "Thanks, Lloyd. Really… thank you. I'm, glad that I got a chance to meet you."

"You say that like we're about to do something dangerous," Lloyd pointed out, "We've made it this far. We'll make it to the end."

"I know, but I mean it," Harumi rubbed her arm, "I just wanted to say it. So you knew. I know I wasn't the nicest to you at first, so, I want you to know that you really have helped me."

"Well then," Lloyd smiled back at her, "I'll remember that."

The door to the large hanger opened, and from it Sun entered, "Harumi! Lloyd! How go the repairs on the Shadow?"

"It should fly now," Harumi called back to him, "I wouldn't go trying anything crazy just yet… but I think we should be good now."

"Perfect," Sun gestured to the ship, "Board it and make sure she starts up. The others that will be coming with us will be here soon."

Lloyd and Harumi finished putting any miscellaneous covers back onto the ship, then climbed up onto the thing. Lloyd had taken some time to raise the railings on either side up, making standing a bit less of a dangerous task. Harumi took the second seat, tapping away at the screens to bring up the full interface. A few moments later, Sun, Garmadon, Mage, Zane and Nya entered. They all rapidly boarded the ship, with Sun sliding into the first cockpit seat.

"Hey guys!" Mage grinned, "How'd doing all the fixing go?"

"I'd hope it went well," Lloyd pointed out, "We're gonna be riding it."

"The seven of us will be going on this mission," Garmadon explained once everyone was situated, "Your other friends will be staying behind in case the Bounty is attacked. Your ghost friend also said something about checking the guns on the ship."

"Yeah… guns are his thing," Harumi sighed, "Where are we heading? I'll put the coordinates in for us."

"We will be heading to the Emperor's Security Tower," Sun explained, "We will tell you our mission when we arrive."

Harumi began to search through the Shadow's data logs for a source of the location. While she did, the others got situated on the Shadow. Both Nya and Zane said nothing, looking towards Lloyd with a rather harsh look. Garmadon placed his hands behind his back to hold the railing. Mage began to do several stretches, contorting his back so far that Sun began to worry he was about to snap himself. Lloyd simply stood, observing the group.

"Didn't get your names," Nya spoke up, startling Lloyd, "Mind repeating them?"

"Oh, I'm Lloyd, that's Harumi and you can call him Mage," Lloyd gestured to each of them in order.

"You are well met," Zane stated plainly, "It appears you already know of our names."

"Yeah, we do. Other worlds, and all that," Lloyd smiled awkwardly. By this point, it was getting difficult to keep track of all of the ninja from their worlds. It did help that this Zane was still wearing his pre-titanium skin, which made it at least slightly easier. Then again, so had the Zane from the Summit…

"There," Harumi interrupted Lloyd from his thoughts, "I think we should have a route through the sewers to get us most of the way there."

"Excellent," Sun traded Harumi for her spot in the cockpit, forming the energy shield around himself once more, "Then I believe it is in our best interests to get going."

"Yes," Garmadon nodded, "We shall."

With a loud whirl, the bottom of the Destiny's Bounty opened. The claw that had hold of the Shadow slowly began to lower it. Zane climbed up into the back-mounted turret, while Nya stood at the front of the Shadow. Once the ship was suspended in the air, the small wings extended out the sides, and in turn the engine began to quietly hum in the air. The Shadow was released, and instantly, Sun took them into a hard dive straight towards the ground.

The Bounty was on the outskirts of Ninjago City, and once the doors to the Bounty were closed again, the cloak was perfect enough that Lloyd only knew the Bounty was there due to them having left from it. He wasn't given much time to look at it, as instead the Shadow was flying straight towards a patch of the road that seemed to be solid.

"H-Hey, wait a minute!" Lloyd turned to Sun, "Are you taking us into the ground?!"

"Yes," Sun hit a button, calmly tightening his core so as not to fall forward, "Just wait and see."

With a tiny whirl, the street itself seemed to open up, as two circular panels split the pavement open. Underneath, Lloyd could see none other than the sewers he had become so familiar with. Sun began to gently level them out as they came up on it, flying through the opening and then jerking to a stop so they were horizontal once more. Lloyd sighed in relief, while Sun just smirked to him.

"We have had to find ways for us to move in this city undetected," Sun looked to Nya, "It is thanks to her genius that we have been able to do so in this way."

"Yeah, yeah, let's just get going," Nya waved her hand, "We have a mission to complete."

Sun turned away from Nya with only his normal grin. He began to guide the ship through the sewers, the only light visible being from the headlights the Shadow gave without the sun above to illuminate their path. The computer readout on the Shadow showed they were moving towards the inner part of the city, and in turn what seemed to be a more dangerous area.

The further along they went, the more Lloyd felt a deep chill in his body. He looked to Harumi, seeing she, too, was shaking. Lloyd recalled Garmadon had said that the closer they went to the heart of the city, the greater the concentration of darkness. When they had fled from Dareth, they must have been too terrified to fully feel it.

After a long series of windings, the Shadow stopped. The group was underneath a small sewer hatch. Sun dropped the energy bubble, standing up and looking to his allies, "We should be directly underneath the block the Security Tower is on. We must move quickly if we are to get what we need."

"And what do we need?" Mage asked, having remained silent out of a feeling he shouldn't speak, "Are we rescuing someone?"

"No, we didn't bring enough of us for that," Sun shook his head, "Now that we are here, I am able to tell you," Sun inhaled, "I have heard rumor that the Emperor plans to transfer my mother to a prison in the furthest depths of Ninjago. If this is true, this building would have the information on it. Our goal is get inside and to obtain the records of all upcoming prisoner transfers."

"Wouldn't he be expecting that, then?" Mage cocked his head, "Sounds like bait to me!"

"It most certainly is," Sun sighed, "But… even if it may be, that is why I have you, my friends. We will go on together."

"Zane and I shall remain here, in case we are needed," Garmadon shook his head, "Sun has a habit of requiring a quick getaway."

"I cannot help it if our missions are often missing information we need to remain hidden," Sun replied back with a grin, "All the better the Emperor knows we are coming for him!"

"Be that as it may," Zane replied calmly, "This mission requires stealth. Do not engage enemies if you are able to avoid it."

"Don't worry!" Mage raised his hand, "I know a ton of elements that are good for that! I can just turn us all into shadows if we need to!"

"Save your strength, Mage," Harumi warned him, "We might need it."

"Get going," Garmadon hissed, pointing upwards, "The Emperor may be searching for us right now. Each minute we spend here is another minute he has to find us."

Sun nodded his head, looking to his new allies, "I will trust you, friends, no matter what happens. I ask that you will trust me as I do you."

Sun raised his wooden hilt above his head, focusing until his glowing broadsword reformed once more. He focused, causing a small beam of light to fire out towards the ceiling of the sewer. Like a laser, it began to sizzle and melt the surface. Sun rotated his arms in a circle, slowly cutting a hole in the roof. When he was finished, Nya crouched down to leap up and kick the piece open. Instead, Mage raised his hand and called upon gravity, weighing the section down until it had ripped open a hole and dropped the chunk onto the Shadow. Sun gave Mage a look of pride before he leapt up into the air to crawl through the hole.

One by one, the group slowly emerged from the hole. They were in the middle of a strange room that was filled with chairs, each of which having strange shackles on the armrests. Sun helped up Nya, then Mage, Harumi and Lloyd. As they all looked around, Lloyd saw that one wall of the room was complete glass. The chairs were lined up to be looking at the glass. Across the glass looked like some sort of interrogation room… with devices inside that Harumi quickly turned Mage away from looking at.

"This tower functions also as a small prisoner holding area," Sun stated solemnly, "To determine where to transport a prisoner, interrogation can be used to see how much they know. The answer is almost always 'too much.'"

"The Emperor really keeps a tight grip on everyone," Lloyd muttered, "What sort of person would do that?"

"A person that we need to focus on taking down by getting our friends back," Nya replied coldly, "Come on, we need to get moving."

The group was unable to argue with Nya. Sun sheathed his sword, Lloyd doing the same. Nya reached down and drew a sash out from around her armor and instead wrapped it around one of her hands. Lloyd blinked in confusion at that, but didn't say anything. Nya walked over to the door in the room, peering into the hallway beyond. After confirming none were there, she waved for them to follow.

As Lloyd quickly found out, the tower was designed to have one massive central area, similar to how Kryptarium was designed, with hallways that branched out to lead to other rooms. Once they emerged into the hallway, Lloyd could already see the massive open space down the hall. Sun looked to Nya, who nodded as she pulled out a small device that unfolded into a tablet. Once that was completed, Sun looked back to Mage.

"Mage," Sun nodded his head, "You must stay here and guard our escape. I can tell you have more power than you let on. If we require a fast getaway, you will know."

"Really?" Mage frowned, "I can help! I can literally turn into shadows!" To prove his point, he vanished into his own shadow and reformed a second later.

"Then you will be our trump card," Sun told him calmly, "This is an important task. Do you think you can do it?"

Mage looked down in disappointment for a moment, but nodded his head regardless. Sun gave him a nod of thanks, then handed Mage a comm from his pocket. Seeing him staring blankly at it, Harumi reached out and put it in Mage's ear for him. Once Mage got it to sit comfortably, Harumi showed him how to touch it to speak to them.

"I… I can hear you! Without using mind!" Mage gasped, "Is this using mind?!"

"Sure…" Lloyd knew they didn't have time to explain it now, "If you need us, hold down that button and talk to us. We'll be able to hear you then."

Once Mage had figured out how to use it, Sun distributed comms to the others. Lloyd and Harumi slid them on, nodding to each other to acknowledge what they were about to do. Sun and Nya did the same, and once more Nya took point. Nya held the tablet out in front of them, and Lloyd saw a massive amount of data code scrolling across the screen.

"I'm deciphering the terminal we'll need to access," Nya muttered, "The security here is stronger than last time."

"Terminal?" Lloyd asked. Nya gave him an annoyed look before slinking forward along the hallway, making her way towards the large opening. Once the group was close enough to see what Nya meant, Lloyd's eyes widened.

It turned out that this was indeed a tower. The massive space, rather than holding cells, was filled with what looked like computer towers that were blinking and pulsing. The entire room felt warm, likely from all the heat they were giving off. The computers stretched almost three stories up, only accessible by catwalks that ran rings around the inside of the tower. In the middle of the tower was a large guard post, and the two guards that sat in lawn chairs overlooking everything.

"Is that... ?" Lloyd blinked, "Kruncha…?"

"And Nuckal?" Harumi smirked, "Okay, those guys will be easy. Just leave it to Lloyd and I, we'll handle them in-"

As soon as Harumi went to take a step forward, Sun drew his hilt and slammed Harumi's gut to push her back into the wall. The action caused the two Skulkin to stand up, both of them looking around in confusion. While their lifeless faces were just how the two remembered them, they no longer wore the barebones skulkin armor. Instead, they were wearing deep black and purple armor that was fashioned to fit around their empty bones, creating a perfect seal around their bodies.

"Uh, who's there?!" Kruncha growled out, reaching out to draw a large bone axe.

"Y-Yeah!" Nuckal shouted out, "Don't think we won't find you! The Emperor won't be pleased somebody is sneaking around his tower!"

"Are you attempting to get us killed?!" Sun sputtered out, "I do not know what they are like in your world, but I could not defeat them before they sounded the alarm!"

"What are you talking about?" Lloyd hissed to Sun, "Those guys are just skeletons! We beat them every other week!"

"Then clearly we have a difference in our worlds beyond just what you have told us!" Sun growled, slowly removing his arm from Harumi, "My apologies, I did not mean to strike a lady. I cannot risk us being caught, however. Forgive me?"

"Yeah... " Harumi groaned, "Let's listen to Sun for now," She turned to Nya, "Nya, where exactly is this terminal we need to get to?"

Nya looked down at the tablet, then pointed upwards. She held the tablet in the air until it was in a direct line of sight of the computer. It just so happened the computer was at the very top of the tower, with a blinking red light that Lloyd could only just barely see from the bottom. It was quickly lost among the barrage of other lights.

"This is going to complicate things…" Sun mumbled, "We must draw those two away from the tower if we are to get what we came for."

"I'll handle that," Harumi summoned two Rhotatae discs in hand, "You guys worry about getting that data."

"Good," Sun nodded his head, "It will take only a minute if I climb."

"I'll handle that," Lloyd nodded. "I know a thing called Airjitzu, it'll help me get up there quietly."

"Then we have our plan," Sun turned to Nya, "Be ready to move as soon as Harumi begins her diversion."

Harumi waited until the two Skulkin were laying back down on their lawn chairs, both of them reading some sort of magazine. She took a breath, then she ran straight across the floor and rolled until she was up against the bottom of the tower that the two were standing on. With her summoned discs, she extended her hands and fired. The two discs arced off as she guided them to strike random computers on the wall. As they impacted, they briefly cut through the chassis before the internals were struck, causing them to spark and hiss.

"Whdawha?" Nuckal sat up, turning his head around until he saw the source of the issue. Harumi slowly crawled around so she was up against the other side of the pillar. She waited quietly, waving for the group to be ready.

Suddenly, there was a massive bang. Harumi froze in shock as she turned to see the two skulkin… having just jumped off the tower. The two left a dent in the floor from where they'd landed. Harumi's eyes were wide with confusion as they walked forward towards the source of her damage.

"Did you damage the computers again?!" Kruncha growled, "You know the Emperor wouldn't want us to do that again!"

"Oohhh shut up and let me look at it!" Nuckal whined, dragging the damaged computer from the wall, "How do you know you didn't break this one?!"

"Because I don't BREAK THINGS!" Kruncha shouted, striking Nuckal's skull. The force sent Nuckal's head rapidly spinning around. At that moment, Sun waved for the group to make their move. Lloyd, Sun and Nya quickly raced their way across the open floor behind the two skulkin towards a ladder that would take them up to each of the catwalks.

Just standing this close to the computers was hot enough that Lloyd felt like he was getting boiled. Sun gestured for him to climb first, and so Lloyd did. Sun followed, then Nya at the rear. Sun continually glanced down to the two skulkin, watching them try to fix the damaged device. Lloyd had seen them leap down two stories, but other than that the fear that Sun displayed at them was something he was confused about.

"What are all these computers even for?" Lloyd hissed as they climbed.

"To spy on everyone," Nya hissed back, "This is a _security_ tower. As in, the Emperor uses it to find anyone that would threaten his security as ruler."

Lloyd didn't respond after that. Instead, he kept climbing, and indeed he soon felt sweat on his forehead. Harumi watched them climb up towards the highest catwalk, still on the ground level and waiting for the two skulkin to notice. They continued to fumble around with the destroyed computer, arguing over who broke it. Harumi just silently willed them to keep going.

Soon, they were at the highest catwalk, with the computer they needed still a long ways up again. Once the three were at the top, Lloyd heard a loud ringing in his ear. The pain it caused him came from his earpiece. Nya and Sun, judging by their expressions, could feel it too. Whatever was coming from the computers this high up was causing them painful interference. The three switched their comms off as Lloyd looked up.

"Here," Nya handed Lloyd a small chip, "Stick that inside and it'll download everything on the terminal. It should take ten seconds. Can you handle that?"

"Sure can," Lloyd affirmed her, then he focused. He twisted up into Airjitzu, flying up into the air silently as he reached out for the computer. Sun stared at the display in awe, while Nya instead looked down as nervously as Harumi at the two guards. The success of this mission depended on how well they could keep those two occupied.

Lloyd soon reached the terminal, plugging the chip inside and cancelling the Airjitzu. He instead grabbed the computer and tightened his core, planting himself against it and holding on by the tiniest lip. He heard the chip beep once, then begin to flash. He panted heavily, breathing through his nose and out through his mouth to keep himself steady. He waited in tension as the chip downloaded the data. Down below, Harumi looked on to the display and summoned another disc, getting ready to blast the two Skulkin if they turned around.

"You broke it!" Nuckal shouted.

"No, YOU broke it!" Krnncha spat back. The two stared each other down, then developed into rapidly slapping one another. Harumi watched the display with some mild amusement.

The chip beeped again. Lloyd, taking that to mean it was done, grabbed it and yanked it from the computer, then leapt down. Just before he hit the catwalk, he summoned Airjitzu for a brief moment to cancel his momentum. Sun and Nya looked at him expectantly, and Lloyd handed them the chip. Nya quickly plugged it into her tablet, then nodded at Sun.

"We must climb down now," Sun turned to the ladder. Lloyd, however, suddenly saw Harumi waving her hand. Kruncha and Nuckal were turning around.

"No time!" Lloyd reached out and grabbed hold of Sun and Nya's arms. Before the two could protest, he jumped forward off the catwalk, dragging them down. It took all they had not to immediately cry out in shock. Lloyd let them fall at a massive speed, twisting into Airjitzu just as they were about twenty feet off the ground. The twister force and gravity met each other, allowing the three to land softly. Before they could say anything, Harumi had already fired off two Rhotatae discs, causing the skulkin to blink at the sound of them striking more computers.

"Go!" Harumi mouthed. The four quickly darted back towards the hallway. Just as they cleared the distance and were inside, Kruncha turned around to see them just as they were gone. He shrugged his shoulders, then grabbed hold of Nuckal's had and pounded him seeing another damaged computer.

"W-We made it," Sun panted, "We must make it back to the others, quickly!"

As soon as they turned to leave, they were met with a curios sight. Sensei Garmadon, Zane and Mage were all standing in front of them, having come from the room they made their entrance from. A pang of confusion went through the group as they saw the sight in front of them.

"Sensei?" Sun asked in shock, "What are you doing here?"

"You called for us, Sun," Zane replied, "We heard over the comm that you required our services."

"I did not!" Sun protested, "We deactivate our comms due to the interference."

"Who was it that called us then, Sun?" Garmadon asked with his eyes narrowed, "Was it one of your new friends?"

"**Yes, Sun, why don't you introduce us to your friends?" **

A deep, imposing voice cut through the stillness of the tower. Harumi and Lloyd felt a cold chill going straight through them, and Harumi took in a tiny gasp as her breath seemed to suddenly unwilling to enter her lungs. Sun froze for a moment, then he placed his hand on his hilt. Garmadon drew his dagger slowly, while both Zane and Nya remained completely rooted in place. Mage blinked, turning around and then immediately turning right back around.

"Emperor…" Sun growled.

Slowly, the group turned around. Standing with four arms all elegantly placed behind his back, was a man that looked like nothing more than shadow. His body was inky mirth, with no distinguishing features present on it. The only thing that the group could see was a set of glowing purple eyes, and a massive jaw filled with sharp teeth. The figure raised one hand into the air.

"**I'm certain you didn't believe I would let you free my most important prisoner without a fight, did you?**" The Emperor declared, a massive blade forming out of the raised hand, "**I'm certain you didn't think I was that idiotic at all.**"


	37. Chapter 37

"**Kruncha, Nuckal," **The Emperor raised one of his arms up, "**You may stop pretending now."**

With a loud chuckle, the two Skulkin turned around and made their way over to stand on either side of their Emperor. They both drew identical bone axes from their backs, holding them forward. Standing beside the Emperor, it became clear why their armor was meant to cover their bodies and was completely black and purple. Aside from their white heads, they almost looked like extensions of that strange mirth the Emperor was made of.

"Hehehe, you thought you fooled us!?" Nuckal laughed, "Not even we're that stupid!"

"You're in for a big world of hurt now!" Kruncha laughed alongside his friend. The Emperor lowered his hand down, causing the two to immediately stop.

"**I suppose you must have figured now that this was a trap from the beginning,"** The Emperor's devilish smile curled up, "**I would never risk moving my most valuable card to another location. I'm afraid that princess will be staying in my castle."**

"Go!" Sun suddenly drew his sword, causing the blade of light to extend from the wooden hilt, "I will hold them back! You must escape before he is able to corner you!"

"**If you believe I will let you escape, you must be delusional,"** The Emperor turned to his two allies, "**Cut off their escape."**

"Hehe, you got it, boss!" Nuckal suddenly reached up into his mouth, grabbing one of his fake teeth and yanking it out. He spun his arm rapidly in a circle like a cartoonish wind up, then shot it forward. Sun moved to try to cut the tooth, but it was too late. The tooth flew past the group, only for Kruncha's eyes to suddenly glow red. In a split second, the tooth expanded in size until it had filled the entire hallway, breaking into the walls to seal them inside. Lloyd looked back at the display in shock, while Harumi continued to pant heavily as her breath came in short, ragged gasps.

"**And now to draw out my prey,"** The Emperor reached his hand forward. Lloyd heard something behind him, only to see something was rising up from the floor. Large black tendrils rose up from the floor, dripping as they writhed in the air. Sun, seeing this, turned and tried to slice through the tentacles as they rose. As soon as one was cut, the others lunged forward and wrapped around each of the group. Just as they had their grasp on them, the tentacles threw them out from the hallway, sending them sprawling across the floor.

"W-What was that?!" Lloyd shouted. The others groaned as they all began to rise up again.

He looked over to Harumi, seeing she staring up at the Emperor with eyes that were filled with utter and pure terror. The Emperor looked down at her, taking a step forward so he could reach out with his arm. The arm seemed to unnaturally extend to grow longer so that he could grab Harumi around the neck and heft her into the air. Harumi gagged out as her hands moved to grab at the hand around her neck, only to find them sinking inside rather than grabbing solid mass.

"Harumi!" Lloyd shouted, picking himself and drawing his sword. He was about to lunge for Harumi when he saw a massive streak of light fly by right in front of him.

Sun shouted as he left behind a ribbon of light behind him, spinning his sword rapidly. He leapt up onto the wall of computers then jumped straight off to make a run right for the Emperor. The blade that had extended from the Emperor's hand twisted down to meet Sun's strike of the sword. The impact caused a bright flash of light that nearly blinded Lloyd from looking at it.

"**Who are these people, Sun?"** The Emperor asked calmly while holding back Sun's strike, "**They seem to be very interesting."**

"People that must be saved from your tyranny!" Sun shouted, straining to try to push the Emperor's blade back. The Emperor looked down at Sun with a blank gaze, then looked at Harumi. As he looked into her gasping eyes, he shook his head.

"**There is a fear in her eyes that I have not seen before,"** The Emperor stated calmly, summoning a second blade in another hand to swipe at Sun with, "**I believe that she knows something that you don't. Perhaps after I am finished getting rid of you, I will take her back with me to study what is inside of her head." **

"I shall never allow that!" Sun spat. The two blades, however, meant the Emperor was pushing him back instead. Sun's sword began to glow with light even brighter, ready to commit to a move that would hopefully cut down the Emperor's arm.

Instead, the Emperor's arm went flying off all on its own. The Emperor looked down at his severed arm in mild confusion. Mage grabbed Harumi as she fell, leaping backwards and dragging her away from the Emperor. Mage's right arm was encased in ice, specifically ice that was sharpened to a point over his hand. The Emperor looked down at his fallen arm with only a casual glance. Mage watched in confusion as the Emperor's stump grew tendrils that shot out, grabbed the arm that had been cut off, and reconnected it with a simple twitch.

"**And so the mystery deepens,"** The Emperor turned back to Sun.

Sun gave one grunt, then he made his move. He slid his right leg out, then used both hands to twist his sword into a spin to his left. The action threw the two swords off, allowing Sun to spin his blade twice as he slid his left foot to his right. Once together, he crouched and then jumped backwards, avoiding the Emperor's retaliating strike. When Sun landed, a dagger struck the ground right in front of him. A second later, Garmadon appeared in front of Sun, reaching down to grab the dagger and yank it out of the ground.

"You brought us here to capture us, didn't you?!" Garmadon shouted at Lloyd, "This was a setup from the very beginning!"

"W-What?! No!" Lloyd looked to the Emperor, "We don't even know who he is!"

"**Indeed, Garmadon. I have never seen them before in my life,"** The Emperor nodded his head, "**But if they are fighting with you, then I will treat them as I would any enemy. Kruncha. Nuckal. Destroy them all. I will take Sun for himself. If you can, leave the girl alive." **

"Y-You got it!" Nuckal pointed his axe at Lloyd, "Oohhh you don't know what's coming for you!"

"Yeahah! That's right!" Kruncha pointed his axe at Nya and Zane, "Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it DOUBLE!" Nuckal shouted, just before he reached into his armor to yank off one of his ribs.

Lloyd had two katanas in hand, crossing them to block whatever was about to happen. Garmadon, however, looked at Lloyd in shock as soon as Nuckal chucked his rib towards him. Garmadon slung the dagger straight out, causing it to fly right towards Lloyd. As soon as the dagger struck Lloyd's swords, Garmadon disappeared and reappeared right in front of Lloyd. Before Lloyd could say anything, Garmadon gripped him and flung his dagger across the room. The second that it touched the walls of computers, Lloyd saw the world shift in the blink of an eye, just like flipping a slide in front of his face.

There was a massive crunch as soon as Lloyd stopped moving. He turned around to see that the rib that Nuckal had thrown had both somehow grown to the size of Lloyd himself and embedded itself in the ground where Lloyd once stood unnaturally fast. Garmadon thrust Lloyd behind him and drew the dagger out, spinning it in hand and growling.

"Don't let them get close to you!" Garmadon demanded, "Their weapon ability is to double things!"

"Awwhhh, he's going and ruining our fun!" Nuckal pouted, reaching in to drag out another rib from his body.

"Don't worry, he won't be able to soon!" Kruncha laughed evilly. As soon as his mouth opened, an arrow flew straight over to embed itself directly inside of his jaw.

Zane rapidly lowered his crossbow to use his foot to load another bolt. Kruncha fumed with rage and yelled out as he yanked the arrow out and threw it aside. Nya turned to see that Kruncha now had his eyes on her friend, then yanked the sash she wore off and held it up in her hand. As it flew up in the air, she focused and the sash rapidly wrapped around her arm until it had finally tied up around her forearm. With a flash of light, a beautiful spear that looked to be made of water in the same way Sun's sword was made of light was in Nya's hands. She looked back to Zane, who gave her a nod.

"Showtime," Nya growled, reaching down and pulling out something from her hip. It was a canteen, and one that she tipped over and downed many gulps in a few seconds. As soon as she'd downed it, her body began to shake as the water that she'd just drank was circulated through her body. Garmadon looked over to Lloyd, then across the room to where Harumi still lay stunned in Mage's arms. Mage looked to Garmadon, and the two nodded.

"Handle your friend," Garmadon growled, "I must help Sun."

Sun was wildly swinging away at the Emperor. The Emperor was back down to one blade that he held with one hand, with the other three behind his ill defined back. He swung his mass out of the way each time the sword came for him, then blocked any that were about to impale him. He took small steps to guide Sun in a circle with the attacks, letting him have free strike after free strike while the Emperor did nothing but counter.

"**You still grow stronger, Sun,"** The Emperor sighed, "**But you have a long way before you can truly become a match for me. Consider this a test if you're strong enough to flee from me."**

Sun was about to attack, but Garmadon's dagger flew by to strike the ground beside him, followed by Garmadon teleporting right to him. Garmadon drew his dagger up and pointed it at the Emperor, while Sun slowly brought his sword up by his chin to point it horizontally over his chest at the dark figure. The Emperor looked to the two of them, then shook his head.

"**It seems you wish to have me take this seriously,"** The Emperor growled, "**Then perhaps I shall."**

Suddenly, the ground around the Emperor darkened. The shadows cast around the room all began to grow and lengthen until they all extended to connect to that which the Emperor cast. Sun and Garmadon took a step back, readying for what was to happen next. The Emperor slowly opened his palm, allowing the weapon he held to sink back inside of the mass of his body. When it was gone, he let his lower arms rest behind his back, while his upper arms raised up and began to charge a strange, vicious looking purple energy inside of them.

In a split second, the entire field around the Emperor had changed. The shadows suddenly shot up in the same way the tendrils had earlier, but this time they were spinning blades that rapidly rotated around the Emperor. From the hissing they made, the shadows had been shaped truly into the same sharpness as real the same time, the Emperor extended his hands, causing that purple energy to fire out like beams, striking the swords and causing them to crackle with the purple energy arcing through them. The Emperor raised his hands up, causing the swords to all raise up in the air, connected to the shadows below by a thin trail, like gum stretched out from being compressed. The charged shadow swords shot straight out at Sun.

Sun drew his sword behind him backwards, then shut his eyes. As soon as the swords were about to strike him, he swung his sword before and began to thrust his sword in a figure-eight motion, rapidly causing a beam of light in front of him to deflect the swords. Those swords that were reflected were sent spiraling out and breaking apart over the ground, melting back to join the shadow mass. Sun was slid backwards as he continued to knock away the sword, restorting to taking small steps backwards as those swords that melted were reformed and sent right back at him. Garmadon, meanwhile, began to run in a circle around the Emperor. The swords that were sent after him would melt into shadow upon hitting the ground, curling around the room to follow Garmadon in a perfect arc.

"T-This is nothing!" Sun shouted, pushing digging his foot into the ground and slashing his hand even faster, "I-Is this truly you attempting to kill me, Emperor?!"

As Lloyd took in the sight of all of this, he began to feel a fear rising up inside of him. The dark body… the purple energy… the deep voice, it was all reminding him of someone, someone that he wished he would never see again. As he saw Harumi's reaction, he knew that what he felt was likely correct.

Speaking of Harumi, the girl had finally untangled herself from Mage's embrace and reached out to form a massive Rhotate disc. She looked to Mage, who gave her a smile and then nodded. He reached out and clamped his hands around the disc, pouring energy into it that caused the disc to turn copper. As soon as she finished, Harumi focused and then released her hold on the disc, causing it to fly straight towards Nuckal.

"WHOA!" Nuckal flattened himself to the ground, letting the disc fly right above his body as he grinned hard at Harumi, "Haha, you missed!"

Nya suddenly rushed forward, spinning her spear and striking Nuckal's head with the bottom of it. Nuckal let out a wail as his head went spinning on his neck. Nya followed this up by throwing herself back onto her hands, leaning down, and then springing back upwards to drive her feet into Nuckal's chest and sending him stumbling backwards.

At the same time, Harumi twisted her hand, causing the Rhotatae disc she was controlling to arc around the entire tower and go right for Kruncha. Kruncha was too slow to dodge, and the disc exploded into his body. He cried out in pain, only to stop as he realized he felt no pain. Harumi panted and looked to Mage, who just grinned at her and punched his fist into his hand.

"Your attacks are weak!" Kruncha laughed, "Come on, Nuckal, get up so we can start clobberin' these… these uh…."

Kruncha's body felt heavy. Too heavy. His attempt to walk forward didn't work. He looked down, seeing that trying to lift his leg up felt like lifting up a million pounds. Mage giggled and thumped Harumi on the shoulder.

"You should have told me that your discs could store powers!" Mage giggled, "This is going to be fun to try out! Oh! By the way!"

Mage suddenly shot forward with speed, causing his blurred body to fly around the tower until he was over by Kruncha. He reached forward and grabbed hold of Kruncha's left arm, prying it right off. He spun the arm back and then smacked Kruncha in the head with it, causing the skulkin to growl. Mage grinned.

"I don't know why you said these guys were scary!" Mage pointed out, "They aren't even doing anything!"

The Emperor, still sending the onslaught at Garmadon and Sun, suddenly turned to look right at Mage. The shadow that Mage cast reached up and formed into shackles, pouring out to grab hold of his limbs. Mage let out a shout as his body was sent right up into the air, his limbs pulled apart. The Emperor looked the boy up and down for a few moments, then extended one of his lower arms at Mage. The arm charged up with that same purple power as Mage was too shocked at the suddenly change to react.

"**Shadow Control,"** The Emperor nodded, "**Chains."** The power gathering in the Emperor's hand shot out and struck Mage. Mage let out a scream of pain as the beam hit him right in the dead center of his chest. The chains strained for a few seconds, then snapped as the power sent him straight back into the wall. A massive burst of electricity shot out as Mage was sent straight into the wall. The Emperor lowered his hand, then looked back to Sun.

"MAGE!" Harumi shouted in terror, forming up discs to try to go after him. The second she did, however, she was forced to slide back as a massive rib was flying at her. Mage's concentration had slipped, meaning that Kruncha had used one of his own ribs to send it flying right at Harumi.

"Finally!" Kruncha turned to Nuckal, "Are you DONE yet?!"

"Neneyehg not yet!" Nuckal swung his bone axe forward, catching Nya's spear. Nya gripped her spear with both hands and pushed back against Nuckal, attempting to hold him back. As she did, however, the bone axe suddenly doubled in size and, more importantly, weight. Nya was forced backwards as Nuckal held the massive axe. A second later, the axe doubled in size again, causing Nya to shout in pain as the weight of it bent her backwards. Nuckal laughed evily as he continued to force Nya back.

Zane, seeing his ally in trouble, quickly turned and raced for a ladder. He rapidly climbed up until he was halfway up, then looped one arm through the side and readied his crossbow. He fired, causing the bolt to strike Nuckal's skull. Nuckal blinked and turned in confusion at Zane, giving Nya time to focus and make her spear disappear. She slid backwards from Nuckal panting as she straightened out her back and reformed her spear just in time to down another canteen of water on her belt.

"Lloyd!" Harumi shouted, distracting Lloyd from watching the fight. She was rapidly trying to climb up the wall of computers to get to Mage embedded in it. Lloyd looked over to the Emperor, then focused and twisted into Spinjitzu. He sped across the ground, much to the Emperor's amazement as he watched the strange display.

"**Their weapons must be truly impressive,"** The Emperor turned back to Sun still deflecting swords, "**Quite unlike yours, boy."**

"Is that a challenge?!" Sun forced a grin on his face, "Perhaps I should show you just how useless my ability truly is!"

Garmadon had finally stopped running around the tower, turning to look at Sun and nodding his head. Garmadon reared his arm back and flung his dagger to strike the underside of one of the catwalks. Garmadon then appeared clinging to the dagger, dangling in the air. He focused and flipped his body up to land on top of said catwalk, drawing out the dagger and looking to Sun. Sun let out a growl and his sword flared up with light. He reared the blade back, then swung it forward. The blade cut through the oncoming dark swords, right before he leapt up into the air towards the computers. He rapidly climbed up the wall and then onto the catwalk on the opposite side of Garmadon.

The Emperor, seeing this, pulled his arms behind his back and caused all of the shadow swords to fade. Instead, he lifted one foot up. The shadows under him began to form up into a step. He slowly took step after step, forming a shadowy spiral staircase that carried him up to be on the same level as the catwalk, standing in the dead middle of the tower. He looked to the two figures in front of him, then extended his arm, causing the earlier blade to emerge for him to grip onto.

"**What is it you hope to achieve by fighting me?"** The Emperor asked calmly, "**It would make far more sense for you to simply run. Even together as Master and Student, you stand no chance against me." **

"That is something for us to decide!" Sun declared, "We fight for freedom, and thus we will have far more strength than your evil could ever grant you!"

"**Hrmm,"** The Emperor nodded, "**If you truly think that…"**

The Emperor shot his form arms backwards, releasing that purple energy to go flying straight towards Sun. Sun had just barely raised his sword when the Emperor was right in front of him, slashing his blade right into Sun's guard. Sun was thrown backwards into the computer wall, sending several of them into sparks as he scrambled back to his feet. The Emperor swiped the sword down, cleaving a massive gash in the computers that would have surely taken Sun's head.

Sun swung his sword, but the Emperor's blade was already there. In fact, the Emperor was even faster and was already swinging by using the ricochet of the strike. Sun was forced backwards as he desperately was forced to keep up with the Emperor's brutal swings that knocked feeling out of his arms with their strength. The black shadowy figure looked like a demon, his smile and glowing eyes bearing down on Sun as he swung again, again and again. The sounds of swords clashing was a constant throughout the entire tower, all the way down to those still fighting on the ground.

Lloyd and Harumi were still reaching into the broken tangle of wires and shards of computers to find Mage's body completely limp inside. His robe had a massive hole burned into it, and underneath his skin looked as though it'd taken a massive burn. Mage was completely unconscious, shallowly breathing from having been knocked out. Harumi, seeing him like that, put a hand over her mouth and forced her breathing back into place.

"L-Lloyd… that's…" Harumi whispered to him as she reached out to start extracting Mage.

"I know," Lloyd stated solemnly, "I… I feel it too."

"We have to get out of here!" Harumi declared. No sooner had her words came, the Emperor swung his sword hard enough that Sun was forced to deflect it, ripping a massive gash in the wall that produced a loud burst of noise as it broke apart.

"I know," Lloyd looked down at the ground to the Skulkin, "But we need to make sure that they don't give us any issues!"

The two pulled Mage up from the wall, just in time to see the two skulkin had reformed their bodies and were standing side by side. Zane was forced to drop down from the catwalk as the Emperor's violent assault cleaved apart one of the supports, landing beside Nya. Nya was holding her water spear, her body quaking as she did. The quake wasn't of fear, however, and she was staring down the two skulkin with determination in her eyes.

"Now it's time for us to show you what we can really do!" Kruncha shouted, raising his axe up.

"Let's do THIS!" Kruncha roared, raising up a bone axe of his own. The two of them looked around for a few moments, then saw scraps of the destroyed computers on the ground and picked them up.

"DOUBLE SPEED, DOUBLE SIZE!" The two skulkin shouted together. They both chucked the pieces of scrap they held. As the two pieces flew, they accelerated fast, and in a split second they doubled in size, then doubled again, and once more until they were now the size of Nya's entire body. Zane raised his crossbow, but Nya had already slid in front of the two pieces.

Suddenly, Nya opened her eyes to show the veins on her face were a neon blue. She flung her body down to perfectly dodge one chunk, then went up on one foot and spun around to strike the other chunk with her foot to send it off course. On either side of Zane behind her, the two chunks bounced off the wall and then reverted down to their normal size.

"Awwwhhh! You let her use that stupid reflex thing of hers!" Kruncha shouted to Nuckal, "You weren't supposed to do that!"

"Heyehey it's not my fault!" Nuckal whined, "Come on, let's do it again!"

"DOUBLE SPEED, DOUBLE WEIGHT!" The two picked up more chunks, then slung those right towards Nya. Nya saw the two coming, watching them speed up but not grow. She held her spear up and focused. The second the two pieces were in her line of sight, her arms snapped into place in two rapid bursts, knocking the two chunks aside with her spear. The weight, however, was enough that Nya was sent sliding all the way back until she struck Zane, who held her up as she panted, her veins still blue.

"What is going on with Nya?" Lloyd looked to Harumi. Before she could answer, Kruncha had turned his attention to them carrying Mage in the wall.

"Hey! You up there!" Kruncha reared his bone axe backwards, "Get down here! Double size!"

Kruncha literally wound up his arm, then he threw his axe right towards the three. Lloyd and Harumi quickly leapt out of the wall, just in time for an axe almost ten feet tall to lodge itself into the hole. The impact rattled the entire wall, causing the Emperor to look down for brief moment to see what his allies were doing. As soon as his attention was drawn, Garmadon's dagger went flying straight by the Emperor's head, narrowing missing him and lodging in the wall beside Sun. Garmadon appeared beside his battered student, yanking the dagger out and panting as he did.

"**Clever,"** The Emperor glared down at the two with his pupiless eye, "**Let's see how far that cleverness can take you, shall we?"**

The Emperor raised his hand, causing his shadow to raise up like spikes. He jumped up and landed on top of them, then jumped. The shadow he cast on the wall shot spikes outwards wherever he stepped, letting him effectively run on the wall. When he was directly over the two of them, Sun and Garmadon's shadows would reach up and grab hold of them. Before the two could react, the Emperor threw them into the air, right up to two of the Emperor's hands glowing purple. His power exploded right into their faces, sending them both flying further up the tower until they slammed into the wall just above the fourth catwalk. The Emperor then rapidly ran along the wall, his shadow spikes allowing him to keep running until he had ascended all the way up to where they landed. Sun had just gotten Garmadon up when he had to thrust his light sword forward to catch the Emperor's blade once again.

Lloyd handed Mage off to Harumi, who nodded and made a dash for the hallway the two had entered from. The tooth hadn't yet shrunk down to let them through, but it afforded some cover for her to get Mage. Lloyd raced over to Zane, who raised his crossbow trained at the skulkin.

"What exactly can those two do?!" Lloyd asked as he arrived, "And what's going on with Nya?"

"Their weapons allow them to continually double a property of anything they touch," Zane replied emotionlessly, "And Nya is currently using her own ability. By ingesting water, she can temporarily use it to push her body's reflexes to their natural limit."

"...Okay, that's pretty straightforward," Lloyd pointed out, "How do we take those two out?"

"We don't," Nya spoke, her voice quaking as her body continued to shake, "You can't take out guys that don't get tired!"

"Yeah, that's right!" Kruncha reached down to yank out another one of his ribs, "Ohh, I'm staring to run out. How many you got to spare?"

"Uhh…. not a lot?" Nuckal shrugged. Kruncha groaned and shook himself.

"Fine, let's make these count!" Kruncha raised his rib up, "Double sharpness!"

The rib seemed to start to glisten until it had become as sharp as a piano wire. Kruncha giggled to himself as he then reached down and pulled his leg off, "Double speed!" He plugged his leg back in, then he ran forward straight towards Nya.

The sound of the rib as Kruncha swung it towards Nya was a perfect whistle. As soon as it reached Nya, however, her body bent backwards to dodge it. Kruncha shouted and kept swinging the deadly sharp rib, his foot allowing him to snap forward and run at Nya faster than ever. Nya, however, continued to dodge as her body's reflexes continued to save her from a potential bisection. She dared not attempt to use her spear to stop the rib, lest it cleave right through it.

Nuckal, not one to be left out of the action, took his own leg off and shouted, "Double… uh… double frictionlessness!" Regardless of if that was a word, when Nuckal plugged his foot back in, he was suddenly sent skidding forward across the ground, as if he was now skating on top of it, and heading right towards Zane as he raised his bone axe.

"I got this," Lloyd told Zane, "NINJA-GO!"

Lloyd spun into Spinjitzu, his tornado going right for Nuckal's path. Nuckal, seeing this, cried out and turned around to try to skate away from him. Lloyd was faster and managed to suck Nuckal up into the tornado, then land a rapid series of kicks on him. Nuckal was sent flying out of the tornado, hitting the ground woozily as he sat up.

Suddenly, Lloyd's tornado started to spin faster. Lloyd wasn't sure why, but he wasn't able to stop himself. He shouted hard as his tornado was sent right out of control until he had slammed into the wall. He groaned in pain as his Spinjitzu was cancelled and he slid down the wall. Once on the ground, Nuckal was up on his feet and laughing at him.

"Hahahaha! That was lame!" Nuckal grinned.

Lloyd stood up, growling as he did. He drew his swords once more and raced forward towards Nuckal. After two steps, however, he was running fast. Very fast. So fast that he actually flew right by Nuckal and towards the opposite wall. He scrambled to try to stop, which ended in him then sliding right by him in the other direction. When Lloyd plunged his sword into the ground, he was finally able to stop himself. He looked down at the ground, confusion in his eyes.

"Double acceleration!" Nuckal pointed at Lloyd and laughed, "Oh man that gets them everytime! You should see how stupid you loEAIYE!"

Zane had fired a crossbow bolt to knock Nuckal's axe from his hand. The skulkin quickly scrambled over to try to find his weapon, giving Lloyd time to scramble to Zane. Sure enough, after just a few steps he was moving like he was running a marathon. When he tried to wave his arms to stop himself, his arms moved forward so fast he fell on his face. He groaned and slowly picked himself up, taking great care to. Zane quickly ran over and helped him to his feet.

"If he has touched you, his ability will remain in effect until either we retreat or he is defeated," Zane replied calmly, loading another bolt, "We must be careful."

"Can't you just freeze him with your ice?!" Lloyd asked, finding just moving his leg forward to slide his legs apart.

"We are still in training to unlock our weapon abilities," Zane looked to Lloyd, "We do not have the golden weapons anymore to give us the ability to use elements."

"Right... Nevermind!" Lloyd shook his head, "I can't fight like this! I can't even move without feeling like I'm going to fall over!"

"Then I suggest you stand back," Zane stepped forward with his crossbow, "And allow us to handle this."

"You mean allow _us_ to handle this," Harumi stepped around Zane, Rhotatae discs in hand, "Lloyd, if you can't fight, go look after Mage. I think he's okay, just knocked out."

"S-Sure," Lloyd nodded, knowing he wasn't going to be of help. He took small baby steps forward, having to stop every couple of them just to avoid sliding forward and going right across the room. Harumi watched him leave, then looked over to Zane.

"How good a shot are you?" Harumi asked, "My discs are solid."

"I am a perfect shot," Zane told her, "Let us work together to demonstrate that fact."

"You got it, Uncle Zane!" Harumi fired off two Rhotatae discs. Zane looked at Harumi with confusion, but nonetheless realized what she was doing. Harumi darted off to the left, while Zane darted to the right. Nuckal looked between the two of them, then let out a yelp as he dodged the two discs that Harumi had fired at him.

Nuckal laughed evilly, having retrieved his axe and looking towards Harumi. Just as he was about to take a step forward, Zane fired his crossbow once, then twice. The two arrows struck Harumi's discs in the air, then the discs spun around in the air to redirect the arrows perfectly towards Nuckal's back. Nuckal was none the wiser as he suddenly had two massive arrows sticking out of his butt.

"OWH! That'd really hurt if I could feel that!" Nuckal yanked them both out, "Hey, what sort of weapon do you got there, girlie?!"

"It's not a weapon!" Harumi shouted, firing off several more discs and directing them through the air, "But it works just as well as one!"

Zane was inhumanly fast to reload his crossbow, just as Harumi had predicted. Nuckal tried to skate forward to intercept Harumi, but Zane's arrow was directed to go right for Nuckal's leg. The action knocked the skulkin on his face, making his eyes roll in his head. Just to add insult to injury, a second arrow struck the back of his head. Harumi continued to spin her discs to change the trajectory of Zane's arrows, while Zane perfectly aimed for wherever her discs were going to begin with. Nuckal continued to try to get up, but the arrows weren't letting up.

"We won't defeat him like this," Zane shouted to Harumi, "But we can at least stop him from making another attack like he did on your friend."

A massive crash drew Harumi's attention for a brief moment. Kruncha had lodged his overly sharp rib right into the wall, less than an inch from Nya's head. Nya's veins were glowing still, and in the few seconds she had, she pulled another canteen off her belt to down more water. Her veins glowed ever brighter as she spun her spear in her left hand. Kruncha was able to easily slide the weapon back, but Nya had already reared her spear backwards. Kruncha made another swing, but Nya had already attacked. In a single thrust, Kruncha now had a spear sticking straight through his body.

"HEY!" Kruncha reached down with his free hand to try to yank the spear out, "Gahh! This isn't fair! Come on! This is new armor!"

Nya wasn't listening. Instead, she brought her fists up and leapt forward. She swung an uppercut right towards Kruncha, who dodged and swung the razor sharp rib at her head instead. Nya's reflexes forced her body to dodge backwards, then to snap back upwards to land a punch on Kruncha's chin. Kruncha took a step backwards, letting Nya rapidly rush in and rain a series of punches directly down on Kruncha's torso. The skulkin let out gasps and cries of shock as each punch just rattled him.

Nya continued to attack Kruncha until he'd been forced backwards into the middle of the room. She delivered a few more punches, then opened her hand. Her spear disappeared from his torso and reappeared back in her hand. Kruncha was about to ask what was going on, but Nya had reared her arms back behind her head to then thrust her spear forward to strike the stop of Kruncha's head. The skulkin was sent slamming face-first into the ground, groaning as Nya's spear remained directly on top of it.

"N-Nuckal!" Kruncha shouted, "We gotta do it!"

"What?!" Nuckal yelped as he leapt up on one foot to avoid another arrow, "But we gotta drop the plug to do that!"

"Just listen to me and DO IT!" Kruncha spat.

"Harumi!" Zane aimed right for Nuckal's head, "We have to stop him now!"

"DOUBLE SIZE!" The two skulkin shouted, looking right at one another.

In an instant, Nya's spear was sent sliding forward as Kruncha's body doubled in size. Nuckal's body did the exact same thing. Nya scrambled backwards, panting as she held her spear in hand. The two skulkin began to laugh as they continued to grow, grow further until they were almost three stories tall. The tops of their heads almost came up to the catwalk where Sun was still furiously deflecting each calm and fast swipe from the Emperor.

The tooth that was guarding the exit suddenly shrank, falling to the ground as just a regular tooth. The rib that Kruncha had been using similarly fell to the ground as just a regular piece of bone. Lloyd was able to rush out to see the source of the shadow as his doubled acceleration was gone now. Nya and Zane leapt backwards until they were standing in front of Lloyd and Harumi, who shared a look together to say they were both okay.

"Okay…" Lloyd gulped, "I'm starting to see now what you meant by those two are a bit more scary then they look."

"Heheh, YEAH!" The sound of Nuckal's voice echoing in the room was now almost deafening to those on the ground, "Take THIS!"

Nuckal raised his foot, now seemingly devoid of the extra properties, and slammed it down on top of the ground. Nya's reflexes caused her to grab Zane and yank him aside, while Lloyd twisted into Spinjitzu and grabbed Harumi. When Lloyd stopped, Harumi's world was spinning, and Lloyd just gave her a sheepish smile of apology before he saw Kruncha raise up his now similarly scaled bone axe to plunge down on top of them, while Nuckal had his other foot raised to stomp out Nya and Zane.

It seemed all four had come to the consensus that attempting to use weapons at this point was useless when they were that large. Just the weight of their feet coming down cracked the ground. Zane and Nya darted in opposite directions, making for a harder target for Nuckal to stop out. Nuckal frowned and reared one foot back, swinging it forward to try to kick Nya into the wall. Nya rolled forward at the last second, causing Nuckal's foot to crash straight into the wall and go through it. The rooms on the outside of the main room were crushed as Nuckal yanked his foot backwards out of the gape in the wall.

"How are we supposed to fight those guys?!" Lloyd shouted as he and Harumi narrowly avoided being squashed by the hilt of Kruncha's building sized axe.

"Don't ask me!" Harumi shouted back at him, "The best we can do right now is distract them so we don't get killed!"

Harumi raised her hands up, summoning a beam of green energy that shot straight up towards Kruncha's eye. Kruncha put his hand in front of his face to block it. Lloyd rolled to a better angle and fired one of his own. Kruncha's right eye was just barely clipped by it, leaving a tiny burn on his eye socket that made him look down at Lloyd with a growl.

"**Is that what I think it is?"** The Emperor looked aside from his battering of Sun to look at the beams of green power, "**You have made some very, very interesting friends, Sun."**

Sun was currently pressed into the wall, his sword holding back a combination of tentacles, the Emperor's blades, and shadow swords. His entire body was quaking as he did, and his breath was ragged and strained. For a brief moment his muscles relaxed, only for the Emperor to use that to slam him further into the wall. Sun let out a cry of pain as he did, his limbs almost fully numb just from the force of holding it back.

Garmadon rolled underneath a tentacle of shadow of his own, rushing forward as he rapidly slid his body between the Emperor's attacks. He reached out and grabbed hold of Sun's arm, then flung his dagger out in the other direction. The two reappeared a few feet away from the Emperor, with Sun immediately collapsing forward onto his knees. He heaved in breath, his limbs refusing to obey him. Garmadon reached out and shook Sun hard. The two watched the combination of attacks go right into the wall, ripping it apart with a sickening screech.

"Sun, get up!" Garmadon growled, "We can't stop now! You must get up now!"

"**Yes, Sun,"** The Emperor turned to face Sun, "**Get up. Get up and face me. I have always expected more from the grandson of the First Weapon Master… if this is his legacy, then it is sad how far he has fallen."**

"Do… do not say that…" Sun panted out, shaking his head fiercely, "I am worthy of his legacy!"

"**You have yet to show me your true power,"** The Emperor stated plainly, "**What was it called again? Kinetics?" **

Sun reached out with a limb shaking violently to grab onto the railing of the catwalk. He looked over the side of it to see Kruncha and Nuckal's massive forms slamming their feet and weapons down at his allies, laughing as they did. He looked up then to see the Emperor, the shadows around his swirling with malice, waiting patiently for him to make his move. Sun looked then to Garmadon, who seemed to figure out what he wanted and nodded his head.

"You wish to see my ability?!" Sun shouted, standing up on shaking legs and letting his sword hang limply at his side, "You wish to see the light that will burn away your darkness?!" As he shouted out his words, his sword flared up with light.

"**If you are even strong enough now to use it, that is,"** The Emperor grinned, "**By all means."**

Sun raised his sword up to hold it horizontally out from his body. With another burst of light, the sword turned a brilliant gold. Sun swung it forward so he could grip it with both hands, and in doing so he left a ribbon of light floating in the air. The Emperor readied himself for Sun to come rushing at him by extending that blade from inside of his arm again. Sun stared the Emperor down, his eyes filled with exhaustion, anger and determination.

Then, Sun turned around and ran the opposite direction. Instead, it was Garmadon to who leapt forward with his dagger and slashed at the Emperor. The surprise was written on the Emperor's face, but he nonetheless swung his blade back at Garmadon to counter him. Garmadon spun his body out of each slash of shadow and blade the Emperor gave to him, trying to land a hit through the Emperor's shadows but finding no such opening.

Meanwhile, Sun was wildly slashing his sword in and out of the wall. The ribbon of light he formed was threaded in and out of the wall by doing so, and Sun refused to stop moving. He continued to swipe and slash into the wall, the light running perfectly along the outside of the tower. Sun was shouting in exertion as he did, slashing back and forth to trail it further, further and further still as his body continued to burn from exhaustion.

As Garmadon continued to attack, Sun suddenly leapt forward off the catwalks towards the middle of the tower. He landed on Nuckal's head, an action the Skulkin didn't even seem to notice. He rolled once he hit and ran forward again, leaping from his head over to Kruncha's own. He barely managed to cling on with one arm and then swing himself up to keep his momentum. The action burned his arms, but Sun kept going. He ran forward until he was able to leap off and onto the second catwalk, at which point he was already running again along the tower's outside and slashing his sword in and out of the walls.

Finally, Sun reached a ladder down to the bottom floor. He slid forward on one foot, his body falling perfectly into the gap to slid down the ladder. The ribbon traced his path all the wa down as he fell, grabbing the ladder's rungs just a few feet above the ground. His body was jerked to a halt, and thus his ribbon of light. He waited for a few moments to see that he'd ran a path all along the tower, then he shut his eyes and gasped out.

"Release…" Sun panted, his arms going limp. He crumped down to the ground, just as his ribbons began to light up and explode along its length.

In the span of a few seconds, the entire trail had burst out in a concentrated series of explosions. The actions ripped right into the walls of the tower, specifically cutting two large cuts that sectioned the tower apart. The force of the explosions caused the tower to then wobble and shake as its stability began to collapse. Garmadon and the Emperor had been in a safe spot from the explosions, but were nonetheless rocked apart as the tower began to slide apart.

"What?!" Kruncha shouted, looking up at the walls, "What did that guy do?!"

"It's coming down!" Lloyd shouted, looking over to Sun and narrowing his eyes, "Harumi, get Mage!"

Harumi nodded, then ran right for where Mage was still laid slumped up against the wall of the hallway. Lloyd rushed over and grabbed Sun, whom he discovered was either very muscular or wearing robes that weighed more than that appeared. He grunted hard as he wrapped Sun's arms around his shoulders, then began to drag him across the floor. Sun was clinging fiercely to his wooden hilt, no longer a sword itself, and limb in Lloyd's arms.

The Emperor looked around to the collapse of his tower, an expression of pure contemplation on his face. Garmadon leapt away, only to find that the catwalks were already began to break apart and fall. He looked back to the Emperor, then threw his dagger at the ground below. The Emperor extended his hand, causing the blade he'd been holding to launch out right towards Garmadon. The millisecond before it connected with him, Garmadon appeared on the ground of the tower, his dagger a few feet from Nuckal's foot. He yanked it up and quickly began rushing towards the hallway that their escape route was in, kicking away the tooth as he did. Zane and Nya had already rushed into the hallway and rounded into the entrance to the interrogation room.

Just as Lloyd carrying Sun and Harumi carrying Mage were scrambling down the hallway, the shadowy mass of the Emperor slammed into the ground behind them. The two turned around in terror as the Emperor raised all four of his arms, his large teeth curled into an enraged snarl. He thrust all four arms forward, purple energy firing out in front beams that met in the middle of his body. Garmadon's eyes widened, and Lloyd slung Sun onto the ground.

"Harumi!" Lloyd shouted. Harumi, seeing his point, threw Mage down and rushed up to stand beside Lloyd. The Emperor's beam fired off in a beam that shot straight for them. The two green bearers gathered their elemental energy and fired together beams of their own, meeting the oncoming purple blast right in the middle. A massive bubble formed as they collided, growing into a pulsing, crackling sphere that grew and grew. The Emperor snarled and reared his arms back to blast even more power into his attack, while the two green ninja pushed all that more energy into the attack.

The Emperor refused to let up his attack, forcing Lloyd and Harumi to continue to meet him. Harumi's breath was hiking, and it wasn't just from the strain. If there were doubts in either of their minds who this being was, it was already gone. Nothing else was able to meet their green power in this way. Nothing had produced a reaction just like this. They continued to hold their power against the Emperor, who stood still like an immovable wall.

There was a massive creaking. The two Skulkin shouted as the section of tower Sun had carved out fully slid apart, causing the entire top half of the tower to come down. Kruncha and Nuckal were quickly struck by the section, and disappeared from sight. The Emperor, turning to see this, gave one more growl and then dropped his power and stepped to his side, causing Lloyd and Harumi's beams to fly past him and cause a massive burst to the already crumbling foundation of tower. The Emperor turned his back to the two of them and held his arms out. The power he'd formed in his hands surrounded him in a bubble, extending out just as the tower's computers and concrete debris fell on top of him and obscured him from view.

The two ninja grabbed Sun and Mage from the ground and ran as a cloud of dust and death came racing down the hallway instead for them. Garmadon, waiting at the door to the room, waved them in and then slammed the door shut just as the two entered. They both slid first Sun, then Mage down the hole, then each slid down as fast as they could. They fell down until they had reached the deck of the Destiny's Shadow. The room they were in began to collapse, sending dust through the hole. Nya caught Sun while Zane caught Mage, whom he then dumped to the side to leap up into the cockpit and send them speed forward. Lloyd, Harumi and Garmadon were forced to grab onto the sides of the Shadow so as not to be sent flying out as Zane sped them away as fast as the could take them.

"Did that get him?!" Harumi shouted over the wind around them.

"It would take more than that to kill the Emperor!" Garmadon shouted, "We must get back to the Bounty, and quickly! It won't be long before he sends someone after us!"

* * *

As the rubble cleared away, Kruncha and Nuckal dragged themselves out. They both used their bone axes to stand up straight, both of them feeling pain now that theri bones were cracked from the falling building. They both took a few moments to focus, then rubbed their heads as they tried to orient themselves. When they realized their Emperor wasn't with them, however, they looked around for him.

From further behind the two, a figure emerged. The strange, ill-defined mass of blackness the Emperor was previously had melted away. The figure that emerged was tall, black skinned, and wearing a beautifully carved breastplate that covered a torso that held four arms. His eyes were still a glowing purple, but his lips had reverted to a far more human-like set of a deep purple. Upon his head, a glowing dark crown made of dark matter itself pulsed as the specks and colors continued to shift around inside.

"So," The Emperor sighed, his voice no longer filled with the deep scratchy tone that it normally was, "It appears that they have managed to escape."

"W-We're so sorry, Emperor!" Kruncha went down on all fours in penance, "It was our fault! Punish us if you have to! But punish Nuckal more!"

"Yes, punish Nuck-hey!" Nuckal got up form a similar pose to pounce on Nuckal. The Emperor, however, raised his hand up, causing them to stop.

"You two are but one of the Emperor's Hand," The Emperor closed his eyes, "I planned for this just as I do everything else. I will have him take care of this."

The Emperor reached out with his mind through the dark matter in the ground. Atop one of the tallest skyscrapers, a boy stood up. A series of massive scarves around his body billowed in the wind around his neck, and as he stood up his hair likewise was sent blowing behind him. He chuckled for a few moments, then reached down to draw out a knife from his belt.

"So, the Emperor has allowed me to play," The boy grinned, "Let's have a little fun, then!" With that, the boy ran forward and leapt off the side of the skyscraper, hurtling down in pursuit of the fleeing group.


	38. Chapter 38

The bottom to the Destiny's Bounty opened up, allowing for the Shadow to fly up inside it. As soon as the clamps were in place to hold the Shadow inside the ship, the crew of the Shadow had already leapt down and off to the sides of the holding area. The flaps under the Shadow were still closing up as they rushed towards the entrance of the room, dragging along two unconscious boys with them. They soon were racing through the hallways until they were all on the deck of the Bounty, greeted with the sight of Jay and Kai talking with Monty.

"Get us moving, NOW!" Garmadon shouted at the three of them.

"We're on it," Zane stated flatly, turning to Nya. The two of them quickly raced up the stairs to the controls, firing up the Bounty's jets and causing them to begin soaring through the sky.

"We saw the explosion," Monty walked up to Garmadon and calmly spoke, "I'm guessing it didn't go to plan?"

Lloyd and Harumi dragged Sun and Mage forward. By now, Sun had woken up and was stumbling along with Lloyd, taking some of the weight off him. Mage was still knocked out cold, which made Monty narrow his eyes. Harumi, upon seeing this, shook her head.

"He's fine," Harumi told Monty, "He just, took a bad hit to the chest."

"I can see that," Monty looked around the deck, "Where can we put him?" He asked Garmadon with a groan.

"We have a treatment room below," Sun panted, groaning as he forced himself to stand up fully beside Lloyd, "I will… I will take him there. It is my fault he was injured."

"Don't," Garmadon growled, "It was a trap from the beginning. He likely sensed the boy's power and made sure he wasn't a threat to his plan."

"That does not excuse what happened!" Sun protested, pushing Lloyd away and stumbling forward to grab Mage from Harumi's back, "We… we must get moving. We cannot risk the Emperor catching us. I will take him there and treat my own injuries, then rejoin you."

The Bounty tipped up towards the sky, the jets firing loudly as they went. The deck tipped down, forcing Sun to dig in and steady his already strained body to not go sliding down. Kai and Jay anchored down with the main mast, while Harumi and Lloyd linked arms to stay upright. The Bounty was driven straight up until they had approached the dark cloud layer that surrounded the city's sky. The ship leveled out once they did, allowing Sun to begin dragging Mage back despite his own limb.

Garmadon rushed over to the stairs that led up to the deck shouting, "Get us out of the city! The Emperor will be after us! We'll regroup with the others at the Birchwood Forest!"

"Already on it!" Nya shouted over the intercom, "Let's just hope our cloak stays up!"

"Where's Lulloyd?" Harumi asked, letting go of Lloyd.

"Here!" Lulloyd suddenly leapt out from the door to the below deck rooms, "It, doesn't look like any of the Emperor's chatter is talking about us."

"Then that is all we can hope for now," Garmadon looked over to Lloyd and the others, "Along with what we must now question."

Suddenly, Garmadon drew out his dagger and stalked forward to Lloyd. When he was in front of him, Garmadon spun the dagger up and pointed it right at Lloyd's neck. Lloyd gasped, stiffening up as he felt the tip grazing at him. Monty instantly drew a pistol he reached up and put right to Garmadon's head, while Harumi and Lulloyd took a step back.

"Easy there," Monty reached up to pull back the hammer, "Wouldn't want to make any enemies right now, would we?"

"The Emperor knew we were arriving there," Garmadon growled, not even looking at Monty, "My ninja are in danger, and it seems that danger is following all of you. I am not convinced you all are not working for the Emperor and are being used to trace us."

"Why would we do that?" Harumi raised her hands up, "The Emperor was trying to kill us! He even said he didn't know us! He injured Mage!"

"The Emperor is a man of cruelty," Garmadon replied back calmly, "He would be willing to sacrifice one pawn if it meant he could win the game."

"This isn't any sort of game to us," Monty replied, "We have our own reasons for being here. We're not even after this stupid Emperor guy. We're trying to find the guys that were piloting that big mech your Emperor apparently tore apart. The only reason we're sticking around right now is because the Emperor might know something about them."

Lloyd gulped for a moment, breathing in deeply as he tried to process what was going on. Garmadon waited for a few moments, gauging both Harumi and Lulloyd's reactions. After he looked back to Lloyd one last time, he withdrew his dagger. Monty waited a second more before he lowered his pistol and slid it back under his armor.

"The only reason that I am allowing you to remain on my ship is because Sun believes in you," Garmadon stated coldly, "I used to be a kinder man, but the Emperor has made me unable to show that kindness to people. Once we escape from the city, we will part ways," Garmadon turned around, "And after that, I pray that if our paths cross again, it is only for as long as the Emperor is against us both."

On that note, Garmadon turned and made his way back below deck, likely to go and find Sun. Kai and Jay walked by the group with suspicious looks, then disappeared after their Master. Cole was still nowhere to be seen. This left only the four allies together on the deck, and staring at each other with a wide variety of looks.

"What's going on here?" Lloyd rubbed his neck, "My dad was never like that! I mean… when he was Lord Garmadon he did chuck Serpentine overboard but he'd never threaten me like that!"

"This world is screwed," Monty replied, "Better we just accept that fact."

"Yeah… did, you guys know only Nya had any elemental powers?" Lulloyd asked, "Like… I was just kinda talking to Kai and they don't even know how to use this weird weapon thing either."

"We're early in the timeline," Harumi pointed out, "All of the worlds similar to Lloyd's follow a timeline. These ninja apparently just finished getting the Golden Weapons before this Emperor attacked. I bet they don't have weapon abilities or elemental powers because the Golden Weapons. Didn't your team lose their powers after they lost the weapons?"

"Yeah, but then why is Nya apart of the team?" Lloyd asked, "That didn't even happen for me until Morro came around."

"Again, this place is screwed," Monty pointed out, "The Emperor clearly dropped in and ruined everything. I bet Nya was recruited early due to all this stuff happening."

"The Emperor is the Overlord," Harumi stated firmly, "Which makes no sense."

"Wait, as in… _the_ Overlord you guys talk about?" Lulloyd asked nervously.

"We both felt it," Lloyd looked at Harumi, "When we clashed our powers together, it was the same reaction that happened on the Dark Island. That… that thing is the Overlord."

"That doesn't work," Monty shook his head, "The Overlord was only freed from the Dark Island by Garmadon meddling with it. And this guy never got the business end of the Devourer's fangs. The only people that would know about the Dark Island would be the ninja, Wu, Garmadon and Misako. Who unleashed the Overlord?"

"I don't know!" Harumi rubbed her head, "There are too many things happening here! This entire world feels wrong. Everything about it is wrong. Not the mention the two we came here for are gone!"

"Let's not worry about this mystery for now," Lloyd looked across the group, "We need to focus on the Time Twins. If they're gone, that means they're on the loose again."

"I was, thinking about that," Lulloyd perked up, "Can I say something?" There was a moment of silence to let him speak.

"While I was listening to all that chatter, I heard that the Emperor doesn't let anyone leave the city. Like, at all. Some mailman got arrested for trying to leave and then broke his way out. If the Twins are on the run, then they're likely still in the city."

"Either that, or they were captured by the Emperor," Lloyd nodded, "Remember? He said he wanted to capture and study us more. Lulloyd's right that they're probably still in the city."

"Then we can't just leave the ninja," Harumi pointed out, "We have to help them so we can have their help trying to look for them!"

"I don't think you noticed yet, but we're currently flying full speed out of the city," Monty pointed over the side of the deck, "So, unless something happens in the next minute to stop us-"

Suddenly, there was a massive blaring of horns. Lloyd and Harumi instantly recognized it as the Horns of Destruction. The four raced over to the side of the Bounty, looking back to see the source. From the massive tower that the Emperor apparently called his own, the sound seemed to reverb out from each cranny it held.

On the top of the tower, a large device rose up. The device, from afar, looked like pieces of the Celestial Clock rearranged to form a strange cone. The pieces began to rapidly spin and shake, sparks traveling up and down its length. Then, from a spot further down the tower, a single beam of purple light shot out to strike it. The entire device turned purple and then sputtered, sending that same beam up into the sky through the clouds. Lloyd watched in shock as the light then began to spread out from the point in the sky, spearing through the clouds as it moved radially outwards. Soon, the light was traveling all the way towards the edge of the city, forming a massive dome that encompassed the span of the entire city. The Bounty was flying right towards it.

"Hang on!" Nya shouted over the intercom again, spinning the ship into a hard left. Lloyd, Harumi and Lulloyd gripped the railing, while Monty extended his hand to give a burst of wind to keep himself on the ship. The Bounty swung to portside as the purple barrier formed in front of them. Nya dragged the ship to a halt, stopping it from colliding with the barrier mere feet before they ran into it.

Moments later, Garmadon and Sun were rushing up from below the deck, Sun having discarded his shirt to instead cover his wounds in bandages and holding his hilt in case of attack. Garmadon, upon seeing the barrier, stomped the deck of the Bounty and then cursed at it.

"The Emperor was planning this from the beginning," Garmadon turned away, "His goal wasn't just to attack us at the tower. We gave him the proof we were in the city!" Garmadon shook his head, "He's raised the energy barrier. We can't get in or out of this city now!"

The group turned to Monty, who looked back at them with an annoyed expression. Garmadon then turned to look at each of them, but said nothing. Sun took the moment to clutch his side and stalk up over to the side of the Bounty, looking out towards the barrier and growling as he did.

"Sun?" Garmadon asked him, only to see Sun extend his light blade again, "Sun, NO!"

Sun let out a shout of anger, leaping up onto the railing and then straight off the deck of the Bounty. He swung his blade directly into the barrier, causing a massive spark and screech at his blade attempting to cut through it. The entire wall began to light up with sparks around the area, and Sun continued to press his blade forward.

With a loud burst, Sun was sent flying back towards the Bounty. The explosion rocked the entire Bounty, causing its cloak to spark and fizzle out. As the Bounty was sent tilting backwards, Lloyd leapt forward and spun into Airjitzu, leaping off the side of the Bounty to grab hold of Sun. Lulloyd raced backwards and struck the anchor mechanism, rebuilding it into a large makeshift fishing rod with the anchor as the main pole. He cast out the chain as a line for Lloyd to grab onto. Monty reached over the side of the ship and focused his wind power, grabbing Sun's hilt as it went flying off in the distance just in time to pull it back onto the ship.

Lulloyd rapidly reeled the two of them in, spinning the rod to deposit Lloyd and Sun back into the deck. Garmadon immediately rushed over to Sun, shoving Lloyd back and leaning in to check if he was breathing. The other ninja, minus Nya still at the wheel, soon came rushing to stand around Garmadon as he checked Sun's pulses.

"Sun!" Garmadon leaned in to listen to his breathing, "What were you thinking, Sun?!"

Sun coughed, slowly opening his eyes, "Ah… I… I guess the barrier is made of the Emperor's power…"

"Of course it is, you foolish boy!" Garmadon slowly helped to sit Sun upright, "Were you hurt?"

"No more than I already was," Sun grinned painfully, "I will survive."

"Sensei!" Nya's voice came up over the intercom, "Our cloaking device is down!"

"What?!" Garmadon stood up quickly, "We must get it back online, now!"

"Wait, we're not cloaked?!" Jay gasped, "But, that means the Emperor can see us!"

"Good to know," Monty growled.

Nya spun the wheel of the Bounty, turning them back around to fly into the city. Garmadon ordered Jay to go begin repairs on the cloaking mechanism, to which Zane offered his services. In the meanwhile, Kai and Cole readied their weapons, a tonfa and mace respectively, putting their backs to one another and looking around the skies as they did. Harumi and Lloyd did the same. Lulloyd rebuilt the anchor mechanism, while in turn Monty drew two pistols and readied himself for what was to come.

A few minutes later, the cloak began to shimmer once more. The Bounty was guised once more, and soon enough the ship was gliding through the skies as soundly as ever. The tension that it left on deck, however, was still present. They all looked to the skies. Jay soon raced his way up onto the deck as well, wiping some sweat off his brow, his uniform stained with oil from the repairs. All around the ship, they waited, waiting to see what could be coming for them.

"Do… do you think they didn't notice?" Lulloyd asked.

"I wouldn't say that."

The voice that Lloyd heard came from all around them. Garmadon immedaitely drew his dagger out and held it to his chest, while Monty's eyes widened. Nya and Zane were still working the ship, but Kai, Cole and Jay -having drawn a glave- were each around the main mast. Nya, having heard noise as well, stopped the Bounty and moved to try to race out the door to the stairwell.

"Gah! It's stuck!" Nya shouted, yanking on the handle. When Lloyd turned to look, he saw that the entire door was completely pinned shut. More specifically, a large bar of metal had been jammed through the wall and door itself, making pushing the door open a monumental task. Zane, also inside with Nya, stepped back and ran forward, kicking the door and being knocked backwards as the metal refused to budge.

"What the?" Harumi turned to race towards the stairs, but Monty fired his gun to make her stop. When she did, she looked down to see that a small dart had struck the ground right where her body was about to be.

"We're being watched," Monty hissed, "Something's up."

"I know that voice…" Lloyd gulped, "...We're in trouble."

"I know it too," Monty spat, "It's the absolute last person I'd want to see right now."

"So you know who I am? Well then. It's a pity you won't get a chance to tell anyone."

As soon as the voice came again, another dart came flying out from nowhere, this time towards Jay. The blue ninja yelped and ducked down, narrowly avoiding it striking his neck. He rubbed his neck where it would have struck, chuckling nervously as he did. Before the other two ninja could help him, they two were forced to duck as more darts came flying at them.

"Where are they coming from?!" Lloyd quickly raised his hands up, focusing a large shield around himself. Harumi quickly did the same, merging their shields together and expanding it to help cover the others. Garmadon quickly waved for the three ninja to run under it. While they did, the only two that refused to do so were Monty, whom didn't need to, and Sun, who stood firm and looked around.

"Not him again…" Sun held his sword out, extending the blade of light, "I thought we'd gotten rid of him for the last time."

"You may have thought that," This time the voice came from the top of the mast of the Bounty, "But you should know you can't always rely on what you see!"

The figure dropped down, landing just in front of Sun. He raised his hand up in front of him, then blew powder directly into Sun's face. Sun sputtered, his eyes watering as the powder caused his vision to start to go spotty. The figure crouched down and lifted something up overhead, something very sharp. Sun swung his sword wildly out in front of him to try to deflect it, and the figure lunged forward to strike him with it.

At the last second, a flash of gold and a gunshot went off. Monty had shot over with the SoS in hand, blocking something in the air. The figure was holding a chain with throwing knives on each end of it, and one end was wrapped twice around the SoS. The gunshot had gone off on the ground right where the figure's foot had been. The figure looked to the blade he was tackling with, his eyes widening.

"The Sword of Sanctuary…" The figure growled, "How did you steal it from the Emperor?"

"You can tell me that," Monty spat, "Morro."

Lloyd and Harumi dropped their shield, allowing them to turn to look at the figure. Clashing with Monty was none other than Morro himself. He looked rather young, perhaps thirteen at the oldest. His hair was his natural parted black hair, without the green streak inside. Three large green scarves were wrapped around his body, two crossing in an X around his torso and one on his neck, all three billowing several feet behind him. Underneath the scarves, he wore a light set of plate armor around a skintight black suit, all of which was black and purple. Across the piece over his left breast was a large symbol of four flames wrapped around a hand. His body was a bit smaller than Lloyd remembered, and certainly smaller than Monty was used to.

"So you know my name," Morro chuckled, "Well, ghost or not, this won't go any differently for you!"

Monty yanked his chain back, trying to pull the SoS out of Monty's hands. Unfortunately for him, Monty refused to give up his weapon under any circumstances. Instead, Monty raised his hand up and blasted Morro right in the face with a shot of wind. The action snapped Morro's head back, causing him to stumble back and lax the chain. The knife and chain fell from the SoS, giving Monty time to raise his other hand up to show a loaded revolver.

As the shot went off, Morro did a backflip in the air. He landed with his feet on the main mast, then reached up and undid the scarf on his neck. He thrust the scarf up, causing it to make a mechanical noise as it shot up like a rope to wrap around the supports of the sail. He let himself go swinging through the air until he landed on top of the window to the cockpit. Nya and Zane rushed up to the window just in time for Morro to give a yank on his scarf, causing it to go limp again and him to wrap it back around his neck. He raised his hand and spun the chain with the two knives, causing it to wrap around his arm. When it was fully wound, it flashed and turned into a necklace he caught and gently placed back around his neck.

"The Emperor sends his regards!" Morro laughed, "And don't worry, I'll make sure you get them!"

Morro reached under his scarves, pulling out a grenade that he threw onto the window to burst out into smoke, followed a second later by Harumi's Rhotatae discs going soaring right for him. The smoke cleared with the wind a moment later, but by then he was gone.

"Morro?" Harumi looked back to Lloyd, "How?! He's, what?!"

"This timeline is screwed, stop asking questions!" Monty spat, "Sun, can you fight?!"

Sun slowly raised his head up, showing that his eyes were puffy, inflamed and clearly weren't going to work, but he nonetheless raised his sword up, "I can fight so long as I draw breath."

"Who is this Morro guy this time?!" Lulloyd asked nervously, "He doesn't look like the one the Twins have!"

"Morro is a member of the Emperor's Hand," Sun replied calmly, "He is, more specifically, the Emperor's assassin. He has been trained to know each art of killing from the shadows. If he shows himself, it means he wishes to just toy with us."

Suddenly, more darts came flying out of nowhere. Lloyd summoned a shield to protect himself, while Harumi fired off small discs to knock some away. Lulloyd looked around, then he struck the aft deck of the Bounty to turn it into plates he rapidly made into crude shields to throw out to the ninja and Garmadon. Monty watched darts go through him with a snarl.

"The Emperor said that Kruncha and Nuckal were members too," Lloyd turned to Garmadon, "What is this Emperor's Hand?!"

"As the Emperor has four hands, so does he have the four he has granted power to and trained to be his personal protectors!" Sun shouted, thrusting his sword around to try to intercept darts, "Kruncha and Nuckal are one of them. Morro is another! They each specialize in different things! Kruncha and Nuckal are bodyguards! Morro is his assassin!"

"That's right!" Morro's voice echoed from around the group, "I'm so glad to hear you remembered me, Sun. Keep me in your mind so I know the last thing you ever think about is who managed to finally take you down!"

"Every single fiber of my nonliving body is telling me to shoot him," Monty growled, "Wait here." Before the group could stop him, Monty threw the SoS to Lulloyd with a stern, "Keep it safe," Before his body suddenly phased through the floor and disappeared.

"U-Uh… okay?" Lulloyd looked down into the sword's glint, "Uhm… so, how does this-"

Lulloyd saw a flash in the blade, then reacted by dropping his body to the ground and raising his shield. Morro appeared in the air in a flash, his knives back out and being driven down onto the shield. Lulloyd rotated his arms down and then up to throw Morro off of him, causing Morro to fade into the air. When Lulloyd leapt back up to his feet, he looked down at the sword.

"O-Okay, I can see why Monty likes this thing so much…" Lulloyd gulped, "W-What are we supposed to do now?"

"We mustdraw Morro out so we can fight him," Sun swung his sword out again, "I have defeated him before. We must corner him so we can overwhelm him. He works only from the shadows, in the open he is weak!"

Suddenly, Morro appeared behind Sun. Sun, hearing this, spun his sword around, his ability activating to leave a ribbon of light in the air. The ribbon instantly burst apart in a massive burst that Sun had to shield himself from. Morro leapt backwards and disappeared in the flash of light Sun produced once more.

"Easier said than done!" Kai growled out, his tonfa spinning to knock away darts, "Where are these things coming from?!"

"Is Morro the Master of Wind?" Harumi shouted.

In an instant, a massive burst of wind suddenly ravaged the deck of the Bounty, pushing all of the group towards the portside. The wind increased as they all struck the railing, threatening to send them right over. Lulloyd, seeing this, made a split second decision and plunged the SoS into the Bounty, spun around it and jumped forward. Harumi, seeing this, grabbed Lulloyd's legs and spun him so he rotated perfectly around the hilt of the SoS. When Lulloyd let go, he was sent flying forward so he could grab the crude shields he had made and rapidly fashion them into a makeshift fan that pointed off to the bow. The wind struck the fan and redirected it away, letting the group and stumble forward away from the railing.

"Monty commanded the wind!" Garmadon growled, "Where is he?!"

"Right here," Monty shouted from on top of the Bounty.

The group looked up to see Monty was standing on the roof of the cockpit. In place of his normal sidecape, he now wore a massive black and red cape that flowed several feet behind him on the ground. A large section was propped up around his head, curling upwards a few inches. He had his arms crossed, in one hand a shotgun and in the other a semi auto rifle. He lowered his head, and suddenly with a burst of wind the cape violently flapped out behind him. Harumi saw Monty's hand open just slightly, commanding the wind to make his cape flap behind him.

"What is he doing?!" Sun asked, "I cannot see him!"

"Morro!" Monty shouted, "Show yourself!"

There was a sound of several slices behind Monty. Monty turned around to see Morro standing there directly across from him, mimicking his pose with his arms crossed. His three scarves billowed out hard behind him, Morro's palm also open to make his billow. The two stared each other down as cape and scarves both billowed in opposite directions, flapping harder as the two stood off together like that.

"...I, forgot Monty really likes his capes…" Lloyd muttered.

"I'm the only one that's allowed to have this look," Monty reached up and tossed the upper part of the cape aside to instead focus all his billowing on the massive one that reached down his back, raising the shotgun and rifle, "I think you should get rid of those scarves."

"You wish you looked half as cool as I do," Morro grinned, "But then again, I shouldn't have to compete with the dead. You lost before you even began."

"Why don't you go ahead and show everyone those nice little toys you're using," Monty looked behind Morro, "It's obvious to anyone who's seen them before."

Morro grinned heavily, then bowed to Monty and raised his knives up so the chain shimmered in front of him. Behind him, a sound of buzzing formed, then a massive wall of drones all appeared behind Morro. Each drone was circular, with a slot the perfect size of the darts Morro had fired out at them. Each one was unmistakably designed with the Nindroid's purples and blacks into them, with a targeting eye on each identical to the standard issue drone. Morro raised himself up and grinned as all of their red eyes framed him against the dark sky and purple barrier crackling in the distance behind him.

"So you figured it out," Morro laughed as the drones all lined up behind him, then shimmered to hide themselves from sight, "They're my personal drones given to my courtesy of the good inventor. They'll make sure I can keep this battle as personal as possible. I like to deal with people one on one, as a way to thank them for being willing to stand up to me."

"Awh, those won't work on me though," Monty growled, "So you better get some new plans in mind before I riddle you with more bullets than those drones could put in me."

Both the shotgun and rifle went off, sending the bullets right towards Morro. Morro reached backwards and grabbed an invisible drone to put in front of him. The drone became visible as the bullets struck up and caused it to spark up and fall apart. Morro reached into the holes the bullets made to grab a dart, kiss it, and then take it between his teeth and blow with the power of wind to send it going towards Monty. Monty thrust his hand to the right to blow his cape out of the way from the dart, making the dart go off until it struck the Bounty's mast.

"Then let's see whether or not your friends down there can stand up to me like you can," Morro smirked, "After all, the dead shouldn't trouble the living!"

Suddenly, Morro ws gone again. Monty threw the rifle and shotgun backwards, and instantly Lloyd perked up. He spotted the gun bag sticking out the underside of the Bounty stairs and acted on it. Just as the darts began to fly again, Lloyd hit the ground and rolled to grab the bag and yank out several boxes of bullets. He then twisted into Spinjitzu, catching the two guns in it. A few seconds later, the two guns went flying perfectly out and right back to Monty. Monty turned around, caught them in each hand, then spun back around so his cape billowed out elegantly behind him while he let the rifle lose into the air, causing several drones to break apart and go sparking towards the ground.

"What are supposed to do?!" Harumi flung Rhotatae discs into the air, yielding no such results.

"J-Just keep going!" Lulloyd spun the SoS in the air to deflect darts as he saw them coming for him, "Just, just hold out! We'll think of something!"

Kai reached up with his tonfa, swinging to knock a dart away before it hit him. Jay raised up his large glave and did the same, a long pole that came to a large blade on the end with several ribbons attached slicing at darts themselves. Cole raised up his mace and did the same, forcing Jay and Kai to back away from him as he did.

"Where's Morro?!" Monty shouted, throwing the rifle back and switching to the shotgun, "How is he hiding like that?!"

"He isn't hiding!" Garmadon shouted, "He's preparing for a strike! He isn't hidden, just waiting for his moment!"

"Then we must find him and not give him that moment," Sun, still blinded, swung his blade around, "We must make certain that we do not-"

Suddenly, Morro appeared behind Sun. Monty, seeing this around his cape, spun around with his shotgun to fire at him. The deck was splintered behind Sun, but it was too late. Morro had shot forward with that strange weapon and sliced Sun's arm with the end of his knife. He laughed just as he disappeared again, leaving Sun to groan out and reach up to feel the cut.

"What was that about?" Lulloyd asked, raising the SoS up, "Come on, come on, tell me where he is already!"

Lulloyd was given just that, and sadly it was for Morro about to appear and attack him. Lulloyd, however, saw something with how Morro moved. He rotated his body back to have Morro's knife fly right by his body, leaving him to stop himself from falling over by Harumi grabbing his hand to pull him up.

"G-Guys!" Lulloyd looked to Harumi, "He isn't disappearing! He's moving faster than we can see it!"

"What?" Harumi used a disc to shield from a dart, "How?!"

"His wind power, maybe his weapon?!" Lulloyd shook his head, "He's here somewhere! He's just moving super fast!"

The group looked around. Morro was nowhere to be found. Only the endless onslaught of darts was there to greet them. The deck was soon littered with them, and it left the group all in defensive positions, save the ghost who continually retrieved guns reloaded by Lloyd to shoot down drones that were in the air at complete random.

"Sun?!" Jay suddenly shouted. Sun had collapsed down to one knee, holding a hand to his chest. His breath was coming in small wheezes, and his lips were starting to look pale. Jay raced over and dragged Sun under the entrance below deck, gently propping him up to look him up and down quickly.

"I… I am fine, Jay," Sun's voice was weak, "I… just feel a bit lightheaded."

"What's going on?" Harumi looked over to Sun, "Sun, you look like you're-"

Suddenly, Cole and Kai both fell to their knees. Harumi turned to see that the two of them had small cuts on their backs, ones that even they didn't seem to notice they had. They were both breathing heavily, yet their exhales were ragged. Harumi looked around the Bounty frantically, trying to find where Morro was. Lloyd did the same as he backed up towards Harumi and put their backs together defensively.

"What's going on with them?" Lloyd asked nervously, using a katana to knock away darts.

"It looks like they're suffocating, but not in the normal way!" Harumi looked to Sun, "He looks more like he's losing oxygen in his blood!"

"And you would know this, why?" Monty shouted down from the top of the ship.

"Because I know things!" Harumi snapped back at him, then looked down to her watch. She rolled across the deck along with Lloyd to quickly scan Sun with it. When the results came up, her eyes widened.

"He's not just losing oxygen… he's literally leaking it!" Harumi pointed at her watch, showing a symbol of Sun's body with red lines around it, "It's like his body is letting oxygen diffuse right out of him!"

"It cannot be that bad," Sun laughed gently, only to wheeze at it, "I… I can still fight!"

"No, no you can't," Harumi pointed at her watch again, "At this rate, he won't have enough oxygen for his brain in a few minutes!"

"I do not need my brain to fight!" Sun shook his head, "I only need to know where to point my blade and the will to wield it!"

"It must be Morro's blade," Lloyd pointed out, "Sun was cut by it right before this happened!"

"That's his weapon ability then, I think," Harumi shook her head, "They have abilities in place of Spinjitzu or Rhotatae. Those skulkin had that doubling power, now Morro had this oxygen power."

Monty landed in front of the Sun and the others, throwing both the cape and guns aside. He used his wind to suck his gun bag over and instead replace his larger cape with a smaller side black cape. Once he did, he tossed the gun bag back to Lloyd and drew pistols once more.

"So we have a time limit now," Monty growled, "Great. Then we need to get up and find him, now! This is one giant open air ship, if he isn't inside it he had to be hiding somewhere!"

"Nya!" Garmadon shouted towards the cockpit, "Trim the sails!"

Nya and Zane, still trying to free themselves from their entrapment, nodded. Nya hit a button, causing the sails to rise up, removing the ability for Morro to hide using the main sail .The group waited patiently to see what exactly this meant. For a few moments, nothing happened.

Then, a warning siren sounded on the deck. The Bounty lurched to the left, and smoke began to rise up from the back of the ship. Nya and Zane both grabbed the wheel and yanked it until the ship was righted, causing the group to slide around as they did. When Garmadon was able to rush over to look at what was happening, his eyes widened.

The portside boosters were crackling with flames, the jet itself spurting wildly into the air. Several drones had flown straight into it, causing it to burn brightly in the air. An automatic fire suppression system kicked in, but the damage was already done. The Bounty lurched in the air several times, barely able to stabilize itself.

"Oh, GREAT!" Jay spat, "I just fixed that one like last week!"

"Morro is going to make us dead in the air," Garmadon looked over to the still gasping Sun, "We must end this fight quickly!"

"Obviously," Monty growled, "We just need to find him."

"If you're looking for me," Morro's voice came from above them, "You need to pick up your pace!"

Morro's knives plunged down into the deck an inch away from Lloyd's foot. Morro dropped down and yanked them up, just in time to catch Garmadon's dagger on the chain. Morro spun his arms in a circle to wrap the chain around the dagger, then tried to yank it out of Garmadon's hands. Garmadon immediately reacted by using one hand to lunge forward and grab Morro's face to slam him down into the deck.

Monty reared his pistol out to fire directly where Morro lay. Morro, letting out a grunt of effort, reached down to grab one of his smoke bombs and smash it into the ground. Monty's gun went off several times, but when the smoke cleared, only bullet holes were left in the deck. With a quick burst of wind, Monty dispelled the smoke.

"Wait a minute," Lulloyd, who had been tending to the fallen two ninja, looked over to Monty, "Monty! Why, why did he just use smoke there instead of that disappearing thing?!"

Monty looked down to where Morro had been pinned, "He couldn't have been using wind there either, otherwise the smoke would be gone. What's he using?"

Sun gave a hard gasp. The group looked down to him, clutching at his chest. He smiled warmly to the others, but his body showed no such reason to. Cole and Kai slumped down into the deck. Darts were still flying everywhere, but the two of them were spared. Harumi and Lloyd cowered down, while Lulloyd gently handed the SoS back to Monty, who slid it onto his back with a mutter.

"Wait," Lulloyd blinked, "In the SoS, I saw Morro moving. He, he can't just be hiding, can he? He… he has to be somewhere he can see us!"

Darts flew out further. The thinking bits of this were coming together. Lloyd and Harumi shared a look, while Lulloyd and Monty did the same. Together, Lulloyd and Monty looked out around the Bounty, taking time to think about what they had discovered. It was Harumi who finally had her eyes widen.

"Not see us… hear us!" Harumi looked up, "Which would mean-"

Lulloyd was already on it. He darted out across the deck, Monty right behind him. Lulloyd reared his first back and struck the side of the bounty, causing the entire top bit of railing to turn to bricks with hinges. He rapidly rebuilt this into a large extendable grabbing hand, which he shot over the side of the Bounty. There was a massive shout as Lulloyd raised up the hand, revealing Morro caught in its grasp.

"Hiding on the side of the ship," Monty smirked, "Clever. The darts meant we couldn't even get close to that."

Morro shouted in anger, putting his hands to the strange hand and blasting it apart with wind. As he did, he extended his scarf to wrap around something in the air. The second the scarf was tugged, it turned invisible. Morro was about to be dragged away from the group, but this time Monty shot out his hand with wind and knocked the current Morro was using in the air. Both he, the scarf, and a drone the scarf had hooked to all came crashing down on the deck.

"You used your scarves to pull you fast enough to look like you were disappearing," Lulloyd blinked, "I uh… wow."

Morro gasped as he picked up his weapon, desperately swinging it towards Monty. The ghost calmly drew the SoS and spun the blade with wind at the tip, causing it to knock the knife away before it could lock around the SoS. An instant later, Garmadon's dagger hit the ground beside Morro and Garmadon appeared to shout angrily and tackle Morro down to the deck.

Morro shouted in rage, wind gusts blowing out from his hands, causing the sails above to rattle. Monty casually stepped forward, then slammed the butt of his pistol into Morro's face. The pain caused Morro to cry out and his wind to slowly calm down. Garmadon reached over to grab his dagger, then twisted Morro around to lay on his back. He put the dagger to Morro's throat, growling at him as he did.

"Turn off your ability," Garmadon ordered, "Do so now if you value your life."

"Why should I listen to you?" Morro chuckled dryly, "After all, you're all just going to be taken in by the Emperor soon. Perhaps I should let them die, just to show the Emperor that I'm still worthy of being in his good graces?"

"You won't be in any graces if you don't listen to him…" Lulloyd pointed out nervously. Monty nodded his head, still casually holding a pistol at Morro.

"Just so you know, I'm still really tempted to shoot you," Monty let his small side cape flap out, "I'm the only one that is allowed to have the flair around here. Call me about it when someone sends you to the other side. And for the record, that can still be me."

Morro looked down and over to the side for a minute to Sun, looking like he wanted to pass out with all his being but was fighting it. For a few more moments, Morro thought, then he slowly raised his hands up and nodded. With a small hum, his knives glowed for a brief moment, then Sun suddenly gasped in air. He hacked as he beat his chest with weak hands, trying to force the air in and out of his body as he did. Kai and Cole likewise sat up, doing the same thing. Before anyone could say anything, morro just grinned.

"Don't think that I did this because I have any sort of compassion for you all," Morro looked over at Sun, "That one's the Emperor's prey. I was just doing what I was ordered. I was never told to kill you… just make sure that you all were still in the city."

"What?" Garmadon pressed his dagger towards Morro again, "What did you say?"

"He said the Emperor now knows you didn't escape the city before his barrier!" Cryptor's voice came from the starboard side, "And now he knows exactly how to approach you all!"

The group turned to see Cyptor hovering in the air; or, to be more particular, Cyrus Borg inside of a suit of armor to look like General Cryptor. Cryptor reached his arm out, causing a cable to fire out and wrap around Morro's arm. Before the group could react, Morro had been reeled back. Morro began to blow wind from his feet like Cryptor's jets, letting him hover beside the masked inventor.

"We'll make sure to let the Emperor know of your abilities," Morro bowed, "And to bill you for the drones!"

Monty raised his guns, but Cryptor formed an energy shield on his left arm, making the oncoming bullets useless. As Lloyd charged up an attack, Cyptor detached the shield and flung it right for Lloyd. The shield struck him in the face and sent him stumbling back, before a magnet caused the shield to fly back to Cryptor and land on his arm.

"Let's call this round a draw," Cryptor nodded to Morro, "And take our leave. Shall we?"

"I think we shall," Morro laughed, "And don't try to follow us. In fact, let's make sure you can't follow us!"

Morro and Cryptor both burst out into the sky, flying away. In their place, a massive wave of Nindroids, perhaps a hundred strong, came flying towards them. Seeing this, Garmadon looked to the cockpit, but Nya had already reactivated their cloak and sent them soaring away. As the Nindroids fruitlessly chased them, it left Morro and Cryptor to hover together and watch the disappearing ship leave.

"So… why are we not attacking them?" Morro asked curiously.

"Because the Emperor has ordered it so," Cryptor hit a button on his arm, causing the head piece to retract and reveal Borg's head, "He has some rather, uhoh, urgent matters to attend to. Those newcomers are unlike anything we've seen before! Oh, what I would give for the chance to study them!"

"You mean to dissect them," Morro sighed, "I know what you want when you 'study' things."

"Oh, I wouldn't do anything permanent!" Borg assured Morro, "I have several devices that can ensure they keep breathing long after that point. Why, I even have been working on a life-extending machine! I was thinking of calling it Conagher! It's the name of a lovely assistant that I had for awhile. Such a shame he stumbled upon my, personal quarters."

"Let's leave that silly silence to you," Morro wrapped his hands up in his scarves, "I'm just looking forward to getting another chance at those guys."

"Never to fear, my dear boy," Borg grinned, "We'll get our chance soon enough, I'm sure!"

* * *

"So…" Lloyd looked across the table of his four companions, "We need to make a decision here."

It was several hours after the chase by the Nindroids. The cloak had hidden them from their pursuers, and currently the ninja were running repairs on the Bounty. Mage, having dragged himself from the bed rather recently, looked around the room with a bit of confusion.

"What do you mean?" Mage cocked his head, "We're obviously staying to fight this Emperor guy, right?"

"That's the thing," Monty sighed, crossing his arms, "We don't know whether or not the Time Twins are out there anymore or not."

"They have to be," Lulloyd pointed out, "Why would they leave?"

"They haven't left," Harumi nodded, "There are no spikes in dimensional signatures to show that. But… we can't exactly leave either."

"Dareth's place is inside that palace," Lulloyd pointed out, "So… we're kinda stuck here, unless we find another dimensional constant to use. That's, right, right?"

"Yes," Lloyd looked around, "What we need to decide is how long we want to stick with these ninja."

"I vote we stay!" Mage raised his hand, "They clearly need our help! These guys are fighting a big bad! We gotta be there to help them!"

"I vote we leave," Monty frowned, "The Emperor is something that they need to deal with. The Time Twins are out there, and if they're scared and running wild, we need to stop them before they get really desperate and try something."

"...I agree with Monty," Lulloyd mumbled, "These ninja don't want us around. And… we're just going to get caught up with them right now. We had our most success when we were laying low until we were called out, right? I...I'm not saying we ditch them. But, we have to consider ourselves here."

"Harumi?" Lloyd asked. Harumi was deep in thought, and when she looked to Lloyd, her expression was sad.

"I don't know, Lloyd," Harumi looked down, "I want to help them, but I don't think we can. They're fighting a losing battle. If we go in with them, we might get dragged down too. We haven't even been able to spend one minute looking for the Twins. We need to consider the threat they pose to this place. And… we just have to consider our own mission."

"...I was really hoping that this was a little more decisive," Lloyd hung his head, "I don't know what to do either. I want to help them, but I don't think they want our help. Garmadon has already told us once we get out of here, he's leaving us behind."

"Then let me weigh in on this meeting," Sun's voice came from the hallway. The group turned to see Sun standing there, leaning up against the frame of the door, his body still covered in bandages and his eyes filled with exhaustion. He stumbled forward and planted his hands on the table, then looked down at the floor for a moment.

"Sun, you should be resting!" Harumi pointed out, "You've taken a beating, twice now. You can't keep going like this."

"Indeed I can, since I am right here," Sun looked up, "You are talking about whether or not to aid us, right? Not just with escaping the city, but with the Emperor, yes?"

"Yeah," Monty leaned back, "What about it?"

"I want to be apart of this," Sun put his hilt on the table, "Fight beside me."

"Sun…" Lloyd looked down, "It's not that we don't want to, it's that-"

"You have your own demons you must slay, I know," Sun shook his head, "You have made that clear. You stay because of obligation, not of need. This is me formally asking you to stay and fight alongside us, for as long as it may be that we can do so."

"Why?" Monty raised his eyebrow, "Why should we?"

"Because we can help you find these Twins you are insistent upon," Sun shook his head, "And you all have incredible abilities. Each of you can do things that we have never seen before, even with how strange our abilities must come off to you. If your claims are true, then I am one of you. We hail from the same bloodline, one that traces further back than our forebearers. I was willing to put my trust in you because I know the blood that you carry must therefore be as righteous as I have strived to keep mine. So far, you have not let me down. I must ask you, as someone that wishes to ally alongside justice, to fight with us."

"And do what?" Lulloyd asked, "You… haven't told us any plans."

"For now, help us to remove the barrier in this city," Sun looked up at them all with a fiery gaze, "Then, help us to complete the plan that your arrival complicated. Help us to infiltrate the palace and take down the tyranny that lives there. With our power combined, our strength as one, we can drive a blow to the Emperor to pierce his wicked shadows with light!"

"And the Twins?" Harumi asked.

"If they are a threat, we will deal with them. They are at their lowest point, if what you say is right. They are the smallest head of this beast. We must cut off the larger one so we may more safely find them. If you were to leave now, the others would surely capture you," Sun bowed his head, "That is what I believe."

"Do you think you can win now?" Mage asked, leaning forward in his seat hopefully.

"Yes," Sun bowed his head, "If I have you by my side, then I believe we can. Please, my new friends. Let us right the evils of this world together, so we may have the light once again."

Slowly, the room looked around to each other. There was a shift in the air of the room now that Sun had arrived. Even beaten, weakened and trembling, he burned with a passion and air that none of them could deny, even the one that did not feel such things anymore. As they each took in what Sun said, they all slowly turned to Lloyd. Mage smiled warmly, Lulloyd rotated his head, Harumi blinked to him, and Monty just sighed. Lloyd thought for a few more moments, then he turned to Sun.

"If it's for the good of this world… we'll fight with you," Lloyd stood up, walking over to Sun to extend his hand, "But once we defeat this Emperor guy, we need to find our Twins, okay?"

Sun gripped Lloyd's hand firmly and shook it. A warmth burned from a grin on Sun's face, one that Lloyd couldn't help but smile to, even in the dim light of the room and the darkness of the skies outside.

"Then follow me, my friends," Sun declared, "We have an Emperor to depose!"


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings readers! This is a small note to say that I've just posted 3 Universal Deviations chapters! This includes one for Monty, Mage and Sun all at once! I've had these in the backlog to post for awhile, so I would appreciate it if you took time to read them! Thank you for reading, and NINJA-GO!

In the sewers of Ninjago City, the Destiny's Shadow zoomed through the complex network of large pipes and drainage. At the front of the vehicle stood Sun, standing firm with his sword in both hands lowered to line up perfectly with the center of his body. Bandages poked up from under his robes, but otherwise he stood as a knightly symbol on the front of his carriage.

Behind him sat two of his team, Kai and Jay. The two, rather than in their ninja suits, were instead in blue overalls with a large logo of a B and G entwined on the chest. Both were polishing their weapons, sitting across from each other as they did. Behind them stood two of their newest allies: Monty, a ghost they knew little about aside from his desire for guns and capes, and a young boy that had finally recovered from his downing in the previous two battles and was far too eager to get back into the fight. Driving the Shadow was Lloyd, who had discovered the controls to be, oddly enough, identical to the model that he'd received as a present a long while ago.

"Onwards!" Sun declared, "We will arrive at the dropoff point for our mission shortly!"

"Good," Monty yawned, waving his hand back to show his cape had now changed to a deep crimson cape that was designed like a massive V to flare out behind his legs, "Mage, repeat the plan to us."

"Huh?" Mage perked up, "Why me?"

"Because you're the youngest one here," Kai spoke up, "We need to know we can trust a kid to go in and do what needs to be done."

"Alright," Mage nodded his head, "We're on our way to the Nindroid Production Facility. Our goal is to get Jay inside so he can set the 'main production line' to destroy Nindroids so we can gain easier access to the main palace. To do that… let's see, I'm going to go with Sun using my powers to sneak up into Borg's main office so we can get him focused on us. Then, you'll go with Kai and Jay once we cause a distraction by pretending to have captured them to sneak in to the main line and shut them down. If all goes well, the entire plant will be disabled."

"Your goal isn't to defeat Borg," Monty pointed out, "We have no idea what might happen when we get in there. What do you do if you get overwhelmed?"

"Sun and I will fight our way until we get to you and help you complete your part of the mission!" Mage chirped, "Easy plan!"

"Good," Monty nodded to a sword propped up against the side of the Shadow, "Now take that."

Mage looked over to see the sword Aevum, the parting gift from his former mentor Acronix, still on the Shadow from where Monty had placed it. Mage looked over to Monty, then he lowered his eyes.

"I swore that I wouldn't use my time matrix while I was here," Mage raised his hand to show the Time Matrix appear over it, "And, that sword can't even be drawn unless you're using forward. It's… it's not right for me to do it."

"I couldn't care less," Monty stated bluntly, "Take it. If it's between your morals and saving your life, break whatever dumb rule you have. Sun needs you at full strength. That sword will slow down anyone you hit with it. If you won't use it, at least take it so Lloyd feels better."

Mage nodded his head to that, gently strapping Aevum to his back, even if he looked downcast doing it.

"I'd feel a lot better if I wasn't just the getaway driver!" Lloyd replied curtly from the cockpit of the Shadow, "I can help you guys!"

"You can pilot this thing, and we need Sun," Monty turned back forward, "Don't answer comms to anyone. We've already shown that it won't work."

"I'm starting to miss when I was the team leader," Lloyd muttered.

"When you're a full master thief like me, then you can make the plans," Monty shot back.

"But how am I supposed to be a master if I'm never allowed to make the plans?" Lloyd groaned.

"At least you're a master of following plans," Monty looked to Sun, "How much further?"

"Another minute at most!" Sun narrowed his eyes, "We cannot make our way up from the bottom like before, the Emperor would be expecting that. We must exit onto the streets and work our way from there. We will surprise him by boldly striking at one of his Hands! Once we finish, we will help the others with their own mission. With our two pronged attack, all will go as we wish!"

"Yeah, that's what you said the last time," Kai grunted, "None of our plans ever work."

"We can't even get time to fully bond to our own weapons because of it!" Jay added, "Couldn't we have waited more than two days for this mission?"

"Time waits for no man!" Sun declared, "And justice will only move forward by our hands."

"Great, another useless quote," Kai growled, sharpening the blade on his tonfa, "Just what I wanted to hear right now."

"Hey!" Mage frowned, "Sun's just trying to raise your guy's spirits! Be nice to him!"

"I don't think a child should be weighing in on adult matters," Kai threw back to Mage.

"He's a child that knows every element you can think of," Monty replied directly, "And he survived a direct hit from the Emperor. Unless you can do that, you might want to back down."

Mage looked down to his body. Thanks to a split second reaction and being rather used to people throwing elemental beams at him, Mage had thrown up a beam of his own to counter it. A good bit of the beam still struck him and, combined with the impact with the wall, had knocked him out cold. It'd only taken him the day after to recover from it all, and he was ready to fight.

"Stop!" Sun shouted, "We have arrived!"

Lloyd pulled the brake on the Shadow, causing them to top at a massive four way junction. A large ladder extended down from the middle of the room, leading up to a manhole cover up top. Sun dismounted the Shadow, followed swiftly by Kai and Jay. Mage looked back to Lloyd and smiled at him, while Monty slowly raised up in the air with wind until he had come to hover up above by the manhole. He drew the SoS so he could slowly phase his head and upper body through the street until he could see above them. By the time the other four had gotten ready to climb, Monty floated back down so he could nod his head.

Swiftly, the four of them climbed, firstly Sun and then Mage. When Sun got to the top, he inhaled and pushed the cover up from the street, gently letting the dark light of the city filter in. Monty floated up first, holding the SoS up to test if there were anyone that would spot them. Sun slowly crawled up, then helped pull the others up. Once they had emerged, Sun quickly refitted the cover so they could dart away from the street to the nearest storefront and out from the open.

The strike team was currently in the middle of a large shopping district, though the lack of people made that hard to tell at first. With both the dark skies and the barrier raised, most citizens were hidden indoors until whatever anger befell the Emperor passed. Looking down one side of the street put the large tower grounds in sight, while the other showed a massive building. The building was half made of glass, and half made of black and purple materials. The entire facility was designed so the solid half looked like the side of a Nindroid head, with a massive red targeting eye plastered as the 'O' in a large sign that read 'BORG INDUSTRIES' proudly to all that walked by. The building was perhaps fifty stories tall, and covered a massive span of area. With the massive number of cars outside, it looked like a massive manufacturing plant.

"At least we know where we're going," Monty groaned, "Doesn't really try to hide now, does he?"

"Why wouldn't he?" Kai turned to Monty with an angry glare, "He has an army he can call at a push of a button."

"Mage," Sun looked over to the boy, "You said you had a way to get us closer?"

"Yeah!" Mage rubbed his hands together, causing them to spark up with light, "One sec!"

Slowly, Mage let out the element of light, his eyes glowing a soft yellow. Slowly, the group would see their bodies start to shimmer, then camouflage to the surroundings. It was as if a sheen had been applied to their bodies, one that adjusted to fit the environment. The group couldn't fully see each other, so long as they stood still. When it was over, one of Mage's eyes remained yellow to signify he was using the element.

"My dad and I figured this one out," Mage declared proudly, "Light distortion! I bend the light rays to act like the ones around your bodies. It's really hard to keep up when you're moving around a lot… but I have practice with this! This should get us into the facility."

"Good," Monty nodded, "Once we destroy his army, we'll have no issues dealing with reinforcements if we try to take on the Emperor."

The group began to walk their way down the shopping district and down to a street one block away from the facility. As they did, the amount of security cameras and clearly booby trapped tile pavements became painfully obvious. A gust of wind caused a can to blow away from a trash can. When it landed on a tile, suddenly the tiles above it rose up to reveal massive nindroid rifles on sticks that fired brutally on the can. When they retreated, the can was no more. Nindroids, similarly, patrolled the area. Large groups of seven paced up and down the roads. Each time they came near, the group hid and waited for them to pass before moving on.

"Why don't we just Mage here do this the entire time?" Jay whispered as they neared the end of the block, "Saves us having to intentionally go fight Borg!"

"Because Mage can't keep it up for that long," Monty shot back, "He isn't some battery. Go learn your own elemental powers if that's what you like."

"Why is he even hiding you?!" Kai shot back to Monty, "You're a ghost!"

"Because turning invisible takes more effort than it looks," Monty growled.

"Friends!" Sun hissed to them, "Now is a time to be unified! We must use our resources wisely. Our plan will allow us entry, no matter what may happen. Let us get inside before we condemn each other to whatever fate will befall us."

Kai and Jay grumbled heavily. Mage was already starting to sweat having to maintain this element on all five of them, but it was a relatively simple enough element to concentrate on in the back of his mind. Instead, Mage made his way up to where he thought Sun was, gently tapping him.

"What is it, my friend?" Sun asked. The group came up from the end of the block to the next, filled with even more Nindroids and traps.

"Kai and Jay…. they, don't seem to be nice to you," Mage pointed out, "What's up with that? Aren't you guys, like… a team?"

"We are, but we were not brought together under the same banner," Sun sighed as they continued to creep past the Nindroid patrols, "They were brought together by the Spirit Smoke. They retrieved their Golden Weapons… and then the Emperor came. With how much of an interest this Emperor has shown in me, it has led them to feel alienated from me. We may ride into battle together, but their cause is not my own. I seek justice… they seek revenge."

"Revenge?" Mage asked curiously.

"Revenge for a home taken from them," Sun replied plainly, "It is not a goal I can discount, but it is one that I will not fall into. When justice is tainted by a selfish desire, no good can come of it. My ideology has often clashed with their own."

"Oh…" Mage frowned, feeling his mood fall, "You need to work as a team to succeed, though!"

"Let us save our troubles for later," Sun told Mage, "I appreciate your candor, but there is a place for these discussions. Now is a trime for us to begin the plan as seen."

The group had rounded a corner, coming face to face with a massive wall that looked to be made of compressed lades, saws, spikes, metal strips, and a massive amount of Nindroid parts. It extended completely around the entire facility, with several turrets mounted on it. The only entrance seemed to be a gate with a multitude of scanners for those employees that worked there. Nindroids were stationed at almost every ten feet along the wall, and each with a line of sight on each other. The group waited at the edge of a corner of the street, looking across to the gate.

"Monty," Sun spoke quietly, "You are up."

Monty nodded, slowly inhaling before giving a long exhale. As he did, all five of them began to life up in the air using the power of wind. Monty's control over the element was precise and focused, meaning not so much as a draft was present to any of the Nindroids. Mage's element of light kept them hidden as Monty slowly began to levitate them in the air. Slowly, they rose up until their feet were mere inches away from the blades the wall so cleanly displayed. When they cleared it, Monty gently began to lower them down.

At this point, the group couldn't speak. According to Sun, Borg had sound monitors over the facility that would pick up on any sounds not made by Nindroids. Triggering those would be an instant alarm. Thus, when Monty set them down, it was with the ultimate precision. Monty shifted them so Mage and Sun were on one side, and while he was with the others across from them. Once they were landed, a silent agreement was raised between them that now was the time for stealth.

It was time for the first step of the plan. Since the facility was completely automatic in production, there was no way for them to enter on that side to infiltrate it. Borg, as it seemed, was smart enough to phase out as much human interaction in his buildings as possible. A station was set up for employees that worked there to show their badges at a terminal to enter the building, which just so happened to have four Nindroids stationed there to ensure that those that checked in weren't hiding anything. Mage and Sun slowly made their way up to a small distance away from the terminal, pressing their bodies up against the glass. Monty led Kai and Jay until they were standing behind one of the cars nearest to the terminal.

Kai and Jay both reached up and clipped on stolen Borg employee badges. Mage slowly reached out and strained himself to focus on maintaining light and form. Slowly, Kai and Jay's faces shifted to match that of the badges they wore. The element of light dropped from them, allowing them both to stand up with their badges in hand. The outfits they'd arrived in were Borg employee uniforms, specifically mechanics. They both hide their weapons inside of their outfits. As the two approached the terminal, a Nindroid stepped forward, raising his rifle up to stop them.

"Halt!" The robot droned out, ."Present your badges for scanning."

The instant the robot raised his hand out for Kai and Jay to present their badges, Monty struck. In an instant, he phased into the back of the robot from behind, causing the robot to freeze for a few seconds. Both ninja looked to each other as the Nindroid jerked a small bit, trying to fight back with its programming. Mage held his breath as he waited for Monty to finish the possession.

"Badges!" The Nindroid barked in the same tone. Slowly, Kai and Jay handed them over. The Nindroid held them up to his eye and scanned them. At the same time, the other eye ran facial diagnostics on the two. With Mage's power over form, the system came up positive. The Nindroid handed them back, allowing for Jay and Kai to pass.

"Halt!" The Nindroid barked. Both Kai and Jay froze. For a brief moment, Mage held his breath, terrified that his power had somehow gone awry. The Nindroid slowly hefted up a large case with the Borg Industries logo on the side.

"It states here on your job assignment that you are heading to the main production center," The Nindroid handed the case to Jay, "Take this." Mage felt a sigh of relief as he saw the Nindroid blink twice to Jay. Inside the box was the SoS, allowing for Monty to have it in case things went south. Jay took it with a nervous nod and stepped past the terminal into the building. The Nindroid followed them, as standard protocol was to have a Nindroid escort at all times.

Sun reached out and tapped Mage on the shoulder. Mage, realizing what that meant, moved up to the glass wall and opened his hands. Sun had given him a strange set of gloves that felt like gravel on the outside. He had to awkwardly strain his hands to fit in them, given his fingers. When he pressed them to the building, it caused them to adhere firmly to it. Mage had insisted gravity would be faster, but Sun had declared it was best for them to save their strength, especially since Mage still had to keep him and Sun disguised.

Slowly, Sun and Mage climbed up together. They were forced to go slowly so their noises wouldn't trip the noise sensors. The only indication that Mage had of where Sun was came from where he was directing his power to give him a location. They ascended the glass wall, able to get a look inside to the rooms they climbed. Most of them were filled with desks, chairs and weird flashing devices Mage didn't understand. Very rarely did Mage see another person inside. Even if he did, they all looked funny to him!

Borg's office was at the top, meaning they had to climb all of those stories to get there. Mage found himself holding in hard gasps, straining to get in air so he didn't alert anyone. The climb was almost straight up and he was having to hide them too! His only saving grace was that his dad had trained him using sheer cliffs before, so he had some experience. Still, by story ten, Mage wanted to drop down.

Finally, though, the two of them reached the top. Mage was stopped by feeling Sun stop. The glass had started to curve inwards, likely to match the Nindroid head design on the other side of the building. The top few floors seemed all merged into one large space, a space which Mage saw a large desk that overlooked the city outside of it placed at the edge of the glass. Inside of that desk was none other than Cyrus Borg himself, Mage froze upon seeing him, worried as to what they had just stumbled into.

Sun, however, didn't seem to care. Mage felt Sun raising up his arm, and from it his sword of light extended. Mage was unable to adjust the light around them for it, causing the sword to shine directly onto the glass. With five large swipes, Sun cut a star into the glass, then swung his body backwards to ram his foot into the glass with. The entire glass shattered inward, causing Mage to lose focus as Sun's arm reached out and grabbed his own. The two of them went soaring into the middle of Borg's room, the broken glass shimmering around them.

When the two of them landed, they were behind Borg's desk. Sun raised his arms up to point a handat Borg, with his sword raised his over his head mirroring it. Mage looked around frantically to get his bearings, then quickly raised up his fists in a fighting stance.

The room the two stood in was a mixture of an office and laboratory. The desk faced towards the window, but a large disc underneath revealed it did swivel around. Past a certain point in the room, large pop up walls with notes, schematics and blueprints were everywhere, with tables in front of them piled up with scraps on scraps of parts. The floor was designed in a grid, lighting up in random places with light blue and purple. The walls had inventions of all sorts hung up and displayed like trophies, none of which Mage had the slightest idea of what they did.

"Oh my stars!" The desk rotated around to allow Borg to lean forward on his elbows at the two intruders, "Sun! And… friend! Why, I didn't expect for you to break in like this! How did you manage to get past the security drones?"

"I had help," Sun smirked, "I challenge you, Borg! I challenge you to a two-on-two duel!"

"A duel? Oh, heavens, what sort of duel are you referring to?" Borg looked around, "Why, I only see one of me!"

"I, think he means that weird costume you put on! The shiny one!" Mage spoke up, "Cause like, you act like two different people!"

"Oh… now, do I? Oh, my apologies, I'm getting on in my years, it seems I can't always remember what side of myself I'm showing to the public!" Borg gave a dark grin, "Perhaps we should make that divide a bit more obvious!"

Borg darted his hand forward to hit a button that flipped up from his desk. Sun leapt into the air to cleave the desk in half, but it was too late. Borg's chair lifted him up to his feet, then a slot opened up in the floor. Robotic arms rapidly raised up to piece together the armor plating that made up General Cryptor onto his body. First his legs were covered in metal, then the plating was put on, followed by his chest. Sun swung his sword again, but Borg raised up a half-outfitted right arm to catch the blade. Once his left arm was finished, he reached up to grip Sun by the neck and throw him backwards for Mage to catch. Once all but his head was outfitted, Borg casually reached down to press a button on his forearm to cause a helmet to rise up into place that completed the visage that was the Nindroid General Cryptor.

"It seems I have two lousy intruders for me to take care of," Crytpor raised an arm up, a Nindroid rifle dropping from the ceiling into his hand, "Let's change up the stage for this, shall we?"

Suddenly, the entire room began to change. Aside from the now broken desk, all that the two had seen initially faded from view. Once they were gone, holographic light projectors were revealed to be the culprits. A metallic wall slowly lowered over the glass the two had entered from, sealing the room shut. The door on the other side of the room slid into the wall and was covered in smooth panels. Once the room was completely sealed, the grid pattern of the floor extended to the ceiling.

"Fools!" Cryptor laughed, "Did you honestly think I wasn't expecting some sort of break in? I had suspected it be all of your friends, but I suppose this was within my calculations! If the data I collected on that boy is anything, he's worth more than the sum of your whole team multiplied by the inverse of Planck's Constant!"

"Wait, who's Planck?" Mage blinked, "And, uh, inverting what?"

"Forget it, Mage!" Sun spun his blade, "Now is the time for us to demonstrate our power to this inventor!"

Sun nodded to Mage, who focused the element of earth into his body to enhance his strength. The two rushed forward together, right towards where Cryptor stood. The Nindroid General didn't make any attempts to move. The two swung blade and fist together, ready to strike him.

Suddenly, Cryptor was gone. The two stopped themselves just in time to avoid one of the pieces of grid having turned into a large hole in the floor. Sun heard something opening up from behind them, and turned to see Cryptor jetting his way up from another opening in the floor, rifle raised. He fired at Mage's exposed back. Sun sliced the bolt head on with the flat of his blade, causing it to reflect perfectly back to Cryptor. He raised up his left arm to show that purple energy arm-mounted shield to dispel the blast.

"I had thought about using this room to use holograms to confuse you," Cryptor spoke calmly as he hovered in the air, "But then I remembered… I own an army. So I will instead let them deal with you for me!"

All at once, each panel on the grid dropped into the floor, then rose back up to show a Nindroid, rifle raised up and pointed at Sun and Mage. The two warriors put their backs together as they were soon completely surrounded by them. Both rifles and eye-lasers charged up, ready to fire on them. Cryptor, under his hood, was grinning madly as Borg.

"Now then!" Cryptor laughed, "Show me what you can do! Fill my servers with all the data I need to defeat you!"

"Mage!" Sun shouted. Mage was already on it. Mage shut his eyes, then opened them gunmetal. He reached out in all directions, using the power of metal to grab hold of the Nindroids and push them back. All around them, the robots were sent sliding backwards, waving their arms for balance as they did.

Just as Cryptor felt his own jets failing to stabilize him, he sent out a command to all the Nindroids in the room. Instantly, the sound of metal magnetizing to the floor was heard. This, however, was just what Mage could work with. His eyes blinked from gunmetal to blue, just in time for him to rub his hands together and send out lightning in all directions. With the robots now magnetized to the floor, they were unable to dodge as Mage electrocuted them. Cryptor had magnetized to the wall, and the current was traveling up through the floor to him. He managed to leap off the wall just in time, but by then Sun was already racing around the room with his light ribbon trailing in the air.

Cryptor tried to fire his rifle at Mage, but the shot missed as Mage jumped backwards. By then, it was too late to stop Sun. Sun had wound his way through almost all the Nindroids and completed a trail that looped around the room. He raised his sword out and shouted out, "RELEASE!" He struck the ground with his sword, causing the light ribbon to rapidly explode all around the room. Bits of Nindroid went flying everywhere as the army was effectively shredded apart. When the light cleared, only one Nindroid was left standing that fell over from its circuits being fried.

"Do not underestimate us, Cryptor!" Sun pointed his sword up in the air, "You may hide from us behind your army of scraps, but they can be cleared away as easy as one brushes aside a clutter from the tables!"

"Why you little!" Cryptor shouted angrily, "You went right through my army! Do you know how much it takes to make those things?! What am I supposed to do now?!"

Cryptor hit another button, causing the panels in the floor to drop away and sweep the parts back. Panels tried to drop Sun and Mage down as well, but Mage activated gravity and raised them up until the panels came back up. New Nindroids rose up from the floor, but these now had two different aspects. One was that they carried large black shields that were built onto their arms in place of a wrist, and the other was large tanks on their backs that glowed blue.

"...Other than use the entire Nindroid Production line that sits right behind us to endlessly funnel you to your doom!" Cryptor laughed, "You should have been more careful, little boys. I now have all the data I need to defeat you! These new models are built to perfectly counter your previous strategy!"

"You underestimate _us_, Cryptor!" Sun looked back to Mage. The boy nodded and reached out with metal again. This time, however, the Nindroids didn't slide back. Mage blinked and tried again, making Cryptor laugh.

"I adjusted my lines to alter the Nindroid's main alloy to lack a magnetic pole when inside an electromagnetic disturbance," Cryptor stated smugly, "Your little tricks won't work on them!"

Sun, undaunted, swung his sword to cleave a ribbon right in front of a Nindroid. When the energy released in an explosion a moment later, Sun expected the Nindroid to explode, but instead he heard a rifle charging up at him. When Sun dodged, he saw that the large shield had absorbed the impact and actually flared outt at the impact before all closing back up into its original size.

"Your explosions are ones I have studied for a rather long time, Sun!" Cryptor explained, "I admit it was a rather challenging problem, but these new shields are meant to perfectly distribute the force of impact throughout the Nindroid's body! By reinforcing the Nindroid skeleton, your ability now is as useless as a paper sword!"

Mage decided to try to see if what Cryptor said was then fully true. He spun around to one Nindroid and blasted him with lightning. The electricity went through the shield and up his body, and for a moment he looked ready to fritz out. Then the tanks on his back glowed as the current grounded out inside him and actually charged up the containers. A strange noise came from the Nindroid as his red eye glowed. Mage, not knowing what it meant but knowing something coming from the metal guys wasn't good, hit the ground as a crackling laser the side of his head burst from the Nindroid. It hit the panel behind Mage and incinerated it completely, leaving Mage to look back in shock.

"Redirecting a current into a rechargeable cell is simple once you have a control sample," Cryptor finished, "Go on, continue to fight. Just know that the longer that you do, the more data I have to make my units stronger."

Sun and Mage backed up to one another. The panels on the floor suddenly began to rapidly fall away, forcing them closer and closer together until the two were on a single panel, surrounded by a pit of darkness. The panels on the edges containing the Nindroids suddenly rose up in the air, not only putting the two in a barrel but also unable to escape. Cryptor landed beside one of the Nindroids and aimed his rifle down at them.

"Let's see how you escape this one!" Cryptor grinned, "Fire!"

"Mage!" Sun suddenly shouted, "Electrify the floor!"

Just as the Nindroids charged up an eye laser, Mage struck the floor with pure lightning. Sun's gamble paid off, as the systems in the floor that controlled the panels went on the fritz. The panels that had raised up for the Nindroids dropped, causing many of their shots to arc off wildly. Sun grabbed Mage and jumped into the air to avoid the others. As those that were still standing tried to adjust their aim, some panels dropped and caused them to fall directly down into the darkness. Mage raised a shield of fire in front of them on instinct, blocking those bolts that still came. By the time they landed, some panels of the large gap had risen back up, letting them both leap across the room until they had dove into a corner for safety.

Cryptor rapidly worked to regain control of the entire room's systems. In that time, Sun used the comotion to charge up his blade. Rather than try to use his ability outright, he instead just ran back and sliced the blue canisters on the back of one Nindroid, storing his ability inside the tanks as he did. He grabbed the Nindroid and shoved him as far as he could into another, then released the ability. The tanks rapidly sparked and then exploded, charring the floor and making Sun have to hunker down.

"Hhmph," Cryptor finally managed to get back control of the panels to orient the floor once again, "Such a basic distraction method. You will find that I won't let your pathetic tricks work a second time."

"Wait, but we just used the same attacks again, just in different ways!" Mage blinked, "Isn't that, using the same trick a second time?"

"A trick is only a trick when used in a certain way, otherwise it's just an attack!" Cryptor spat.

"You seem rather flustered, Cryptor!" Sun laughed, "Perhaps we should take this battle to another time?"

Cryptor growled, hitting another button. This time, the Nindroids lowered down into the floor, and in their place rose only twenty new ones. The only difference this time was that the shield was now smaller, and the blue tanks had a cover over them.

"The longer we fight, the more time I have for my computers to perfect their design," Cryptor taunted them, "Fight them and see what happens!"

"Be ready, Mage!" Sun raised up his blade, "For as long as I can swing my sword, I will fight!"

"Hey, I just realized something," Mage turned to Sun, "My metal teacher, Karlof, he said that he has to melt the metal to reforge it. Doesn't that mean we can cut through them if we heat ourselves up?"

"It does indeed," Sun frowned, "But my sword, while I can charge it with light to make it burn, will never be able to-"

Mage reached over, his eyes red, and gripped Sun's blade. In an instant, the blade was consumed by flames. Sun's eyes widened as Mage poured concentrated fire element into the blade. When the flames subsided, Sun now had a sword that was red hot and smoldering, making the air around it shimmer and dance. Mage pulled his hand back to meet Sun's stunned gaze.

"How… how did you know that would work and not cleave off your hand?" Sun gasped.

"Because the others have a power like yours and when they used it on me, I felt better!" Mage chirped, "And even if it didn't work," He showed his hand was completely metal, winking with a gunmetal eye, "I made sure I wasn't going to lose it!"

"The others said you struggle with stamina," Sun frowned, "How much longer can you fight?"

"As long as we need to!" Mage declared, his own arms burning to that same level of red-hot, "Let's do this!"

* * *

"How are we supposed to sneak around a Nindroid production facility if that kid's weird power isn't on our faces?!" Kai spat as he and Jay rushed through the glowing hallways with their heads down.

"The same way you've gotten through everything," Monty, through the Nindroid he possessed, spat, "By keeping your heads down and moving forward! You're only cleared for another thirty minutes!"

Monty spoke out loud to convince the other Nindroids that were walking down the hall that he was indeed escorting them. Every thirty or so seconds, he was fielding status updates to the main Nindroid network about his current situation. The Nindroids were constantly trying to check up on him, making maintaining his cover difficult. This was on top of accessing the building layout without rousing the network's suspicion by going through several request forms that were filed instantly due to it being all done on computer. Even then, he'd only looked at the map for a good five seconds before its access was revoked, since Nindroids didn't need five seconds to look, only one to download.

"Are we almost there?!" Jay hissed out, "My feet are starting to hurt!" Thankfully Jay at least got the memo about them speaking to fool the audio sensors.

"The more you organics complain, the longer it will take to arrive," Monty droned out, "Keep moving, and take a right at this next hallway."

Jay and Kai obeyed, Jay carrying the case supposedly for 'tools' that contained the SoS should things go badly. Monty was starting to wish that sword would phase through walls with him, but it was useful in ways that far outweighed that little flaw. Still, it was something he had to manage, and made it a source of stress along with the constant checkups with the Nindroid body.

"Go through those doors and scan your badags, then we will enter the main facility. You will have exactly twenty-two minutes and thirty-seven seconds to complete your task," Monty told the two of them.

The three indeed came to a large set of metal doors that had the large Borg Industries logo on it. Once Kai and Jay scanned their badges, the doors opened up around the symbol, sliding away to allow them to step into the room. Monty followed them. As the door shut behind them, the three were treated to the sight of pure unfiltered Borg innovation.

For almost all ten stories up, a complex web of assembly lines, power cores, robotic arms and tubes delivering parts to said arms were woven around the place. The sound of the machines was almost deafening, forcing Kai and Jay to actually have to reach up and cover their ears until they adjusted. The entire bottom floor was almost completely barren, with little more than a few computer screens at terminals. Ladders, however, extended up pillars that would allow them to climb up the floors and to small disc-like platforms that looked like massive conical electricity conduits that made up the power cores. There had to be almost a hundred of them in the room, each one powering the section of machinery around them.

"Woah…" Jay gasped as he looked around, "This place is… huge!"

"Yeah, huge with future enemies," Kai growled, "Where are we going?"

Monty thought of saying something, then realized if this body was recording what he said, it could give everything away. Instead, he looked down to the two of them and then picked a random ladder and pointed to it. Jay looked up and gulped at the height, then slowly began to climb with the case in tow. Kai went up behind him. Monty, rather than doing so, activated the Nindroid jets and began to hover alongside them.

"Get moving!" Monty snapped at them. In truth, it was his way of warning them they were on a time limit. He could only field so much of the system before he would get found out as a rogue unit.

"Alright, alright!" Jay barked back, "Just calm down, we're almost there!" Jay looked down for a moment and gripped the ladder, "R-Really high up and almost there."

The three climbed almost three stories up before they reached one of the power cores. Now that they were up close, it was easy to see that each core was actually connected to the one above it by a large electrical crackling beam. This was true for some in the horizontal direction, though all built in random directions so they didn't strike the production lines. This close, Jay could see half-finished Nindroids being outfitted with screws for their arms. Hundreds of them were going in every direction, some of them going up to special areas where they were offloaded. The amount of enemies in this room should they be caught was overwhelming.

"Can you do it?" Kai asked as Jay leaned into the core and removed a panel.

"Yeah," Jay hissed, "If I reroute the power of each of these stations down to the other one and feed it back in a loop, I can trigger this whole core network to go boom!"

"Get to your work, organic!" Monty spat. He spoke loud enough to overwhelm any audio sensors as to what Jay just said.

Quickly, Jay got to work. Monty hovered there in the air by the circular platform, looking out over the massive and seemingly endless production of Nindroids. Where the parts were even sourced from, he had no idea. It was all one massive army, and that was on top of the Stone Army he'd seen guarding the palace. This Emperor clearly knew what he was doing. Just this massive amount of Nindroids would be enough to keep a population in check.

"Oh no," Jay looked down at the system, "No, no no no!"

"What's the issue here?" Monty's Nindroid asked, "You have ceased your assigned job!"

"The, uhm, repairs, they require a certain, uhm, trigger, in order to, fix the system," Jay tried to phrase it in a non suspicious way, "The, uhm, system needs something to, cause it to, jump start! And, chain together all of things that, this whole production facility needs to run, eheh?"

"Wait, what?" Kai asked, "What's the problem?"

Jay snapped his head to Kai and fiercely whispered, "The system is completely locked, I've set the wiring to work but I can't reroute the flow! I need something to come in here and give it some sort of trigger to set it off, and if we're the ones that do it we're going to go kaboom!"

"Oh…." Kai thought for a minute, "Hey, Monty, can you maybe-MHMH!"

Jay clamped his hand around Kai's mouth, but it was too late. The sensors on Monty's Nindroid immediately went off as a non-registered name in the database was spoken. Instantly, the Nindroid began to do a complete system shutdown, a measure Monty could do nothing to prevent. Quickly, he was forced to abandon the body just to avoid it as it crashed down the many assembly lines, conveyor belts and whatnot.

"Sword!" Monty spat, his ghost form now visible. Jay quickly fumbled the case open. Once it was, Monty's wind sucked the SoS out from the case and into his hand. He spun it twice, then he drew a pistol in the other hand. With those in tow, he backed up so Jay could draw his hidden glave and Kai his tonfa. Quickly, an army of Nindroids surrounded them, rising up with their jets, some of them completed and many others half-finished from the line, all of them aiming rifles or their eyes directly at them. Monty waited, then saw his reflection in the SoS.

"Great," Monty growled, "I have to deal with this stuff again."

* * *

Mage let out a loud shout, driving his glowing hot arm through a Nindroid's chest. The action caused the robot to reach down with its hands as its body began to violently spark, readying a self-destruct sequence. Mage, seeing something was off, raised one foot up and slammed it into the ground. He strained to call upon the element of earth, using his other hand in a palm strike to send the Nindroid flying backwards into another. The two of them exploded, making Mage cover his head up.

"Do not let up!" Sun's red-hot sword was cleaving through the metal of the Nindroids like butter, even if the residual heat felt like it was melting his hands, "Borg will run out of them at some point!"

"If you truly think that, you are welcome to keep wasting your time," Cryptor laughed, "In fact, perhaps I should join the battle now, don't you think?"

A cable shot out of Cryptor's right arm, firing out to wind around Mage and seal his arms to his sides. Mage looked down in pure shock, just before Cryptor raised one foot up to send him spinning in the air. Mage was yanked up from the ground, shouting as he tried to form some element in order to counter it. A few paltry bursts of lightning aimed at Cryptor were all he managed before Cryptor had panels rise out from the wall, just to smack Mage against with his swings. After Mage had gotten one too many strikes to the face, Cryptor opened his left hand and the metal rapidly began to reform itself into a massive fist charged with purple energy. The cable retracted, dragging the boy directly into a robotic fueled strike. The burst sent Mage soaring through the air, landing near Sun in a crumple.

"Mage!" Sun shouted, ready to go and help him even as he danced between attacks. To his shock, Mage actually leapt up to his feet, only a small trickle of blood coming from his forehead to show any sort of injury on him.

"I don't know what that was, but that was unfair!" Mage pointed up at Cryptor, "I don't like that weird suit you're wearing!"

"And I don't like that you have some sort of strange growths on your hands, but it seems that we can't get what we both want now, can we?" Cryptor growled, "As for your little trick!"

More Nindroids rose up from the floor, all now sporting larger bodies due to thicker plating. When Sun tried to cut them apart, his sword wasn't able to make it all the way through. He was forced to withdraw and hide behind a raised up panel to avoid fire. Mage raced forward and struck one with a fist fueled with earth, but this time the Nindroid's body seemed to split apart like their shield-arms, absorbing the blow and forcing him to hide with Sun. To avoid the panel from lowering, Mage reached out with metal to hold the piece up as it was blasted with lasers.

"This siege will not cease anytime soon!" Sun shook his head, "We must come up with a plan to stop them from endlessly rebuilding themselves before we exhaust everything!"

"Y-Yeah…" Mage showed that, along with blood, his body was dripping with sweat, "I'm almost at my limit here!"

Sun tried to peer over the side of their cover, only to be met with lasers. He hefted his sword's blade up overhead and began to fire concentrated beams of light from the blade. None of them managed to strike their targets. Sun crouched back down as Cryptor hovered in the air, watching them struggle to his utter amusement.

"I-I know one element that'll work on Cryptor but not the others!" Mage's eyes turned violet, "B-But I need time to prepare it! W-We need some sort of distraction!"

"Is that not what we are, my friend?" Sun chuckled bitterly, "What do you need? Tell me and I will give it."

"I-I need a minute! Just a minute!" Mage declared, "Just, buy me a minute and I promise, I can stop this!"

Sun looked to Mage, who gave him a determined, if weak, smile. Seeing the boy's fire, Sun found a smile filling his own lips again. He focused hard, then his sword began to trace ribbon in the air again. He leapt up on top of their cover, raising his blade up and charging it with light.

"Come and get me!" Sun shouted, "If you truly are superior to man, then prove it!"

Sun soon was running. The Nindroids were firing at him at all angles, but Sun refused to stop. He leapt from the cover and began to leap from head to head of the Nindroids, spinning his body in the air. It was at times like these he wished he had Nya's ability, as his reflexes were getting weaker as time went on. He was throwing his body in and out of the attacks of the Nindroids, leaping to and fro within them. If he could keep their targeting computers on him, they wouldn't have the foresight to go and attack the prone Mage!

"How cute," Cryptor chuckled, "A last ditch attempt to use your now worthless power! Machinery is far superior to the flesh, Sun! I only regret that I am an imperfect fusion of it myself. The Emperor has granted me the power, the tools, the resources to do as I must! I am one of the Emperor's most powerful hands! He has given me all I need, and now it is time for you to feel that yourself! Starting with your little friend here!"

Sun saw that Cryptor had turned his left hand into a cannon that was powering up in Mage's direction. Mage had his hands to his head, his eyes sparking violet as he worked. Cryptor was fully ready to take the boy out while he could.

Suddenly, Sun's sword came flying straight for Cryptor. It lodged into his cannon arm, the ribbon of light still trailed with it. Sun reached his hand up and closed his fist, causing the ribbon to explode. All around the room, the ribbon burst and staggered the Nindroids, but their shields absorbed the impact. Cryptor, having no such enhancements, had his entire armor on his left arm completely blown apart. The sword's blade vanished and the hilt went flying in the air in the aftermath. Sun quickly raced over to catch it, jumping into the air and rolling on the ground to do so. He stopped on one knee and held his blade out, even as three Nindroids surrounded him and aimed their weapons at him.

"Gyyaaahhh!" Cryptor's voice went on the fritz for a few moments, "Why… why you… ahaha…. No, this is perfect1 It's even more data, more information! I've almost completely perfected the design already, by the time this fight is over, the emperor will never need to fear you! You have lost, Sun! You have already lost!" Cryptor threw his head back in an evil laugh, all while more and more Nindroids came around to surround Sun threateningly.

"I-I have bought you all the time I could, Mage," Sun closed his eyes, "Whatever you have planned, do so now!"

Suddenly, Mage's eyes flared open, looking straight at Cryptor. Cryptor's massive laughter cut off as he looked down at Mage, confusion evident in his frozen posture. Mage continued to stare at him, even as other Nindroids came up to surround Mage. Cryptor continued to remain frozen, then he laughed, "H-Haha! Fool! What did you think that you would-"

Suddenly, Cryptor's body went numb. The general went flying right for the ground, crashing into it with a massive crunch. Sun stared at Mage in complete shock. The Nindroids in the room froze as well as their orders from the commander suddenly cut out.

"M-Mage?" Sun gasped, "Mage, what did you do?"

"M-My body!" Cryptor shouted, "W-Why can't I move my body?! What did you do to me, you brat?!"

"Y-You like to talk about how great these metal guys are, but you're still a person, meaning you still need your body!" Mage grinned, "The Mind Tribe has this neat little trick they use where if you blast someone's mind hard enough, it'll disconnect them from their limbs! Right now, your mind and body aren't connected!"

"W-What?" Sun gulped, "H-Have you killed him, Mage?!"

"What, no!" Mage shouted back, "It's just to make it so he can't call for anymore Nindroids!"

"W-Whatever this trickery is, it won't matter," Cryptor chuckled, "Soon, my Nindroids will send signals to have even more flood this room. All I need to do is wait for them to arrive, and then!"

The entire building rocked. A series of massive explosions all went off one after the other, each one nearly deafening Mage and Sun. The two covered their ears as the building rocked with each one. The Nindroids' eyes began to spark and they doubled over in turn. The explosions kept coming, each one making the room rock more. The panels that covered the window fell away, revealing the glass once more. All around the room, panels broke and fell down into the abyss below as each explosion felt like it was ready to rip them from the building itself.

Both Mage and Sun felt an elation in their chests. Monty and the others had succeeded in their job! The two nodded to each other, then spun around on one foot and both went racing right for the window. Each time the building rocked, it nearly threw them off their feet. More Nindroids fell over in the chaos, their systems going haywire as the central building network collapsed.

"W-What have you done?!" Cryptor shouted. One burst knocked the mask off, causing Borg's face to be seen underneath.

Sun stopped beside Borg, smirking at him, "It seems you will need to ask for more from the Emperor now! Your Hand has been crippled, Borg!"

Borg tried to lash out at Sun, but his body wasn't moving. Sun and Mage went running straight for the broken window, then leapt through it into the air. For a few moments, the two drifted in the open air, gravity begging to take hold of them. Borg was able to just barely see them in the reflection of a small shard of glass on his desk.

With a rumbling of jets, the Destiny's Shadow shot up from the sky to catch Mage and Sun. Borg let out a roar of anger as Lloyd piloted the ship straight up and over the top of the building. Once the two had stopped rolling over the deck, they used the railing to stand up and look down. All across the other side of the building, plumes of smoke and flame were breaking out. Several chunks of wall had already fallen away, and from the way Nindroids on the ground were jerking around, it looked like their network was compromised as well.

"Where is Monty?!" Lloyd shouted.

From a recently broken out hole on perhaps the fifth story, a large burst of wind filled the air. Seeing that as his target, Lloyd directed the Shadow straight down towards the area. Sun and Mage held on as they rapidly descended, the wind rustling past them. More explosions tore apart the walls of the building, forcing Lloyd to swerve back and forth to avoid them. Just as they reached the hole, Monty leapt out of the wall, wind around his body to soar him backwards away form the window with SoS in one hand and pistol in the other firing away. Kai and Jay were forced to jump out as well just before a large burst inside of the hole charred them. The Shadow swooped down and caught all three of them -the SoS namely for Monty- and quickly took off.

"I thought the plan was to shut down the facility, not blow it up!" Lloyd shouted as they quickly soared away.

"I-It was!" Jay shouted, "I wanted to just shut it down but, then Kai here got our cover blown and I needed something to set off the system! If I had time I could have just-"

"The Nindroids fired at us and we used them to turn the computers into a bomb!" Kai shouted out, "Monty's plan!"

"Yeah," Monty sat up, "He won't be making anymore Nindroids anytime soon. Now let's get out of here before what's left of them come after us!"

Lloyd nodded his head in agreement, sending the Shadow speeding away from the destroyed facility. As they fled to safety, the first leg of their mission was done. The first step to defeating the Emperor had been put into motion.


	40. Chapter 40

"I'm in position," Harumi stated calmly, standing in the middle of a raised train track.

"Team B is in position as well," Sun's voice came over the comm Harumi had in her ear.

"Team L is too," Lulloyd's voice came over, "Just, tell us when to do it."

"Wait until you see the train," Harumi informed them, "Then blow the tracks. We'll only get one shot at this, so make it count."

"Because nothing bad ever happens when you say that," Monty's exasperated voice sounded off, "Incidentally, how many weeks till your retirement, Harumi?"

Harumi took her hand off of her comm, not wanting to deal with Monty's sass. Her team, Team A, stood on the middle of the tracks. Behind her stood Lloyd, Zane, Cole and Garmadon. Lulloyd and Sun each had a similarly divided team, stationed at specific tracks a good distance away. It seemed that this version of Ninjago was sadly far behind her own, meaning that they were still using trains. They were sleek trains, all designed by Borg Industries and made to run on a clean-burning fuel, but they still relied on rails. It was so primitive to Harumi.

With the destruction of the Nindroid production line, the Emperor's fortress was that much more vulnerable. They, however, needed to gain even more of an advantage if the plan to take down the Emperor was to work at all. That plan involved the trains, specifically what was inside of them. According to Nya, each train was fully automatic and contained power cores that were highly unstable and easy to turn into explosives. Given that the trains were all that was allowed outside of the barrier the Emperor put up, it was also vital to shut them down. Zane had decoded a message that stated a shipment of weapons was coming from the palace and being sent out to aid in suppressing some of Sun's allies in the north. Their objective, therefore, was two fold: to steal the power core and weapons for their own plans, and ensure the train didn't leave the city.

To that end, their plan was simple. Once the train was in range, Team B and L would blow out a large portion of the track using both the Bounty and Shadow's arsenal. The train would be forced to take a detour that would force it to loop almost entirely around the city to get to the exit station. That would take it right into the path of Harumi's team, Team A. They would board the train and complete the heist, then link up with the other two teams to transport the stolen goods to a safe location.

"Do you think there will be someone onboard?" Lloyd asked Harumi as he walked up to her.

"This Emperor has been extremely cautious looking at his fortress," Harumi pointed out, "I'm pretty sure that he wouldn't want to just send a train out with no protection. We did just blow up one of his main safeguards."

"Be on guard," Garmadon warned Cole and Zane, "Once we are onboard, we do not know what to expect. We have only fifteen minutes at most to complete our task. If the train leaves the city before we complete our mission, we will have to rework our plans until we can find another shipment."

"Speaking of shipments," Nya came in over the comm, "I think we're about to have a big one!"

Harumi looked down the tracks. Sure enough, in the distance, a little silver, purple and blue train was starting to slide down the tracks. It was designed in a very curvy and sleek fashion, with about ten cars it seemed. The middle car was black compared to the rest, which Harumi assumed the power core lay inside. She looked down to her Borg watch. If her estimations were correct, she could use this to bypass security and disengage the core from the train by hacking into the main system. To do that, they needed to get onboard.

"Isn't it getting a little close?" Jay asked over the comm.

"Steady," Garmadon replied firmly, "Wait until the last moment to hide our presence!"

The train kept coming. Harumi was trying to scan it with her eyes to find any sort of information on who was onboard. There was nothing she could see that gave her any hint of what was going on. She looked back to Garmadon, nodding her head to him. She looked forward and traced the distance that the train had to them, counting down as she raised her hand, waiting… waiting…

"Now!" Harumi thrust her arm down.

A few seconds later, there were two soft '_pops!' _in the distance from both directions. If all went according to plan, then the train would be forced to reroute itself from its path. Harumi raised her hands up, summoning a large disc she held onto. Lloyd readied Airjitzu, while Garmadon, Zane and Cole readied themselves to use stolen Nindroid jets to propel themselves. They each waited for the train to turn.

At seemingly the last second, the train did indeed turn, the front glowing as it directed its path directly for them. The device made hardly any noise as it came at them, making the preparation all the more difficult. Once it was close enough, Harumi waited again for the last second. They were in the open and exposed, but they needed to be. There was no other way for them to board safely, especially since the train was moving so fast.

Just as the train was about to strike them, Harumi heard the sound of it sliding along the rails. Lloyd immediately grabbed her arm and twisted into Airjitzu, sending them up into the air. Garmadon, Zane and Cole activated jets they had hooked to their feet, soaring up as gracefully as they could. The train shot out under them, speeding along and away from them. Lloyd dropped his Airjitzu, now holding onto Harumi as she shouted and plunged the disc she had formed downwards. The disc struck the roof of the train and caught, and instantly the full force of the train's forward momentum was shot right into Harumi's arms. The girl held on as tightly as she could as the wind cracked against her, threatening to drag her off and away like trash in the breeze. Lloyd helped with his weight by taking a sword and plunging it into the roof for a handhold.

Her three other companions each simply grabbed onto the roof and clung on. The city was now whipping by them so fast it was difficult to fully make out each building. The wind was freezing. The train kept turning, making holding on even harder. Slowly, Lloyd looked around to find an access hatch, one that was nearly flush with the roof itself. He slowly pulled out his other sword and plunged it down to slowly crawl over to it. When he reached it, he held his head down and banged it with his fist. When it refused to open, he pulled up one sword and began to jam it open. The others held on as tightly as they could as Lloyd slowly wrenched the thing open. When the doors finally did, Lloyd reached out with arm and leg to pull the others towards him. Soon, each of them had jumped down into the car.

Lloyd, being the last one inside, landed with very sore arms. The car they were in had no seats, and in fact was filled with computers. There were windows behind the computers, but many computers were built into large screens and displays that were placed awkwardly in front of them. The car was large enough for them to stand rather comfortably, but otherwise seemed less like something to be transported and more like the back of a high tech news van.

"We have entered towards the back of the train," Zane informed them, "We must be swift if we are to complete our mission. Follow me."

Hefting up his crossbow, Zane took point. The group followed after him, with Lloyd and Harumi taking a spot in the back. They each looked around nervously, expecting for something to happen as they went. It seemed that, for now, they were alone. The cars were perhaps twenty feet long and perhaps eight wide, with the ceiling being well above their heads for them to climb to if thy needed to get out.

As it turned out, moving from car to car was a swift process, as there was no gap in cars. A strange elastic-like material formed a conduit that stretched and turned to mean it was impossible to even tell that they were crossing cars. They had entered the car second to last, meaning there were two cars between them and the power core.

Once the team entered the next car, they were met with a rather stunning sight. The car had no windows, and instead was lined with weapons. Rifles, cannons, swords, shields, all of which had a slightly technological slant due to being manufactured by Borg Tech. The walls, from floor to ceiling, were lined with them, each in racks that looked like they were meant to be simply deployed out in the open and utilized. All in all, there were enough weapons in the room to outfit at least 100 soldiers, and that was with each person taking two weapons.

"This is what the Emperor was sending?" Cole picked up one of the Nindroid rifles, "What's he using all this stuff for, anyways?"

"The Emperor has more than just Nindroids deployed in the field," Garmadon replied flatly, "He has men that fight for his cause. Many of our allies are attempting to liberate cities that have far less of a presence than Ninjago City. These weapons are here to ensure that those fighting for him have the advantage."

"They're meant to outfit his armies that need supplies to drive out any rebels," Harumi muttered, scanning several of the rifles in the room with her watch, "And meant to be given out quickly. We can't let this leave the city."

"Then we have no time to lose," Lloyd declared, "Come on, let's go!"

The next cart was more or less the same as the previous one, though this one had far more explosives inside of it. In fact, one wall was almost all missiles that looked like those to go to Nindroid vehicles. While Harumi hadn't seen any vehicles before, Lloyd recognized them. He filed away in his mind they needed to make sure that these weren't taken out. He'd seen firsthand what just one security drone could do.

Finally, the group reached the power core. This car, unlike the others, was circular rather than rectangular. A large washer-shaped platform allowed them to walk around a large black and blue ball that was suspended in an electric field. The ball hummed and pulsed, with sections of its surface raising up to reveal the blue color was from a completely blue center. This center would spark out into the field, seeming to be the source of the energy. Aside from the core and some curved windows on either side of it, only a few screens were in the room.

"That thing is a lot smaller than I thought it was," Lloyd could see it was maybe only four feet in diameter, "What do we do with it?"

"The train stores power that the core releases, so after removing it we will have time before the train stops," Garmadon informed them, "Harumi will stabilize the core and allow us to extract it. If all goes to plan, Sun's team will be standing by in the Shadow to receive our signal and retrieve the core."

Seeing Garmadon's waiting gaze, Harumi made her way up to one of the screens and began to tap away. She pulled a cord out from her watch to plug into the screen, thankful that it seemed ports had not changed much since their inception (that, or Borg just didn't like updating his hardware). As she worked through the layers of security with her watch, she looked up to the core and nodded.

"I can get into this," Harumi affirmed, "Give me two minutes and I'll have this thing ready for you. A minute thirty if everything goes well."

"Well then," A voice suddenly sounded from a speaker built into the train walls, "I guess it'll be my job to make sure you don't get those minutes."

"Morro!" Garmadon hissed, "Prepare for battle!"

There was the sound of someone walking into the cart. A blast of wind caused the screen Harumi was using to be blown off its stand, with Harumi only narrowly recovering her watch. Both green ninja stood in front of their three allies as Morro slowly walked around the core, letting the chain between his knives drag around on the floor. The scraping it made filled the room, sending a chill down Lloyd's spine. When Morro stopped a few feet from them, he was grinning heavily. His scarves flapped behind him, striking the sides of the car they were in despite there being no breeze.

"The worst part about this is this is the happiest I've ever seen him," Lloyd drew both his katanas and held them out, "I almost don't want to fight him."

"You think the Emperor was going to let you get away with simply destroying one of his armies?" Morro asked with that grin still plastered on his face, "After the last fight we had, I was eager to get back at you. It seems the Emperor's guess that you would want this train was correct. I volunteered myself to ensure whatever you wanted with this train, you wouldn't get."

Cole turned towards the exit to the train, trying to make a run for the weapon-filled stores that were behind them. Almost instantly, Morro reared back his arm and flung one of the knives at Cole. The chain seemed to grow to unnatural levels as it, combined with his power of wind, sent it soaring right for Cole's leg. The knife cut into him, causing Cole to fall over. The knife soared back to Morro's open hand, nearly slicing Harumi's cheek open in the process.

"Cole!" Zane reached down to help him stand up, "Are you alright?!"

"Yeah… fine, totally fine!" Cole growled, forcing himself to stand up, "Just going to-" As soon as Cole put weight on his cut leg, he immediately fell over again. The leg looked almost completely limp, and as Cole tried to stand up again, the leg gave out once more. Cole planted the bottom of his mace into the floor to stand up using the handle, looking at his leg in confusion.

"My ability was perhaps used a bit too, inelegantly last time," Morro grinned, "Would you like me to tell you why your friend now has to do hop-scotch on one foot?"

In response, Harumi charged up a green beam of power, sending it right for Morro. Morro dodged by leaning backwards, then he gathered wind up in his lips. With a large burst of it, he expanded the pressure in the room to break apart the glass that surrounded the cabin. As wind was sent whistling into the cabin, he raised his hands up and laughed as he used it to sling the group backwards.

Lloyd managed to plunge a sword into the floor as he'd done on the roof, holding on tightly. Harumi slung Rhotatae discs at Morro, who simply swerved his body left and right to avoid them. Zane even managed to fire off a bolt before his body was slammed into the back wall too. Garmadon drew out his dagger and went to throw it, only for Morro to reach out with one hand and use the wind to throw Garmadon's arm into the bit of wall between the broken glass and door to the next car.

"Let's not have any of that now," Morro laughed, "I'd say that you're about to feel a real nice BREEZE!"

Suddenly, the wind inside the circular car began to rotate around. The resulting force caused the five of them to go whipping around inside the car, shouting as they were churned around. When Morro felt he'd done enough, he thrust both of his arms out, sending them all out the windows and off the train. Lloyd, Zane and Garmadon went flying one way, while Harumi and Cole went flying out the other way. Morro himself leapt out of the train, using the wind around him to send him rocketing right for Garmadon.

Harumi acted fast. As Cole shouted and flailed his arms to stop himself, she reached out and grabbed his arm. She formed an explosion of green power behind her, sending them flying back in the direction towards the train. The action meant they were flying wildly in the air, making aiming her discs to get on the train impossible. Luckily, a massive mace was the perfect weapon for Cole to swing with one arm and smash a window open of the back car of the train. The force took hold of them as they clung to the mace, the edge of the weapon caught in the lip being all that kept them from flying off.

Morro went flying right for Garmadon, who was being flown backwards too quickly to stop himself. Zane loaded a special bolt into his crossbow, then fired with robotic precision. His bolt struck the roof of the back car of the train, revealing it to be connected to a cable. Zane reached his hand out to grab hold of Lloyd's leg, who in turn shot out to grab hold of Garmadon's left arm. As soon as Lloyd grabbed him, Garmadon threw his other arm up to block a blow to his face by Morro's knives. Morro laughed as he used his wind to put pressure on Garmadon. Just as Zane tugged the crossbow to reel them in, Morro knocked Garmadon's arm aside to sink a knife into his right shoulder. Garmadon shouted in pain, but managed to yank it out before Morro could do any further damage.

Cole looked back to Harumi, still clinging to her arm. Harumi nodded to him, just as Cole shouted and heaved Harumi over his shoulder. The force allowed Harumi to slam onto the roof of the back car, reaching out to grab Cole's arm and heave him up. At the same time, Zane reeled the others in, allowing all five of them to cling to the top of the caboose tightly.

"I hate trainnnssssss!" Cole shouted, digging his mace in to hold on.

With a burst of wind, Morro came flying back to the car. In a single pass, his burst of wind yanked Lloyd and Zane from the roof like blowing dust from a table. The two went tumbling backwards, only managing to narrowly cling back onto the roof. Morro laughed as he shout around and went in for another pass, only to this time try to sink his knives into Harumi. She spun around and raised up her feet, curving them to form a Rhotatae disc that the knives bounced off of. She tried to fire it at Morro, but the speed of the train meant she lost the disc before she could even redirect it.

"The wind up here is too strong for my Rhotatae!" Harumi shouted, "I can't control it!"

"The wind is too strong for a lot of things right now!" Lloyd countered, "We need to find some way to stick to the roof!"

Garmadon suddenly shouted. His right arm, bleeding somewhat, stopped obeying him. His hand loosened, causing him to start to slide down the roof and off the train. Quickly, Zane loaded another bolt and wrapped a cable around Garmadon's leg to hold onto him.

"My arm has gone numb!" Garmadon shouted, "Morro's ability is at work!"

"But, I thought it made your whole body leak oxygen so you suffocated!" Lloyd shouted.

"If your muscle loses oxygen, it shuts down!" Harumi shouted, "He must be using it to only affect the specific muscles he's attacking instead! It takes less time!"

Morro came ready to try to blow them off again. From his laugh, it was clear he was enjoying this immensely. Before he could attack, Lloyd picked one of his sword sup and flung it at Morro. The action made Morro swerve out of the way, stalling him long enough to make him have to try to catch back up to the train.

"We're just sitting ducks up here!" Cole shouted, "And I can't move my leg!"

"Zane!" Garmadon shouted, "Is it likely for there to be Nindroid armor on this shipment?!"

"There is a high probability!" Zane shouted back, "If we check the cars past the power core, we are likely to find them!"

"Those armor have magnetic clamps built into the legs!" Garmadon shot his gaze back to Harumi and Lloyd, "If we can obtain them, we will be able to fight on top of this train!"

"Then we need to get into the cars again," Harumi thought for a moment, "I might have an idea! Lloyd, get ready to use your Spinjitzu!"

Lloyd blinked, but did as Harumi asked. As Morro began to catch up to them, Harumi had Lloyd plunge his remaining sword into the roof. Lloyd used it to begin to stand up. The train continued to speed along, making it difficult. Harumi clasps Lloyd's hands to the hilt, then made a circle with her head. Lloyd looked at her with a ludicrous gaze, but Harumi nodded her head. Lloyd gulped, then looked up to see Morro approaching them.

"NINJA-GO!" Lloyd shouted, spinning into Spinjtizu. This time, he held onto the sword. As the force of the rotation began to take effect, the sword began to actually cut a line into the roof. Harumi reached out and added her weight to the sword, clinging to it. It took an amazing amount of strength to keep Lloyd centered and holding on, but slowly, they carved out a sloppy circle in the roof. Once finished, Cole shouted and slammed his mace into it, causing it to break apart and send Lloyd and Harumi inside. Quickly, Cole and Zane followed suit, followed last by Garmadon clutching his limp right arm.

"Go!" Garmadon shouted. Quickly, Lloyd took point. His sword had bent from being crushed by the caved in roof, so he abandoned it as he ran. Just as they reached the second to last car, Morro landed in the back car, a feral grin on his lips. He reached forward with wind, ready to blast them out of the car again. Just as Zane managed to help drag Cole along, he slid a divider out from the wall and slammed it closed. The wind struck the divider and blew it apart, but it gave the group time to rush away.

"You guys go ahead," Cole shouted as they neared the entrance to the third to last car, "I'll slow him down!"

The group gave Cole no time to argue. They continued on into the car filled with Nindroid weapons. Quickly, Lloyd drew a Nindroid rifle and two new swords, while Harumi threw a rifle back to Zane. Zane nodded thanks to her and loaded it onto his back. Garmadon grabbed what looked like a riot shield and strapped it onto his limp right arm as he ran. Behind them, Morro shot into the car with Cole, laughing as he sliced his knives at him. Cole blocked them both with his mace, then reached forward and grabbed hold of Morro's shirt. He swung both the mace and Morro overhead, driving him into the side of the car and destroying a computer as he did.

Morro, however, seemed unfazed by this, using his feet to strike Cole's face and kick him back while he landed on all fours. Morro raised his knives up over his back and shot forward like a predator, going right for Cole's chest. Looking around, Cole grabbed a chair and swung it, knocking Morro's arm aside and sending Morro rolling about on the floor. Cole got up to his feet, hefting his mace up and moving to stand in the entrance to the next car.

In the meanwhile, the four of them managed to round the power core room and made their way into the next car. Just as Zane had predicted, the room was filled with gear that resembled Nindroids, but was clearly meant to be worn by people. Lloyd wondered if it was tech that Borg used in that weird Cryptor suit of his. Speaking of Borg, he made a mental note to keep a far, far closer eye on him. If this was all it took to tip Borg into full on villain, he needed to be more careful about him.

Quickly, the four of them grabbed hold of the legs of the armor, slotting metal boots onto their feet. As soon as they put weight on them, a humming noise accompanied it and the boots fixed to the floor. Lloyd moved his foot around, finding that his foot remained fixed until he rotated his foot forward or backwards. Once he put any pressure on it, the magnetic clamp let go. It would take getting used to, but was doable. Zane took an extra pair for Cole.

"It seems with Morro here, our plans are changing," Garmadon informed the group, "We must be more careful now. Our objective is the power core. Harumi, can you still access it?"

"If you get me to it, I should be able to," Harumi gulped, "But we're running out of time. We've already wasted four minutes! We only have…" She looked down at her watch, calculating the train's route based on the available maps of this Ninjago City, "Eight minutes to get the core off this thing before we end up outside the city!"

"Morro will complicate that," Lloyd growled, "We need to distract him somehow!"

"I can do the hacking remotely, but if anything interrupts the signal, we'll have to restart it," Harumi looked down to her watch, "I need to plug into the terminal again to start the sync!"

Garmadon looked back to the divider they'd thrown between them and the power core car, "That will be difficult."

"I'll get Morro's attention and draw him outside the train again," Lloyd told them, "Harumi, start the sync. Zane, once he's there go find Cole and give him those. Garmadon and I will handle Morro," Lloyd looked to all of them. Once they all nodded, Lloyd gulped, drew the two swords he'd taken, and then ran into the power core room.

"Morro!" Lloyd shouted, "Come and get-WOAH!"

Before Lloyd even finished, Morro had leapt into the car and flung a knife at him. Lloyd dodged it and tried to grab the chain, but once the knife was lodged into the wall Morro flicked the chain up to smack him in the face. Lloyd took his two swords and looped them behind the chain, inhaled, then yanked the chain back as he jumped backwards out the broken window he'd gone flying out of before. Morro, in surprise, was yanked along with him. Lloyd slammed hsi feet to the side of the car, feeling them catch and leave him dangling upside down as a result. Morro simply held onto his weapon, the knife still lodged in the inside of the car. Morro tried to blast Lloyd with wind, but Lloyd quickly scrambled up the side of the train by using the boots he wore as footholds.

Once Lloyd made it to the roof, Morro was already moving to blast his way back into the power core room. Lloyd charged up his green power and flung a ball at Morro, clipping his shoulder. Morro let out a little growl and quickly burst his way up onto the roof. He landed again on all fours, the chain connecting his knives flapping in the wind. Lloyd held his swords out, this time confident he could at least stand up for now. Morro brushed a hand through his scarves, then his hair.

"You really think challenging me is a smart idea?" Morro chuckled, "Unlike those other foolish members of the Hand, I was trained personally by the Emperor. If you value your life, you might want to go and beg for mercy."

"And if you value your life," Garmadon climbed up the side of the car to stand beside Lloyd, "You would realize it was foolish to challenge us!"

"I don't have to concern myself with the opinions of weak little rejects!" Morro shot back, "But, if you insist…"

Morro remained crouched low as he raced right for them. He slashed his knives to try to attack them as he got close, leaping up as he did. Garmadon swung his limp right arm to block the knives with the riot shield, while Lloyd in turn caught the other knife on his sword. When Lloyd tried to swing the other sword as Morro, he twisted his body to plant his feet on the shield and leapt off of it, pushing Garmadon down while leaping over Lloyd's head. He hit the ground and rolled, then raised his hand to send a burst of wind at them.

The wind gust hit Lloyd and caused him to fall backwards, but his feet remained planted by the magnets. Morro didn't let him take full advantage of this, though, as he raced forward again to try to stab at Lloyd. While Lloyd deflected one entirely, he only managed to make the other slice his cheek. Almost instantly, he felt his cheek going numb. He shook his head and tried to ignore it, pushing him back up and moving his feet out. Morro snuck up behind him and blasted him in the back with wind again, nearly throwing him forward. Instead, Lloyd stopped himself and readied a ball of energy in his hand. Seeing this made Morro back off, giving Lloyd time to swing around and face him.

By now, Garmadon was moving again. He used the shield arm to stabilize himself as he ran forward swinging a kick to hit Morro's arm. Morro was sent skidding backwards as he barely managed to guard from it. Lloyd and Garmadon nodded to one another, then both rushed Morro. Lloyd made it first and slid forward on one foot to force Morro to leap into the air. Garmadon came in at that moment, turning his dagger around to the hilt and thrusting it up to strike Morro's chest. As Morro was sent backwards, Lloyd focused himself and spun into Spinjitzu, racing forward to where Morro would land. He sucked Morro into the tornado, landing several successful hits on him before the train's momentum threatened to slide him off the roof altogether. He sent Morro flying off the train before he landed and reaffixed his boots to the roof.

"Guys!" Harumi's voice sounded out as she, too, crawled onto the roof. She turned her watch to show Lloyd a progress bar on the top part of it. It looked like they needed to buy three minutes for the program to fully upload.

"Get ready," Garmadon informed them, "If he interrupts us, we'll only have one more chance to remove the core again."

"Then let's make sure we buy that time," Harumi inhaled sharply, "Here he comes!"

Garmadon, Lloyd and Harumi were spread out over the roof of the power core car. Morro soared overhead and landed across from where Harumi stood. Seeing a new opponent, he blasted off with wind to soar right towards her, slashing with his blades. Harumi formed a Rhotatae disc and fired it off at him, making Morro dodge to the side and slash from her left. She swung her body back and raised her knee, catching his elbow and knocking him back. Lloyd rushed forward, slashing his blades at Morro. The assassin dodged his body from each slice, then turned to deliver one of his own. Once he did, however, Harumi fired a disc at his unprotected back. This managed to strike his upper back and break apart, causing him to growl in pain as he felt the blow. He turned his attention to Harumi before leaping up into the air to avoid Lloyd's counterattack. As Lloyd stumbled forward, Morro landed back down on the roof to strike.

A dagger struck the roof beside Morro, allowing Garmadon to teleport to the spot and swing at Morro with the shield. As expected, Morro leapt up to try to use it as a platform. When he tried, however, Lloyd swung his blades at Morro. Morro was sent rolling back, overwhelmed as he rolled back onto the roof. He growled as he sat up, ready to make another lunge at them.

The sound of a gun firing off caused Morro's eyes to widen and for him drop down. A crossbow bolt and a laser went flying. Cole was sitting down on the roof, his numb leg affixed in a sit-up pose to the roof while he twisted his core to fire with the Nindroid rifle Zane had taken. Zane was standing upright, reloading his crossbow to fire again. Morro tried to roll out of the way as Cole fired again, but now Garmadon was there to meet him. He swung his knives to knock back from Garmadon and then did a backflip over Lloyd. When he landed, he gathered wind in his hand and swung them out in an arc, sending a cone of wind that blew them all backwards.

"You all think you're winning against me, don't you?!" Morro shouted at them, his smile broken a bit, "I can see it in your eyes! You're all thinking you've finally got me on the run, don't you?! Maybe you should remember that the wind is _my_ element! I control the wind, just like with this weapon, I'll control your breath!"

Morro reached his hands into the air, concentrating. Cole tried to take another shot at him, but found the rifle was out of ammo. He tossed the useless thing aside and tried to stand up using his mace again. Garmadon slowly began to back away as Morro began to rotate air in massive cones around each arm, both moving in opposite directions. He focused his mind, then he brought his arms together.

When the two of the wind funnels met, they began to cause the entire air around them to churn. Suddenly, Lloyd felt wind rapidly rushing up from behind his body. Morro was sucking in wind into the two funnels. Lloyd tried to fire off a shot of green power at him, but it hopelessly was sucked up and compressed into the point. Harumi didn't even dare use her Rhotatae. The force of the wind being sucked straight towards Morro began to drag the group forward, save for Cole who was too far back. Lloyd forced his foot up and took a step back, then hunkered down against the roof. Harumi did the same, looking up at Morro in confusion.

Once Morro had fully compressed the air around him, he let out a shout and leapt up into the air. Suddenly, all the air that had been compressed in those two streams was released. The air shot out like whips, slamming into all of them on the roof and rocking the entire train. As Lloyd clung down to the roof with all he had, he heard a whistling noise. Morro was coming down right at him from the air, using the massive burst of air to keep Lloyd down. Lloyd tried to move, but it was too late. While he managed to shimmy to the side, Morro's knife came down and sliced his back. He grunted in pain while Morro went for another strike. Zane raised his crossbow and managed to make a shot, amongst the wind, to force Morro back before he could do more damage.

After almost fifteen seconds, the wind stopped. Lloyd, however, wasn't able to get up. The muscles in his back, the ones that he would need to remain upright, were completely numb. Morro landed on one foot and laughed, grinning to himself as he spun around to let the chain around him dance in the wind of the train.

"Like I said, I don't need to use my ability to make you suffocate," Morro smirked, "I only need to use it to make those very special muscles you use to move around! Now Cole can't stand up, Garmadon's arm is as limp as his team, and I think you'll find it's pretty hard to dodge a blade when you can't even get up!"

"Lloyd!" Harumi shouted dramatically. She rushed over to him, getting down on her knees like she was checking him. In reality, she tilted her watch so Lloyd could see they had only about a minute left before they could extract the core. She tilted it so both Zane and Garmadon could also see what she was doing.

"I think it's pretty clear now that you can't beat me," Morro grinned, "And once we make it to the barrier of this city, you won't be able to go on! All I need to do is stall you until we get there, and then just pick you up off the ground when you get fried like bugs!"

"He wasn't like this the first time…" Lloyd groaned out.

"That's because he wasn't serious last time," Garmadon informed him, "This is Morro showing us his full strength. We would be wise to make sure we don't test him further."

"Now then, because I'm obligated to ask, if any of you want to bow down and offer me your heads, I'm sure the Emperor might be able to make some sort of pardon for you," Morro held out his knife at them, "Unfortunately, I'm not able to offer that to you, Garmadon. I'll make sure to tell your brother that you went down honorably."

Lloyd twisted his body until he could see Garmadon's face. Hearing the mention of his brother was enough to make his eyes narrow. He looked down to Lloyd, a fierce gaze in it. He was ready to end this after Morro toying with them again.

"Call the Shadow," Harumi whispered, "I might have an idea."

Garmadon looked at Harumi in confusion, but he didn't object to her. Slowly, he reached his left arm under the shield to heft it up at Morro, while discreetly hitting a button on his wrist. The action would summon Sun in the Shadow. Garmadon looked at Morro with an unwavering gaze, not giving away what he'd done. Morro looked at Garmadon expectantly.

Morro reached up and began to undo the scarf around his neck. Lloyd recalled their function from their last fight, and sure enough Morro flung the scarf forward and wrapped it around Garmadon's shield, causing the scarf to tighten up like it was made of metal. He yanked it forward, ripping the shield from his arm. Morro flung it off the side of the train, letting it go flapping and flying away into the city. The five of them were treated to see what would happen if Morro flung them off.

"Time is ticking!" Morro shouted at them, "Right now, you don't have that long before this train reaches that barrier! I think you should think real hard whether or not you want to go out one way, or the other!"

"What is your plan?" Garmadon hissed.

"This," Harumi slowly stood up, then put her arms up in the air, "Fine! I'll accept the Emperor's pardon! I'll join you!"

Lloyd looked up in Harumi in pure confusion. It must have been somewhat convincing, since Morro let Harumi walk all the way up to him. Almost instantly, Lloyd started to understand what she was doing. It was a simple gambit, but one he didn't know how she would pull off. This was her stalling.

"Well then, it's so nice for the pretty lady to be the one to change sides," Morro smirked, "I do hope that you won't mind me taking some precautions here."

Morro unwrapped both of his scarves, sending them flying out at Harumi. They both wrapped around her body like snakes, binding her arms to her sids and her legs together. Morro then yanked her forward, wrapping an arm around her and grinning as he held her up against his front.

"I've seen those little discs you throw, I'm sure you can understand," Morro looked over to the others, "I didn't mention that the offer was only good for one of you! It looks like she's the only one that actually understands what the Emperor is capable of. Now then, why don't we go ahead and make sure your free ride ends now?"

Morro wrapped his arms around Harumi, then began to make the same compression of air again. Harumi was able to see how he was doing it. The two opposite funnels were actually moving around a fixed point, and it was at that point all the wind he was gathering was being pulled into that point. The two funnels he made was keeping it from escaping, but also condensing it. When he released it, the spinning motion created the 'whips' of wind that was being sent out at them. Morro also was doing it so the wind didn't have any impact on him, and even Harumi barely felt a breeze being less than a foot away from it.

"Try to dodge this, and I'll throw her off the train, just like this!" Morro demanded, "Any final words?"

Harumi looked up as subbutly as she could. Just off in the distance, she could see something flying towards them. The train was nearing the edge of the city, and only the blown out parts of track were keeping it from going straight. They would be forced to turn three more times before they were at the barrier and had to get off.

"I have some," Harumi spoke up.

"Oh, really now?" Morro asked, turning her head to face him, "Why not say them to me?"

Harumi opened her mouth. Instantly, Morro recoiled. In the curve of her jaw, Harumi had formed a Rhotatae disc. She used her tongue to angle it up, then 'fired' it. The disc didn't have much power, but it went almost point blank into Morro's face. The action caused Morro to shout and clutch his head, causing his control over both the wind and Harumi to falter. The wind burst apart in all directions, violently sending all of them skidding around over the roof. The force wasn't enough to tear them up, but enough to make them skid with their attached feet. Harumi, however, wasn't done yet.

Just as Morro began to recover, she felt the scarves loosening. Mimicking what he did, she shot the scarves out and wrapped them around Morro. Morro looked down to find himself ensnared in his own attack. Harumi yanked him forward, then saw the Shadow. Just as the ship was about to fly by, Harumi yanked Morro to the edge of the train. Sun, in the cockpit of the Shadow, immediately saw what she wanted and angled it down. Holding onto the Shadow was Monty, several of the ninja, and Mage. Harumi looked Morro in the eye, then threw him off the train.

Morro had only a moment to shout before he hit the deck of the Shadow. Sun twisted the control to send them flying away rapidly from the train. Quickly, the others went to subdue Morro. Morro shouted in rage, struggling against them as Sun was sent flying away as fast as he could.

"That was your plan?" Cole shouted from his spot far in the back, "What was that?!"

"I've used that one before," Harumi turned around, "It's pretty effective to throw someone off a building to break their focus. Of course, we normally capture them, but I don't know how long Sun can keep him occupied."

"Then we must hurry with our objective as soon as possible," Garmadon informed them, "Harumi, are you ready?"

Harumi looked down at her watch, then nodded her head. Quickly, the group began to rush their way down to the interior of the middle car. Soon, all of them, including a wobbling Cole, were there. Lloyd had to be helped down by Garmadon. Once they were inside, however, Lloyd noticed Garmadon's arm was moving again.

"It seems Morro's ability has fallen out of range," Zane responds, seeing Cole shaking his previously numbed leg, "You should feel your back returning to you in a moment, Lloyd."

Lloyd focused, trying to feel it. When he forced himself to stand upright, he found that, indeed, his back was back. His cheek, too, was feeling far more lively than before. Harumi nodded, then made her way over to the terminal. When she started to type into it, her eyes widened.

"No!" Harumi hit the screen, "Morro did something to this! I've gotten in, but he's at the core to detonate upon removing it!"

"What?" Zane began to type on the screen, then narrowed his eyes, "The system safety locks have been designated. This core is in critical condition. Once we remove it, it will not be long before the entire train goes up."

"We need to get rid of the weapons on this thing too, right?" Lloyd looked to Garmadon, "Wouldn't an explosion also set off those missiles in the cars behind us?"

"It would," Garmadon shook his head, "But the damage could damage the city! We can't remove it while inside the barrier!"

"Then we'll just have to extract it the second before this train leaves the station," Cole declared, "Someone call the Bounty!"

"Already on it," Lloyd hit his earpiece, "Lulloyd! It's Team A! We're going to need an extraction, and we're cutting it close! I got an idea!"

The train continued to wind through the city, undaunted in its task. There were no drivers, and it seemed there were no others onboard. The five of them crouched down in the whistling core car, looking around to see if something was happening.

"I-I don't know about this," Lulloyd stated nervously, "I-I mean I can do the first thing but, my dad never taught me how to catch… well, I mean he did a little bit…"

"Everyone is delaying Morro in the Shadow," Lloyd informed him, "We can't do this any other way! You're the only one fast enough to catch it!"

"I… okay," Lulloyd affirmed, "Just, for the record I don't like this!"

The five of them were able to see the end of the tracks. The barrier had a small opening that it allowed the train through, one that looked like a gate that could open and close. As the train approached, the gate opened up. It was perfectly sized to let the train through, nothing more and nothing less. The barrier was a crackling translucent purple, and just looking at it made it clear it wasn't going to be pleasant to touch it.

"There!" Harumi pointed. Destiny's Bounty came flying in, piloted by Nya. Standing at the front of the Bounty was none other than Lulloyd, holding what looked like a massive brick-built pool stick. He leaned forward, using the horns of the dragon emblem on the front to line it up. The Bounty was flying right up along the outside of the barrier, and dipping right at the level of the train. He looked down straight to the train, then shot his head back to Nya.

"Lower the anchor!" Lulloyd shouted. Instantly, Nya dropped the anchor.

Just as the Bounty became level with where the train was heading, Nya hit the thrusters. The Bounty placed the barrier to its port, then tipped to starboard. Harumi looked down at the terminal, then she hit a button to cause the core to shut down. The train's front car went through the gate, exiting the barrier in full. Just as the Bounty was about to collide with the fraint, Lulloyd thrust the stick forward. Like hitting the opening shot to a game, Lulloyd's stick perfectly struck the core and sent it flying out of the train. As the Bounty soared up over the train, the lowered anchor gave a chain for the five to grab onto. Time slowed down for Harumi as she and Lloyd leapt out to grab hold of the anchor, just as it was about to scrape the top of the train. Garmadon, Zane and Cole leapt out and grabbed hold of their legs, allowing them to chain up into the sky. The bottom of Garmadon's feet just barely scraped the train's roof as the Bounty soared up into the sky as its hull skimmed the barrier.

As the core went flying out into the sky, Lulloyd focused. The Bounty righted itself, giving Lulloyd time to rapidly build up fishing nets from around the Bounty to his pool stick to create a massively oversized net. Harumi watched the core they were after go soaring through the sky, ready to strike the ground somewhere and render all their efforts useless. Lulloyd lowered his net and swung, attempting to catch the core just as it was out of reach. With a single bounce alongside the lip, the core fell right into the middle of the net, allowing Lulloyd to scoop it up in a moment of victory.

Just as the last of the train exited the barrier, the core care began to spark violently as its safety features failed ot stop the acceleration of critical a small controlled burst, the middle car of the train eburst out into flames. Said flames leaked back into the cars behind it, more importantly to the missiles in the weapon cars. It only took a few seconds of that before the entire train was sent violently into the air by the explosion of all four of its back cars. The force ripped the remaining cars well off the tracks, causing the entire train and parts of the track to go flying in the air. Several of them struck the barrier, and instantly began to char and burst apart. The Bounty went soaring away as the train filled with weapons to combat their allies was completely sent into flames.

"Lulloyd!" Harumi raced over to him and hugged him tightly, "That was a great catch!"

"Really?" Lulloyd blushed, "I-I uhm, I mean, thanks!"

"Indeed," Garmadon hefted himself up, "We have obtained our objectives for the day. We did not manage to recover those weapons, but they will not fall into the Emperor's forces' hands. Sun!" Garmadon pressed onto his comm, "What is the status of Morro?"

"He has escaped from our confinement," Sun declared, "He saw the train's demise and fled back to the palace upon seeing it!"

"Such is the way of an assassin," Garmdon frowned, "That is of no concern to us. Return immediately! We have obtained what we came here for!"

"Two victories down," Lloyd declared as Lulloyd rolled the core out of his net, "Just one more to go."

* * *

"B-Blasted thing!" Borg shouted, trying to sit up. By now, the explosions had long since stopped, and it had been seemingly hours since Sun had humiliated him, "G-Get up! Respond to me, you stupid useless body!"

There was nobody around. The fools must have knocked out the central network the Nindroids used to communicate, meaning that right now the robots were without guidance. Borg had designed them in a network, and normally there were terminals all over the city to kick in when one went down. With that security tower that Sun had recently destroyed gone, however, the signal to activate the next tower wouldn't be sent. Right now, Borg was left with a splintered army of tin cans!

"H-Help!" Borg shouted, shutting his eyes trying to sit up, "I cannot move my body! This building wasn't built to withstand that sort of beating! Someone, help me up, please!"

Something touched Borg's forehead. Suddenly, a cold feeling shot through him, causing his limbs to work again. Quickly, he tapped some emergency buttons, making the Cryptor armor fall away. Borg sat up quickly, gasping as he used his desk for support.

"M-My stars, thank you! Thank you! I-I will be sure to offer you-" Borg looked up, then his eyes widened as his body prostrated instantly, "O-Oh, my, my Emperor! I-I didn't, I didn't see you there!"

The Emperor stood before Borg in all of his glory. His body was once more a solid mass, styled to be wearing clear battle armor with purple and black as the only colors present. His face was somewhat obscured by shadow, letting out only his purple pupiless eyes out to the cowering man below him.

"Rise," The Emperor stated calmly, "I have heard of your troubles. It seems that there are forces at work here that we have not accounted for."

"Y-Yes, yes my Emperor! There was a boy here today, oh such a nasty child, he looked like something out of a children's show!" Borg declared nervously, standing up and dusting himself off, "He was able to use more powers than I'd ever seen! Why, he even said he used mind to make my body unable to work anymore!"

"I see," The Emperor turned to look out the broken glass of Borg's office, "Ever since that mechanical beast fell, forces are at play beyond what we had envisioned. We will need to move carefully from now on."

"Y-Yes, of course, my Emperor," Borg nodded obediently, "I will have this facility back online as soon as I can get it! Until then… oh, what do you plan to do?"

"I have sent the boy out to study them," The Emperor stated calmly, "Whether he succeeds or he fails, we will have learned what is going on. I have planned for this, and soon I will have all of them right where I want them…"

The Emperor took another step forward the opened window, "Whoever they are, whatever they want, it is not their place. They have entered my world. They will soon know of what that means for them."


	41. Chapter 41

Ninjago City, the city of the Emperor, was in shadow. The citizens that lived there, though uncorrupted, lived without the sun. A dark cloud had remained over the city since the day the black tower rose up. The palace of the Emperor was visible from wherever one looked in the city, a powerful symbol of might that reminded all of their place. Normally, the streets were filled with those that had continued daily life despite the change in their leadership. Life pressed on, even if all that the Emperor brought was darkness.

The skies, however, were darkened by the purple barrier that had been raised around the city like a dome. Thus, those citizens that would normally display their lives to the world were instead hidden inside, cowered in fear. The Emperor was clearly enraged, and to show their faces would be even worse. Thus, when four figures in hoods slowly walked up to a belowground entrance to a dimly lit store, it was all the more suspicious.

"Uh… what's the password?" A middle aged voice sounded from a slightly ajar door.

"By the light of Ninjago's moon," A knightly voice answered back.

Upon hearing that, the store owner shut the door and undid the multitude of locks. Quickly, the four figures rushed inside of the store, the door being shut and locked tightly behind them. The owner rushed around to lower the blinds around the store, leaving them mostly in darkness. He rushed over to flick a light switch, however, causing a massive display case that was filled with comics to come to life and illuminate a small portion of the back wall of the store.

"So…" One of the figures threw their hood back to reveal themselves as Harumi, "You're, Mother Doomsday?"

"The one and only," Mother Doomsday grinned to Harumi adjusting the ponytail on his head a bit, "Don't worry, you're safe here. Nobody will find you in here."

"He tells the truth," Sun threw back his hood to smile at the man, "He has been an unlikely but nonetheless powerful ally. His shop has been used many times as a refuge."

"All I ask is you throw in a little money to help upkeep the shop," Mother Doomsday replied, "Go and take a look around. I got some snacks in the back if you'd like."

"We don't have time to snack around," Nya threw down her hood, "We're more concerned about the information we've been hearing from the newspapers."

"Oh…" Mother Doomsday nodded his head nervously, "Yeah, I can tell you a little about that. Not really my field of stuff, but I've seen it myself."

The fourth figure walked up to a glass case display that partially made up the checkout counter. He bent forward to examine the case, specifically a set of three comics that were shown with a clear light on them. When he saw the titles on them, he threw his own hood back and rapidly turned to Mother Doomsday.

"I-Is that a first edition set of issues 1 through 3 of Starfarer?!" Lulloyd asked, turning his head back to the case to take an even closer look.

"I see you're a man of taste my oddly shaped customer," Mother Doomsday wrapped an arm around Lulloyd and leaned in towards the case, "Indeed they are. Limited edition too. I'll even let you in on a little secret," He leaned in to whisper, "I have issue 3 before the reprint."

"What?!" Lulloyd all but pressed his face to the counter, "N-No way! They took that off shelves before hardly anyone could get that! People sell those for hundreds!"

"I traded a good bit of my old collections for them, but these are my pride and joy," Mother Doomsday leaned up to pat his chest, "I've been buying a copy of each issue since then. Right now, you're looking at the owner of the complete Starfarer series since release."

"Is he getting excited about comic books?" Nya turned to Harumi as Lulloyd stared at Mother Doomsday in awe.

"It looks like that series is a universal constant," Harumi rubbed the back of her neck, "In my time they've already started making movies out of it. Lots of them, actually."

"Doomsday!" Sun raised his voice, "I do not wish to interrupt your reverie, but time is of the essence. If we are given more of it, we will return your our ally so you may discuss hobbies later."

Mother Doomsday and Lulloyd shared a slightly embarrassed look, but both relented on their discussion and made their way over to the group. Mother Doomsday led them to the source of light in the back, standing in front of a display of some monster-fighting series' newest issue. He waited for them all to gather around, then leaned in so he could talk quietly.

"Ever since that Nindroid plant got blown up, the Emperor has been releasing his personal guards into the city," Mother Doomsday explained, "Big red guys, large swords, cone hats? They're everywhere. The Emperor hasn't let up even a little bit!"

"The Stone Army…" Harumi shuddered, "We've noticed them. They're everywhere in the city right now."

"But that's not all," Mother Doomsday continued, "Word is, the big guy left the palace."

"General Kozu left the palace?!" Sun gasped, "Who saw this?!"

"Someone said they saw a guy with four arms and four big swords walking around barking weird noises at the guards," Mother Doomsday explained, "That was yesterday. Rumor is he's out here because he's looking for something."

"What would the Emperor have that Kozu needs to find?" Nya asked. Harumi thought for a few moments, then she shook her head.

"I don't know," Harumi frowned, "Sun, why is Kozu leaving the palace such a big deal?"

"General Kozu is the leader of the Stone Army, and has never left the palace since the Emperor moved the soldiers there," Sun explained, "Kozu controls the Stone Army. Have you heard of the Helmet of Shadows?"

"Wait, wait I know this one!" Lulloyd perked up, "It's, Lloyd said that, Dareth put it on and… he controlled the Stone Army!"

"...Dareth has done no such thing, but its purpose is as you said," Sun gave Lulloyd an amused look, "He who wears the helmet, controls the army. To ensure that it would not fall into the wrong hands, the Emperor fused the helmet to Kozu's armor. Only one that can take Kozu's armor by force would be worthy of leading the Stone Army."

"So there goes that option of getting rid of them," Harumi frowned, "We'll need to be careful to avoid the Stone Army. The second one of them sees us, we'll have to fight our way past indestructible soldiers."

"So uh… if I can ask, what are you all doing out here?" Mother Doomsday asked.

"It's probably for the best you leave," Nya told the shop owner, "You don't want to get involved in this anymore than you already are."

"Oh, yeah, right," Mother Doomsday sighed, walking away, "Don't mind me, just a comic owner wanting to fight back against evil oppression…"

As soon as he was gone, the group made their way to the employee lounge in the back. Harumi removed her watch and sat it down on a table, clearing it of scraps to display her downloaded map of the current Ninjago City. She hit a button to bring up a marker of their location, then highlighted the massive palace. Just the scaled down version of the city had the dark tower projecting almost three feet into the air.

"Our goal today is to find the best place where planting the core we stole from the train would cause the most damage to the palace's foundation, their outer wall specifically," Nya pointed to the large circular wall around the palace grounds, "We haven't found any evidence the Emperor discovered Dareth's tunnel, so we can't plant it anywhere where the radius would collapse the tunnel. We also need to find a location that would minimize the damage that any surrounding civilian buildings take."

"So this is a scouting mission," Lulloyd paused, "So.. uh, why didn't you take like, Monty or Mage? They… kinda are a lot more stealthy than we are."

"Monty is doing his own quest," Sun explained, "Lloyd and Mage are doing repairs on the Bounty. It seems that driving the Bounty up against the side of the barrier to retrieve that core was not the finest way to treat our vessel."

"Ehehe…." Lulloyd blushed awkwardly, "I, I had to get a clear shot!"

"Let's leave here as soon as possible," Harumi turned her map off, "We stick together and investigate together. If we're spotted, we'll split up and meet back here. Does that sound good to everyone?"

"One thing," Sun looked across the room, "Kozu being exposed is a big opportunity for us."

"What?" Nya frowned, "Sun, whatever you're thinking, no."

"If we can capture Kozu, we could take control of the Emperor's guard! That would leave the Emperor with only his other Hands for protection!" Sun leaned in against the table, "If he is looking for something, we must know what it is as well! If we were to find a way to capture Kozu…"

"We don't have any way to contain Kozu even if we could," Harumi explained, "It's dangerous, too. Both Morro and those two Skulkin had abilities. Do you know what Kozu's ability is?"

"We can find that out," Sun nodded, "After we capture him."

"It's too risky…" Lulloyd chimed in, "We're, running one operation here, Sun. It's already way too dangerous to sneak around the city. If… this Kozu guy controls the Stone Army, then the only place we can hide him is the Bounty, which, means that if we get him he'll just signal his guys to come attack us. I mean, we could tie him to the Shadow but… that's, not really a good idea. It's just better for us if we wait until we, get another chance."

"There may not be another chance!" Sun declared. He looked around the room, trying to discern what they were all thinking. When he saw no looks of support, he began to lower his head.

"Sorry, Sun," Nya groaned, "But it just isn't gonna happen today. We have to do this mission first, then worry about the bigger things."

There was a long silence in the room. For a few moments, Sun looked as though he was wrappling with what the others were saying. Slowly, Sun nodded his head, reluctantly relenting his goal and deciding to go along with them. Seeing this, Harumi put her watch back on and turned to leave the store. The four of them placed their hoods back on and made their way to the front of the store. After saying goodbye to Mother Doomsday, who had propped himself up to read a comic, the four of them exited the store and went back out onto the streets. The darkness of the city they were aiming to liberate converged around them as they turned and began to shuffle their way towards the massive black tower in the distance.

Ninjago City, devoid of people, looked almost more like an abandoned city a painter would depict to display isolation and loneliness. There was an oppression that both the gray skies and purple barrier that surrounded the city that was cast into the very air itself. It felt stuffy just to breathe, a fact that didn't help Harumi's growing nerves as the group approached the center of the city.

If Harumi's knowledge of Ninjago City before the Borg Revolution was correct, it seemed that the space that the palace occupied was likely near or on top of where the first iteration of Borg Tower was located. If that was true, it only made it seem more impressive Borg Tower had ever remained standing in her time at all. The palace, however, was far bigger than Borg Tower had ever reached, and with its massive circular wall that surrounded the palace grounds, it was even more expansive than before. The palace went by many names: the tower, Dark Tower, Dark Palace, Black Palace… essentially, she'd come to understand someone saying 'tower' or 'palace' was referring to that thing.

The streets themselves were primitive, but Harumi had come to understand that. When people walked on the lowest layer of Ninjago City, it was generally to visit some historical parks or deliver supplies. Most people characterized the lower levels with crime, which was why Harumi actually had a working knowledge of them. Thus, walking among Ninjago City's streets was something that brought with it a familiarity… and a worry.

As the group spent time slinking in and out of alleyways, Harumi couldn't help but keep looking up to the tower they were walking towards. That thing looked like an evolution of something she'd faced before. It was a pure symbol of evil, malice… and it reminded her too much of memories she wanted to desperately be rid of. She was able to push them down, but the constant drawing of her gaze to it made Lulloyd look to Harumi worriedly.

After nearly a half hour of tense walking, the group was about five blocks away from the tower's outer wall. Sun had told them the wall itself wasn't guarded, since just entering the complex would trigger the Dark Matter that was infused into the ground itself. The Emperor was connected to it, allowing for him to know any and all that walked within his domain. It certainly explained how her allies had been caught within a minute of actually entering this universe and been forced to flee. Their task became now to simply determine the best place to blow apart said wall with their newly acquired tools.

Just as Sun was about to take a step into an alley, he suddenly flung his body back and held one hand up. A moment later, the sound of grunting filled the alley. Quickly, Sun looked around, seeing a metal balcony above. As the grunting grew louder, Lulloyd looked around to see a bike holder. He broke it apart and quickly rebuilt it, along with a springing piece of board, into a small mini trampoline. Harumi had come not to question Lulloyd's building logic and just jumped.

Lulloyd had just turned the trampoline back to bricks after jumping up himself when the source of the grunting showed himself. Harumi's eyes widened as a true Stone Warrior, a swordsman if she recalled right, stepped out. Everything about him was exactly as she remembered. The chain and plate armor draped over the warrior's shoulder, the conical hat that never moved no matter where the thing looked, the low grunting coming from a face with such soulless eyes… it truly was the real thing. Harumi gripped the railing, her breath stalling.

The warrior looked around for several moments, holding two large black katanas. He growled for a few moments, scanning the streets for the intruders he thought he heard. Sun held his breath, ready to draw his blade in full. Nya reached her hand out, pushing Sun's arm down. The four stayed steady, letting the warrior slowly turn around and leave the group. After allowing it nearly a minute to walk away, Harumi gulped.

"The streets, they aren't safe," Harumi turned to them, "We need to travel by rooftop."

"We'll be too exposed," Nya shook her head, "We knew about this."

"That's a real one," Harumi shook her head with a shuddering breath, "I, I thought maybe they were mistaken. Have you ever faced one before?" When Nya shook her head, Harumi looked forward, "I have. You can't win against them. We have to travel by the rooftops."

"Harumi," Sun slowly reached out to grip Harumi's wrist, "You have nothing to fear. We are here. We will fight alongside you-"

"It doesn't matter if you throw one or a hundred of us against those things," Harumi didn't even turn, "They don't tire. They don't get hurt. If they catch us, they'll kill us. We go by the rooftops."

Sun and Nya shared a look, but when Sun saw the blank look in Harumi's eyes, he was forced to grimace and resign. Slowly, he moved to begin climbing up the side of the building, using the bricks to create his handholds. Nya followed in suit, while Harumi and Lulloyd kept watch. When the two were at the top of the roof, Lulloyd began to climb up the side of the stairwell, while Harumi followed alongside him.

Once all four were at the roof, Lulloyd looked around and saw some loose boards and quickly built those, using some of the hinges for the roof access door and the door itself, to create a folding ladder for them to lay out and use. Sun and Nya looked back to Harumi once more, who was looking down at the streets in terror. Both of them agreed to use the rooftops as Lulloyd began unfolding the ladder.

"Harumi?" Lulloyd asked as Sun and Nya crossed the ladder to the next building, "Hey… are you.. Okay?"

"No," Harumi gripped her fists, "This… this place. It's… horrible, Lulloyd. The Stone Army is free here…"

"But, we knew they would be here," Lulloyd pointed out, "...I, think I know what you're saying though. It's, harder to deal with it when you actually see it?"

"Yes," Harumi turned to climb onto the ladder, "It's much harder than I thought."

After Harumi had crossed, Lulloyd did the same. When he reached the other side, he folded the ladder and rolled it along until they found a building at a higher elevation. Once more, Sun and Nya began to cross while Lulloyd shook his head to Harumi.

"Listen," Lulloyd inhaled, "If you, need to talk then, I'm here. Like, I'm not really the best person to do it with… but, I'm at least better than nothing, right? I… know this must be hard for you, if what Lloyd was saying about this Emperor guy is true."

"It's worse than hard," Harumi hesitated crossing the ladder, "I… I feel it, Lulloyd. All the evil. It's… it's just, I can't take it. It's like my body doesn't want to go on. The dark matter is the opposite of who Lloyd and I am. I… I don't know what would happen if I actually touched it. It's in the air here, it makes me sick. And if it's in the ground too…"

"Then it's a good thing we do our plans on a flying ship, right?" Lulloyd offered. When Harumi didn't laugh and just crossed the ladder, Lulloyd frowned in defeat and followed again.

"I… I know you want to help, Lulloyd. I'm, really glad you do," Harumi admitted when he arrived beside her on the next roof, "It's… it's just hard. The last time I saw Ninjago City like this… the last time that I, saw a Stone Warrior, it was… it was…"

Lulloyd reached his hands out to put them on her shoulder with a small smile, "It was a time that, won't happen again, right? Cause, you got us right now. Friends. And, we've all been through some similar stuff. You, know you can count on us, right?"

Harumi looked at Lulloyd for a moment, only letting a small smile on her lips, "I… I know that, Lulloyd. This is just, a lot bigger than I thought it was. We need to be careful."

Lulloyd sensed that was the best he was going to get from her right now. As the group began to cross closer and closer to the tower perimeter, Lulloyd could see the number of Stone Warriors was indeed worrying. Almost every alleyway had some warrior going up and down it. The warriors wandered with eyes alert, scanning street after street for something to find. Somehow, Lulloyd could tell he didn't want to mess with them.

"Remember," Nya informed them as they grew within a block of the palace walls, "We need to locate a spot that will minimize damage to the buildings. This is our fight, not theirs."

Harumi and Lulloyd gave a murmur of agreement. Slowly, Nya and Sun paced their way up towards the lip of one building, flattening down. Lulloyd discarded the ladder and did the same. Harumi remained slightly elevated, taking pictures with her watch's camera to try to see more about the surrounding landscape.

"I'm not seeing much…" Harumi shook her head, "We need to keep going along he wall until we find something."

Sun nodded, prompting them to begin to travel from building to building again. Without the ability to go over roads, Lulloyd fashioned together a small slingshot out of some wire for a clothesline and the roof detailing. One by one, they loaded up and fire off across the street. Sun gave Lulloyd an amused look, who just rubbed his head in embarrassment.

Onwards the group went, going block by block with master building to remain unseen to the warriors that prowled the streets below. As far as Harumi saw, the wall had no weaknesses. It was clear the wall was pure Dark Matter, just like the palace itself. Climbing it would likely corrupt anyone who touched it fully, and there was no entry gate. In fact, the Stone Warriors themselves actually stepped into the wall as if it were gel, walking in and out from the streets. They entered and exited in intervals, creating a march of soldiers that only made Harumi happier and happier she'd stayed on top of the roofs like this.

Eventually, Harumi came to a massive divided road that led up to what likely used to be a four way intersection. Now, however, the wall cut off the top bit of street,turning it into a T-junction. The size of the intersection, however, made Harumi pause, making Nya and Sun stop. There was a massive gap of road between the nearest building and the wall. As Harumi's mind analyzed it, she turned to the group and nodded.

"If we're going to blow a hole in the wall, this is the best place," Harumi pointed, "If we hit the wall directly, we'll avoid destroying any buildings. It's an open approach from the ground, but we won't get anyone hurt if we time it right."

"Then mark this on that weird map of yours," Nya ordered her, "And then let's get back to the Bounty."

After Harumi marked it, the four of them began to make their way back along the buildings beside the road. There were many Stone Warriors patrolling the streets. Not a single person could be found, and that was for the best. The sight of a Stone Warrior hefting their massive warhammer and growling at every nook and cranny they found was sight that put all of them at unease. Whatever they were supposedly looking for, Harumi was glad they weren't it.

"Wait," Sun, after the group had moved perhaps five blocks away from the wall, raised his hand.

"What?" Harumi turned around, "Are we being followed?"

"I heard someone…" Sun closed his eyes. In response to something only he seemed to hear, Sun opened his eyes and turned towards the east, "Someone is in danger. This way!"

"Wait, Sun!" Lulloyd tried to ask him what he was doing, but Sun was gone before he could. Sun leapt over hte side of the building, grabbing hold of the bricks and scurrying back down to the streets. Harumi shared a look with the others before they hurried to try to follow him.

Sun drew his hood up even tighter as he raced his way from shadow to shadow across the street, determined to chase something. The Stone Army members that walked around the road gave him pause, but Sun refused to wait. Many times he darted in front of them, only hiding just as they looked towards where he once was. The others held their breath each time, trying not to let themselves get caught as they tried to follow along.

Harumi's breath pounded in her throat as they followed. As the three of them hid behind cars, corners and flowerbeds, she could hear the grunting of the lifeless brutes that walked around the street. They left heavy and hard footfalls that they made would make Harumi's skin crawl if they were close enough to hear. Sun kept running for almost a minute, making Harumi have to follow after him in a hurry.

Eventually, Sun arrived at a large below ground parking garage. He looked down the ramp, then drew his hilt. He ignited his sword, causing it glow as he walked down into the darkness it cast. Harumi tried to call out to him, but Sun didn't hear them or didn't care enough to stop. Lulloyd mouthed out a shocked question of what Sun was doing, but they had no way of stopping him. Sun's blade cast a warm yellow glow of light, and each step he took echoed in the lot.

Suddenly, a man and bicycle was thrown into the sphere of Sun's light. Harumi, Lulloyd and Nya hid in the shadows behind a large truck, peering around to see who it was. Sun looked down to see the Mailman, grunting and gasping in pain as he began to pull himself up to his feet. When the man looked up to see Sun, he at first covered his face until Sun extended his hand.

"You are with an ally," Sun declared with a smile, "You are safe now."

"T-Thanks," The Mailman took Sun's offer to stand up, then lifted his bike up and tested it, "L-Listen, you gotta get out of here! There's some crazy man here who-"

"_EICCKKK VAIILL!_" A guttural shout echoed around the space. The Mailman went stiff, backing away from the sound to get behind Sun.

"Go," Sun told the Mailman, "I will handle this!"

Without another minute of prompting, the Mailman hopped onto his bike and let out a shriek of fear as he peddled his way towards the exit and skidded onto the sidewalk. Sun held his sword up once he was sure the citizen was clear, then shouted: "Show yourself! Any who attempts to harm the citizens of this city must face its light!"

Sun's sword cast that sphere of light around him. Slowly, there was a series of loud footsteps. Sun remain firm, refusing to let himself become afraid of the approaching force. He heard the sound of metal sliding against metal, which also tried to unnerve him. Sun, however, refused to allow himself to. Slowly, a figure emerged, light glinting off his red and silver armor.

"I commend you for remaining firm in the presence of the Steadfast Stone of the Emperor's Hand," General Kozu slowly appeared in the light, hefting up his four larged curved swords, "You have a true conviction to remain calm against me."

"General Kozu…" Sun grinned, "I was not expecting to meet such a foe out here."

"Neither did I, son of Wu," Kozu lowered his swords, "However, I do not have business with you. Stand aside, and I will allow you to pass."

"What?" Sun shook his head, "I am the Emperor's rival! What is more important to one of his lapdogs than to capture me?!"

"A task which your small perspective cannot hope to grasp," Kozu informed him, raising his swords, "Move now, or be moved."

"K-Kozu…" Harumi whispered, putting a hand to his mouth, "He's… he's speaking a lot differently right now."

"What is he doing?!" Nya growled in Sun's direction, "Get out of there!"

Sun looked behind him to the exit to the garage, then back to Kozu. Kozu's armor glistened against the light. His eyes under his helmet were steadfast, and there was nothing in them that suggested a will to fight. Sun lowered his head for a moment, silent. Kozu waited patiently, just in time to hear Sun's chuckles and grunt in confusion.

"You were going to harm a citizen of this city," Sun raised his eyes with a fiery passion, "I cannot let you pass. As a member of the Emperor's Hand," Sun pointed his sword at Kozu, "It is your duty to face me in battle."

Kozu shook his head, "If that is your wish, then I will grant it."

Kozu let out a guttural shout, then slammed his foot onto the ground, cracking it. Sun readied himself for battle. Kozu looked ready to rush him, then shot forward and drove his four arms into one of the concrete pillars holding up the roof. A crack traveled along the ceiling, going right for Sun. Sun, seeing the roof over him collapsing, looked to Kozu and held his sword up in the air. He spun a ribbon of light in the air around him, then crouched. Harumi watched in terror as the roof collapsed, just as the ribbon of light burst apart with Sun's ability.

When the dust from the rubble cleared, a perfect circle was drawn around Sun, his ability having blasted it away in the air. Just as Sun stood up, Kozu slammed into him. The force of the four armed beast's tackle sent Sun rolling over the ground. When he managed to stop, Kozu was on him again. Sun brought his arms up over his face in a guard, but Kozu instead jumped over him.

"Where are you going?!" Sun shouted, watching Kozu run right past him, "We are doing battle!"

Kozu ignored Sun, running right for the exit to make his way out onto the street. Sun scrambled up to his feet and raced after him, his white robes flapping behind him as he did. Quickly, Harumi got Lulloyd and Nya up to go after him. Sun, upon seeing them, said nothing and instead kept his eyes focused on Kozu.

"_KRAATA VU!_" Kozu planted his feet into the pavement and shouted into the sky, "_KRANA Z-_"

This time, it was Sun who tackled Kozu. While he was by no means strong enough to actually push Kozu over, he held his sword directly to Kozu's chest and activated his ability. Kozu was sent onto his back, his armor smoking from the explosion.

"You will see no allies in this fight!" Sun shouted to Kozu, standing over him, "You will come with us for harming a citizen of this city!"

"SUN!" Nya shouted, pulling off her sash to transform it into her spear, "What do you think you're doing?! He'll call the entire Stone Army here!"

"I do not care!" Sun shouted back, "He harmed a citizen! I will make him pay for it!"

"I was sent to find others," Kozu growled to Sun, "Even after I allowed you mercy, you rejected my hand and asked for the blade. I will ensure you feel the full force of your decision."

Harumi, Lulloyd and Nya formed a triangle, looking around. From around the nearest street corner, a Stone Warrior began to pace forward. The helmeted version held up his butterfly sword, spinning it for a moment before seeing Sun standing over his leader. With a shout, the Warrior went running straight for Sun. Seeing this, Lulloyd looked around and quickly took apart bike racks and street lamps until he'd formed what looked like a drop fryer basket. He quickly turned it on its side and scooped the Warrior up, then turned it upside down to act as a cage before kicking it backwards. It and the growling warrior were sent sliding back along the street.

"Okay," Lulloyd watched the warrior violently bang against the bricks, shouting in some unknown language, "That's going to be a problem."

"Sun!" Nya turned to him, "We need to leave, NOW! The whole army is going to be coming for us!"

"Nay!" Sun shouted back, "I will finish this fight, it is between this man and myself! You may run if you wish, but my fight lay with him!"

"You have the will of a warrior," Kozu chuckled, "Then let us test your mettle."

With a heave, Kozu knocked Sun away from him. Kozu reached up to his helmet, then pulled off the large ornament on the top. He planted his other swords into the ground, then held the ornament up into the air. It began to glow and extend until it had formed a large war drum. The drum hung from his lower two arms, and came with a set of large drumsticks he held in said hands. He plucked two of his swords up from the ground with his upper hands, then opened his eyes and pointed them right at Sun.

"Now you will see my ability, and know my power!" Kozu shouted, "You who have challenged me! Fight me head on, or be struck down!" Kozu reached up, then slammed the drumsticks down onto the drum.

As soon as Sun heard the drum, everyone around him vanished.

"What?" Sun looked around. The street was empty of both his three friends and of General Kozu. The street was there, and even the strange contraption Lulloyd had built. Yet all the people around him had gone. He held his sword aloft, attempting to determine where they had gone.

With another rap of the drum, everyone reappeared.

Kozu appeared right in front of Sun, causing him to gasp and try to angle his blade. It wasn't enough, and Kozu swung both of his swords directly into Sun's blade. Without his arm in place, the blow was sent right into him and sent him flying backwards. Just as Sun landed, Kozu pounded the drum again.

Once again, everyone around him vanished. Sun looked around, trying to figure out what happend. When he heard the drum again, Kozu was again on top of him. Sun raised his sword up into the air to counter it, this time being able to more actively push him back. Kozu jumped back before the drumbeat made him disappear again.

"What is going on?!" Sun shouted, looking around, "Face me, Kozu!"

"It is you who should face me!" Kozu's drumbeat brought him to clash with Sun again, "Be steadfast as a stone, or be swept away by the tide of power!"

Suddenly, Kozu's drum began to beat faster. Sun wasn't sure what the song was, but it sounded like a fast paced marching song. As it began to pick up, Kozu began to blip in and out of Sun's vision. Each time that he disappeared, Sun was left unaware of where Kozu was until he appeared again and slashed at him. Sun's body was sent knocked around, the swords clashing into him as he was knocked from step to step back and forth by Kozu's attacks. Sun let out a gasp as each attack caused him to be thrown around until he could no longer block them, soon causing him to roll and tumble across the street until Kozu's drum stopped and he stood over the boy. Sun gasped and tried to drag himself up, but Kozu slammed his foot down onto his back to plant him down.

"You were a fool to have challenged me," Kozu growled, "If this was meant to be a battle, it was a slaughter."

"Y-you will not win this fight," Sun tried to drag himself up, "You… you are an enemy… an enemy that must be… must be purged…"

Kozu ground his foot in harder, "Is that so? Then get up and prove your conviction. Strength without will is nothing."

Sun focused, taking a deep breath. He planted his sword into the ground, then focused. His ability caused the blade to explode, flinging his body up into the air and knocking Kozu away. He landed on the ground again with a painful thud, but once he had stopped rolling, he slowly pulled himself up to his feet.

"Sun!" Nya reached onto his belt and guzzled down water, spinning her spear as her body began to hiss. She activated Reflex Hydrate and raced forward, running right for Kozu. Kozu turned right towards Nya, inhaled, then began to beat his drum.

Just as had happened with Sun, everything around Nya vanished and reappeared. With her ability in place, however, her body naturally either rolled away or snapped her spear into place to dodge Kozu's attacks. Kozu continued to blink in and out of existence to the drumbeat, but her spear managed to keep her from being beaten as Sun was. When Kozu's rhythm finally ended, Nya was sent skidding away, panting heavily as she moved to down another pouch of water she carried.

"Very good," Kozu informed her, "You have the will of a warrior. Your ability gives you the strength to continue on."

"You have not finished with me yet!" Sun held his blade and raced forward to try to plunge it into Kozu. Kozu turned around and rapidly rolled off a high tempo beat, causing him to, like watching something with flickering lights, dodge from Sun's strike and send an uppercut into his chest. Sun spat out in pain before he was flipped up into the air, landing hard again.

Kozu's head was knocked to the side by a disc bursting apart against his helmet. He slowly turned towards where Harumi stood, having just fired off a disc. Harumi was panting heavily, her eyes wild and staring right at Kozu. Kozu blinked at the display, then raised his blade at her.

"You," Kozu narrowed his eyes, "You do not come from this place. You may know of the ones I was sent to find. You will return to the palace with me."

Letting out a cry, Kozu bowled past Nya and went right for Harumi. Harumi's eyes widened as she tried to form a Rhotatae disc again. Kozu's drum, however, suddenly made tracking him impossible, as he seemed to blink in and out of perception. Kozu appeared in front of her and hooked his hand into the hole in her uniform, lifting her up into the air by it, sword still in said hand.

"Harumi!" Lulloyd heard a crash as the makeshift cage that he'd built for the Stone Warrior had broken apart, along with him being joined now by two Stone Swordsmen. Lulloyd flung his sword towards Harumi, who saw it coming and caught it just as it reached her. She grabbed it and spun it down to slice Kozu's hand. With his completely stone body, the blade simply bounced off. The action, however, distracted Kozu from Harumi for her to hold up her other hand with a Rhotatae disc and fire it into his eyes.

Kozu shouted in pain and let Harumi go as he clutched at his eyes. Harumi leapt backwards to avoid his wild swings, landing by Lulloyd. Kozu raised his head up, his eyes shut from the pain of her disc. He growled looking around for them. Lulloyd, seeing the three stone attackers, raced forward and knocked the three into the air, spinning them into a massive combo strike that ended in them being knocked back into the ground. The three groaned and began to stir as soon as Lulloyd landed, who was panting heavily just from the attack.

"Sun," Nya helped to prop Sun upright, gently pressing a hand to his chest to do so, "We need to leave!"

"Yeah…" Lulloyd watched the three warriors start to get up, "These guys don't wanna stay down, it looks like."

"Come on!" Harumi turned to run towards a nearby alley, only to see a Stone Scout emerge from it, crossbow in hand. She quickly formed a disc and held it up as a shield, the bolt the scout fired shattering the disc on impact and stumbling Harumi back.

"He really did call for the whole army…" Lulloyd gulped as he watched other of them begin to emerge onto the nearby streets, "We're in trouble…"

"Great, Sun…" Nya's spear turned back into her sash so she could better hold him up, "Harumi, can you call your friends?!"

Harumi reached down to hit a button on her watch, causing it to send out a signal. The beeping, however, was drowned out as Kozu shouted, turning around with his drums raised up and swords pointed at them. His eyes were still shut from Harumi's attack, but Kozu slowly huffed as the rest of his soldiers began to surround the group.

"If you believe that not being able to see will help you, you are wrong," Kozu growled, "I have lived my life in the dark. I was born from darkness. And it is not myself that you must worry for when you hear my War March!"

With that, Kozu began to pound on his drums again. Harumi looked around, and suddenly everyone vanished. Her breath caught in her throat as everyone vanished and appeared with the drumbeat. Lulloyd beside her continued to blip for her. She shook her head, trying to make sense of who was around her in time to see a Stone Swordsman. Harumi formed a large disc and fired it, knocking the oncoming warrior back, but failing to see another that reached up to grab her shoulder sand try to force her to the ground.

Lulloyd, who was similarly perception flickering, heard Harumi's cry being cut in and out by the drumbeat. He grabbed his sword and spun it down towards the warrior on Harumi's back, knocking the hat. The warrior turned to face Lulloyd, right before Lulloyd was unable to see the warrior again. Harumi managed to throw him off when she was able to see the warrior again, leaping away with Lulloyd to get a better stance.

"_RAHKSHI KRANA VOS!" _Kozu shouted. The warriors gave a loud shout of affirmation, then moved to unnaturally form into several squads of rows of 4. This gave Harumi the chance to back up towards Lulloyd. Kozu hit the drum several times until he appeared in front of three small sections. The sections formed together into one single platoon, which Kozu took point on. Sun shrugged off Nya's held to stand behind Harumi and Lulloyd.

"I commend you for your will to fight," Kozu informed them, "But you have made a grave error in facing me. This will be your last battle," He raised his sword into the air, "_BARRAK-_"

"Wait!" Harumi shouted. Kozu looked at her and slowly lowered his sword to look at her.

"Speak," Kozu pointed the sword at her, "You hold terror in your eyes, yet you continue to fight. I will acknowledge your fighting spirit by allowing you to have your final words."

"You could tell we weren't from this world!" Harumi shouted at him, "Does that mean the people that you're looking from aren't from this world either?!"

Kozu, eyes starting to open again, nodded his head, "Yes. The ones that the Emperor has sent me to find were not of this world. They arrived from thin air and attacked the palace. It was by powers that we have not seen they were able to escape."

Harumi's eyes widened. Lulloyd looked at her, and the two shared a look together. The implication of what Kozu had just said was enough to rock Harumi and Lulloyd.

"Is that all you wished to know?" Kozu growled, "You will take that information to your graves."

"Then come at us with all your power!" Sun shouted, "Show us the power that the Emperor has given to you! You did not earn that power! Our light will burn through unearned justice!"

"If that is the path you wish to walk, then walk it!" Kozu shouted, "_BARRAKI! RAAAHHH!_"

With that, the assembled Stone Warriors began to race straight for the four of them. Kozu led the charge, pounding away on his drum as he did. Harumi looked behind them, hoping to find some escape, but Kozu's constant pounding made her ability to perceive things go in and out. She turned to see, in small snippets, Kozu split his force in two, with him going right for them. The two splits moved to encircle them so, when Kozu struck them, they were already unable to flee. Kozu swung his swords towards Harumi, who dodged and let Lulloyd take them head on. Sun tried to swing his blade, but Kozu managed to catch it on the hilt. He swung his blades out, throwing both Sun and Lulloyd back. Both had to turn and face the Stone Warriors that were there to meet them. The four soon found themselves surrounded.

Each time the drum was struck, the army seemed to blink and pause back in. Suddenly, formulating a strategy wasn't an option. Instead, it was the four of them, wildly slashing away at whatever was in front of them, equally countering the moves they only saw for a second while also just aiming to knock them back. The sound of the drum was imposing and powerful. It pounded and pounded, filling the air with its sound and refusing to let those that heard it scape it.

"W-We cannot hold out like this!" Sun's voice clipped to Harumi, "Where is our escape?!"

"A minute!" Harumi was only able to steal a brief glance at her watch before the shouting face of a Stone Swordsman nearly cleaved her own one off.

"We'll never, be able to escape!" Nya spun her water spear, downing water when she could to continually let her body flip and dodge the incoming attacks at will, "Without… someone here to…!"

Harumi turned towards where she kept seeing Kozu appear. He kept hitting the drum. Even if he disappeared, she would be able to hear the beat. Something about that drum kept bugging her, tagging her mind. She wasn't able to think much on it, though. The continual rushing by the Stone Army made doing anything like that impossible. If Kozu's plan was to wear them down, he was doing just that. And she was certain there were even more warriors coming to capture them.

"There has to be something we can do!" Nya shouted, "He can't just have a power with no limitations!"

"There must be something!" Sun shouted, "Something we are overlooking!"

As the warriors kept throwing themselves into battle, Kozu laughed, "If you believe that, then perhaps you are truly foolish." His playing continued through his declaration.

"W-why does he keep playing?" Lulloyd suddenly shouted.

"What?" Nya shrugged off a Stone Warrior's hammer, only to fail to see another one and her ability to save her from being run through.

"H-He keeps playing! W-why doesn't he just, hit it once and leave us unable to see anything?!" Lulloyd shouted back.

Harumi's eyes widened as she caught a sword on a disc, "H-He's right! Why doesn't he?!"

"That must be something his ability has built in!" Sun leapt into the air, drew a ribbon in it, and then let it burst to give him some breathing room, "But what do we do?!"

Lulloyd focused. He listened in to the sound of the drum. It was a very simple beat, the more he listened. It was a sound that he recognized. It was the same sound that the Garmashark's feet made when it walked at full speed. One-two-three-four-four-four-one-two-three-four-four-four… he knew that rhythm. He could figure this out!

"Harumi!" Lulloyd turned to Harumi, "When will the Shadow get here?!

"L-Less than thirty seconds!" Harumi shouted back.

"My mechdragon is on it!" Lulloyd dodged an attack, "I-I think I can work around his ability! W-When I make my move, you three need to be ready to move!"

"Do you think you can pull off your plan, my friend?!" Sun shouted to Lulloyd. Lulloyd gulped.

"I-I don't think so but it's not worth worrying about!" Lulloyd threw back to Sun, then lowered his voice, "I-I just gotta make sure I don't mess up the song."

The Stone Army continued to overwhelm them, not only in number but in the group having to continually deal with them teleporting in and out of view with Kozu's beat. Lulloyd focused. The more that he readied for the drumbeats, the more he was able to see the warriors when they reappeared. Without the pure terror of being reset, he had a chance. He dodged a few attacks. He could do this. He… he hoped.

There it was! Harumi looked up to see the Destiny's Shadow being pursued by several Security Drone jets. The pilot looked to be Lloyd, who was quickly jerking the sticks from side to side to avoid attacks. On the bottom of the Shadow was his dragon brick. It was too heavy to normally carry around on these missions, but it was perfect for this. Kozu, however, also saw the Shadow, and turned to shout an order. The Stone Scouts all raised their crossbows towards the Shadow.

"LLOYD!" Lulloyd risked opening the comm channel to shout towards the Shadow, "Drop my brick, now!"

Thankfully, the comms seemed to work this time. Lloyd, who was still dodging fire, managed to hit the button to drop the brick towards the ground. He spun the Shadow up into the air into a roll, trying to lose the laser-shooting pursuers. As the brick began to fall, Lulloyd closed his eyes and dropped down to all fours.

"F-Follow the beat," Lulloyd whispered, "Follow… follow the beat!"

With that, Lulloyd jumped. Kozu looked up towards Lulloyd, ordering his men to fire at him. Lulloyd jumped up into the air, landing on the head of one of the soldiers. Just as he heard the drumbeat that would make the world invisible, he jumped. He rolled in the air, and at the apex of his jump, he heard the next beat. The soldiers flashed back into view, allowing him to see where to land next. Just as he landed again, the beat sounded and he jumped. Each time he jumped, he forced himself to wait for the beat, so when he saw the warriors again, he knew where to land.

Kozu let out an angered shout, looking up to see the brick Lulloyd was working his way towards. He shouted and pointed up to it, causing the archers to move to try to shoot it. Lulloyd looked down to Kozu, then threw his sword towards him. The sword went right for not his head, but his drum. When it struck, it caused another beat to be added to the mix. In an instant, the ability disappeared. The three looked around in shock, but Lulloyd was overjoyed.

"I-I was right!" Lulloyd gasped to himself, "He has to keep up a song!"

Lulloyd made one final jump as Kozu frantically moved to try to restart his ability. That, however, was Lulloyd's chance. He leapt up once more and grabbed the brick right before the arrows could take hold of it. With a press, it began to unfold out into the MEchdragon. When it was formed, however, Lulloyd rapidly went about rebuilding it. What slammed down onto the ground wasn't a dragon, but a four legged turret with a dragon head turret that Lulloyd was manning. The strange contraption planted its feet into the ground, just as Lulloyd hit a button to cause the main cannon to fire up.

Sun, Harumi and Nya hit the ground just as Lulloyd began to spin the turret wildly. The turret let out both missiles and lasers, firing away wildly into the Stone Warriors. The assembled warriors, which had indeed grown since the start, were blasted away, striking wall and the ground. When Lulloyd had done a full rotation, he turned to focus the gun at Kozu. Kozu just managed to rattle off a few opening notes before a massive missile was sent right into him. Kozu went flying, hitting the pavement and cracking it. His drum turned back into his headdress ornament, skidding off beside him as he grunted and tried to get up.

"Grab on!" Lulloyd shouted, hitting another button. The jets that he'd installed into the base of the turret suddenly fired, causing the turret to start to gain lift. Almost immediately, Sun and Nya grabbed Harumi to help her up and grab onto one leg each. Lulloyd yanked the sticks down to pull the jets on full throttle, readying them to go flying right up into the sky. Lloyd, still piloting the Shadow, saw the strange thing and turned around, ready to intercept them.

"We will be out of this soon enough!" Sun declared, "Now we just need to-"

An arrow, fired from a Stone Scout that had gotten up, hit Sun's hand. Sun cried out in pain, his grip falling from the leg and only managing to cling on by his good hand. Nya shouted at him, but her leg was on the opposite side. Harumi, who was beside him, tried to reach out to grab his hand. Another fired arrow, however, forced her to draw back.

"Sun1" Lulloyd leapt from the cockpit, sliding down the turret and grabbing the lip of the leg. He leaned down, extended his hand as far as his plastic body would allow. Sun, who had a hand that was too damaged to grab on, looked up to Lulloyd and then grimaced. With a shout, Sun tried to yank himself up, letting go. With the few inches that he got from that, his hand managed to just barely grab onto Lulloyd's own. Lulloyd smiled at him, moving to start to pull him up.

Suddenly, one of the lasers of the jets chasing after the Shadow struck the turret, rattling it. Without a strong perch, Lulloyd suddenly toppled forward. Sun instinctively grabbed the leg he was pulled up onto, turning to watch with horror as Lulloyd went falling down towards the ground. Lulloyd shouted in fear, flailing his arms. Just as he was about to hit the ground, he fell into the open arms of General Kozu. Kozu grabbed him and slammed him down, using his stone grip to act as a prison to subdue him.

"_HAU HAU! IGNIKA!_" Kozu shouted. The warriors all began to cheer with him.

"LULLOYD!" Harumi shouted, but it was too late. One of the jets chasing the Shadow broke off, automatically targeting the turret and beginning to fire into it. Bricks began to break off, scattering down towards the ground. The turret started to destabilize, forcing Sun, Nya and Harumi to climb around to each other. Lloyd angled the Shadow down towards them, aiming to catch them.

Just as the turret passed the Shadow, the three of them leapt. They rolled onto the open deck of the Shadow, grabbing on tightly. Without a defense, the jet that had targeted the turret fired a few more times, causing it to break apart fully. As bricks rained down onto the ground, Lloyd turned the Shadow into the sky as the jets kept firing at him.

"G-Go!" Sun clutched his injured hand, "G-Go! W-We must keep going! There will be more!"

"Lulloyd!" Harumi turned back towards the Stone Army rejoicing at their capture, "We have to go back!"

The radar Lloyd was using showed several more targets incoming. More jets were incoming, ready to chase the Shadow down. As the laser fire began to engulf him, Lloyd turned the Shadow down towards the street. Harumi gave another shout in terror as the Shadow struck one of their hidden entry points, disappearing into the sewers to make their escape.

Lulloyd watched in fear as both his dragon broke apart and the Shadow disappeared. General Kozu looked down at him, then threw him forward. Two Stone Warriors grabbed him, holding him tightly as Kozu grinned under his helmet.

"We take him to the EMPEROR!" Kozu declared, "MARCH!"


	42. Chapter 42

"No!" Garmadon shouted at Lloyd, "I refuse to risk my ninja in a suicide mission!"

"It's not a suicide mission!" Lloyd shouted back, leaning forward, "Lulloyd was captured! We have to get him back!"

"The Emperor has taken him to his palace!" Garmadon spat, "Our plans are ruined! Any attempt to break in now will result in the Emperor capturing us! We must rethink our strategy!"

"This Emperor could be torturing him right now for information!" Harumi shouted to Garmadon, "We can't afford to just leave him there!"

In the large cockpit of the Destiny's Bounty, Garmadon stood on one side of a large table. Behind him were Nya, Cole, Kai, Jay and Zane, all looking various amounts of uncomfortable or ashamed. On the other side of the table, Lloyd and Harumi were tense and red in the face from shouting. Mage and Monty stood behind them, Mage looking nervous and afraid, while Monty had his normal laid back expression, leaning against his hands clasped behind his head. Sun sat in a chair beside Garmadon, one of his hands wrapped in bandages from the arrow strike and refusing to lift up his head.

"We each accept risks when we go on these missions," Garmadon growled, "By opposing the Emperor, we place our lives on the line. If your friend knew that, he will survive whatever interrogation he is going through!"

"You don't understand!" Harumi threw her hand up, "We're from other _worlds_ here! Imagine if your Emperor was able to get Lulloyd to talk about that! He could get even more powerful than he is already!"

"That's just an excuse," Nya stepped forward, "It's not that we don't want to rescue him! The plan we were running all those missions for was to get into the palace. We were going to blow open the wall to get inside and storm the Emperor himself! That was our best plan in months, and now it's in jeopardy!"

"And whose fault was that?" Monty asked, pointing an icy glare at Sun.

Sun twitched in his seat, but he didn't move. Garmadon looked over at him, then let out a sigh and looked back to Lloyd. When he did, his expression of anger slowly faded away, leaving him with a more collected expression.

"What has happened, has happened," Garmadon frowned, "I wish we could save your friend. But there is nothing we can do. With your friend now captured, the Emperor has more leverage over us than before. If we were to attack now, he would be able to capture us. We have our own fight we must continue."

"But…" Lloyd leaned forward, "Lulloyd needs our help! If we wait, Borg will get the Nindroids up again! The Stone Army is looking for someone, so they're away from the palace. This is the only chance we'll get! If we have to walk into a trap to do it, then I'll spring it!"

"Then that's your own foot you're losing, pal!" Cole added, "We got our own things to worry about!"

"If one of our own is captured," Mage stepped forward, "We have to help them! That's, that's what friends do! No, not just friends. Allies! We have to help each other! Otherwise, what's the point in working together?"

"Look, kid," Kai looked over to Mage, "You don't get it, do you? We're outclassed in like, every way. You'll get it more when you're older."

"Don't insult him like that," Monty sighed, "He's done more in a year than you've done in your entire life."

"Unlike you?" Kai sneered. Monty opened one eye and threateningly started to draw the SoS from his back.

"Enough!" Garmadon shouted. Monty stared Kai for a few minutes, then slowly let the sword sheath. Kai refrained from drawing his own tonfa and stared Monty down. Mage slowly tried to get in front of Monty, but Monty stepped through Mage just to make a point. Mage shuddered at the sensation and hopped to stand beside Monty.

"We can't afford to just, let him sit there!" Lloyd argued, "We agreed to help because we needed help! We're looking for our own Twins, and right now if we have to wait longer to make some plan… we've already wasted almost a week here, we need to figure out where they are!"

"Your concerns are valid, yet impractical," Garmadon informed them, "If you wish to save your friend, we cannot help you."

Harumi and Lloyd shared a look of worry. Mage looked to the side, unsure of what to say. Monty looked up towards the ceiling, remaining silent. Feeling their options dwindling, Harumi turned towards Sun and leaned forward towards him, pressing her hands to the table.

"Sun," Harumi impressed on him, "Please. You've gone on and on about justice! You know that this isn't right. You want to rescue your family, right? Lulloyd is in there! Come with us! We need your help!"

Sun kept his head lower, slowly muttering, "I cannot help you."

"Please!" Mage bounded over, putting his hand on Sun's injured hand, "You're super strong and incredible! We need your help! You know more about this Emperor guy than anyone! We're only strong when we work together, and we need your help!"

Sun flinched, slowly pushed Mage's hand aside to raise up his bandaged one, "And do what, pray tell?" Sun stood up from the chair, "Yes, I feel guilt at what I have done. It was not my intent to get your friend captured. But I was not going to sit by and allow an innocent citizen to be harmed! I know the price for my failure. Our plan is now in ruins. Do you think I feel no guilt in that? But I am a knight. I am someone that must stand up for my people. If they have no hope to see when I shine my sword for them, what hope do they have?"

"You're not a knight," Monty stared sun down again, "You were never crowned one. You don't serve anyone. If you're trying to be like one, you're just pretending. All you've done this entire time is act the part of a savior. If you're choosing now to say that your honor is important, I think we're about to come to a block here."

"My honor is everything!" Sun raised his voice, "You may criticize my actions, but not my livelihood! All the people have is me! Me and the team that I work with! I am their light! I am their ray of hope in this darkness! I will not let them fall. Even if…" Sun gripped his fists, "Even if it means someone gets hurt."

"I have fought, this evil for far longer than you have," Sun shook his head, "My entire life has led to this. It is a pain to wake up each day and see that Ninjago is in the grips of such a man! I wish desperately I had the power I needed to end this fight, yet I have none. I have only a fraction of the light to banish the dark. The Emperor has stumbled us at every turn! After what has happened, I have been shown my righteousness cannot carry us. I will rejoin the fight, but I must endure the retribution for my sin. And the fight you propose is not one that I can partake in."

"Fine," Monty spoke without missing a beat, "Then I think we're done playing along with your little takeover scheme."

"Monty?" Mage asked in confusion. Monty looked to Lloyd and Harumi, giving them that icy stare. Something in that glare caught Harumi's eye, making her look away.

"Are you saying you've finished with us?" Garmadon frowned.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Monty looked back to Lloyd, "You've done nothing for us. We've worked to give you what you want, but when we ask for the slightest bit of give, we're shot down. I think it's smarter to go our separate ways and figure this out on our own. Don't you agree with me, Lloyd?"

Lloyd opened his mouth to immediately protest. When he tried to, however, Harumi gripped his sleeve. He looked over to her, seeing a look in her eyes that he needed to listen. Mage's eyes were bewildered, trying to figure out the strength of logic Monty was following. Lloyd felt his chest tighten, but the look in Harumi's gaze told him he needed to listen. Slowly, Lloyd hung his head and nodded it.

"Good," Monty turned around, "Bye. Let's go."

Garmadon stared at the group with a neutral gaze, then nodded his head, "We wish you luck, then. Once you leave this vessel, you will not see us again. Whatever you fight brings you to, we will work to make sure our own fight brings the city to its freedom."

"W-Wait!" Mage ran over to Lloyd, "What are we doing?! These guys are helping us, right? What's going on?!"

"We… we need to leave, Mage," Lloyd sighed, "We, we have other, things to do…" He wasn't sure what the reasoning was, but he trusted Harumi and Monty. Mage gave Lloyd a confused look, then tried looking at Harumi. When he got nothing from her either, he looked over to Garmadon, torn for a moment on who he needed to go with. As his three friends moved to leave by the side door, Mage gave them one more look of confusion, torn between them. Out of necessity, he moved to follow Monty.

Nya took control of the Bounty, guiding the disguised ship to the top of one of the skyscrapers. Lloyd looked up to the glass bubble viewport, seeing the ninja, Garmadon, and a still ashamed Sun watching them. The four of them gave one more look at their allies, then leapt off the Bounty. When they landed, the Bounty fired up its jets and flew off into the city. The cloak soon had filled the ship again, and just like that the ninja were gone.

"W-Why did we do that?" Mage looked to each of them in distress, "They were going to help us! We just, abandoned them! What are we going to do now?!"

"Obviously," Monty sighed, "We're going to go get Lulloyd back ourselves. We don't need those guys anymore."

"You two seemed like you knew something we didn't," Lloyd turned to Monty and Harumi, "What is it?"

Harumi looked down for a moment, "When we were fighting Kozu, I got him to tell me who he was looking for. He said the people that the emperor is hunting aren't from this world. He wanted to capture Lulloyd and I because we could be connected."

"Then, that means the Twins are in this world still… and they have to be trapped here in the city!" Lloyd perked up, "If Kozu was looking for them after the barrier went up!"

"Then we have a chance to nab them ourselves," Monty sighed, "And right now, the only way that barrier is staying up is if the Emperor is still going after the ninja."

"So… if we don't help the ninja, the barrier stays up… and we can still go and find those guys that messed with my world!" Mage smacked one fist into his palm, "I understand!"

"But, we still have to get Lulloyd," Lloyd looked towards the palace in the distance, "And if he's in there, that means this is definitely a trap."

Monty walked over to the edge of the roof of the skyscrapper, planting the so he could lean on it and look out towards the palace. He looked back to the rest of the group, then he sighed.

"I think you're forgetting something," Monty looked forward, "The Emperor wants to capture us, right? And the only ones he's letting into his palace are the people that are going out. And those people going out would already be looking for someone else now…"

Harumi perked up, "And, we have a way into the palace too! The same way we got in!"

"Uhm…" Mage raised his hand, "I'm not sure what you're saying."

"Lloyd," Monty turned to him, "Did your team ever use that one trick to get into the Stone Army's main camp? The one with Misako?"

Lloyd blinked, "I… yeah, I remember that. Why?"

Haurmi and Monty shared a look, then nodded. Mage and Lloyd shared a bit of a look of confusion in turn. Monty made his way over towards the door to the skyscraper's roof, phasing into it and opening it from the inside. When he threw it open, he waved his hand for them.

"Remember what we did on the train?" Harumi smirked, "We're gonna do that, again."

* * *

"You know," Monty finished tying up the rope around Harumi's wrists, "You seem to be really comfortable in the getting captured role here."

"Because everyone expects a girl to be captured," Harumi sighed, "It worked on Morro, it'll work with this. We just need to open up a path into the palace for Lloyd and Mage. When we get in there, this whole charade stops."

"Yeah, yeah," Monty sighed and walked over to the Stone Warrior that lay knocked out beside them, "Keep telling yourself that."

The benefit of having so many enemies stalking the streets was that finding one to possess was an easy process. Harumi had simply lured into an alley for Monty to forcibly possess and knock out. Normally, Stone Warriors couldn't be knocked out like that, but Monty's ghost abilities meant he could do things like that once he was in control. Now, the soldier stood back up, grunting as Monty got control over the thing again.

"These guys are barely a step above a robot," Monty spoke with his normal voice as he walked over towards Harumi, "About as smart as a calculator too."

"Yeah…" Harumi shuddered as the Stone Warrior took hold of her arms, "..It, doesn't make this any easier to handle."

"You knew the plan, now you can handle this," Monty informed her, "Now stop complaining and start acting captured."

With an exhale, the Stone Warrior barked an order in the hard language that the Stone Army used. Harumi was forced to walk forward, his arms bound behind her back in a way to prevent her from using Rhotatae. Monty had said this needed to be convincing, and so it was. Once Harumi was yanked out onto the street, she knew it was time for her to start acting.

"L-Let go of me!" Harumi's voiced dipped into genuine terror, "G-Get away from me! I'm not the one you want! Let me… GO!" She gathered green power in her feet and tried to kick the warrior behind her. The warrior growled at her and kicked her back, making her jerk forward and nearly be thrown onto the ground if not for the warrior's grip on her binds. She tried to give Monty an annoyed look, but the warrior gave her no expression back.

Harumi continued to shriek and struggle, in a manner that almost made Monty wonder if she was acting. Ever since coming to this world, her confusion and worry had been a constant, so it wouldn't surprise him if she was drawing on her past experiences. Either way, he had a job to do, so he moved to yank her along and take her towards the middle of the street. After a moment, he kicked her knees to make her kneel before letting out a loud shout.

As Harumi continued to pant and shudder at his touch, another warrior on another street relayed the call. In a chain, the call was sent around, until finally one of the half-tread triangular bikes the Stone Army used came rolling down the street. Standing on top of it was none other than General Kozu, who leapt off the bike with a thud. He walked over to the Stone Warrior.

"_Ickhta miru za?!_" Kozu demanded. Before Monty could respond, however, he looked over to see the captive that he had. Kozu's eyes narrowed as he shoved the Stone Warrior aside. He looked down to Harumi, his expression unreadable under his helmet from the angle.

"You," Kozu growled, "You fought me in our last battle. Were you so eager to reclaim your friend, you threw yourself to my men?"

"I don't care about you or any of your Stone Army," Harumi spat at him, "I'm here to get someone back that didn't deserve to be taken away from me like that!"

"Then you have already failed in your mission," Kozu nodded. He turned to the unknowingly possessed warrior and began barking at him. Monty, thoroughly tapping into the warriors memories, was able to roughly relay that he'd caught her trying to sneak towards the palace and he needed to escort her. Kozu nodded to this, then turned towards the bike he'd arrived on.

The warrior then reached down and grabbed onto Harumi, yanking her to her feet and forcing her forward. Kozu climbed up onto the top of the bike to drive it, while Monty attached Harumi's binds to a small bit of metal on the lower part, right next to the two large wheels. He looked down to Harumi and growled at her, then looked up again. Kozu let out a war cry and then drove the bike forward through the still empty city, heading right for the palace. Harumi looked back to the street for a minute before she turned to try to hold onto the bike a bit better, panting heavily as she did so.

Kozu drove the bike all the way through the city, winding through block after block. After a long while, they reached the black outer walls that lined the palace. Kozu reached up and hit a button on the bike, causing an eerie horn to sound. In response, the portion of wall they faced began to shimmer and become a bit lighter, making a clear spot in the wall. Harumi was unable to see it until the bike began to drive forward slowly.

When the wall began to pass over, Harumi's body began to scream. She began to thrash inside of her bonds, her body paling as she went through it. She gargled out, but seemingly could get no air. She thrashed, trying ot pull away, to get out of the substance, but it refused to budge for her. Her body felt like it was on fire, as if something that was the opposite of her was being pushed against her. When the bike came out of the wall, she was drenched in sweat and hanging limp from her bonds, gagging out as her breath came in tiny little gasps.

"D-Dark… Dark Matter…" Harumi gagged out, "T-That was...that was Dark Matter…"

The Stone Warrior that Monty was possessing didn't react. Being inside of a body that was partially made of the stuff meant that Monty didn't have a reaction to it. It wasn't as though he had a body that could react to something like that in the first place. Seeing how much it took out of Harumi, however, made his thoughts start to gather.

When the group had first come to the palace, they'd only seen the outer grounds. It seemed that the building they saw for Dareth was towards the very edge of the wall, How exactly Dareth ran something like a school when it was inside of the palace like this, Harumi wasn't sure. The actual grounds of the palace were somewhat barren, with paths that lead all over and connected to small buildings that were likely places for the Stone Army. The main palace itself was a massive tower that was clearly made of Dark Matter, just like the wall. Veins of rock reached out from the spot the circular base protrude from the ground, digging into the dirt like an infection.

Kozu parked the bike in a row of similar looking machines. He leapt down with a rumble on the ground, then barked an order at the Stone Warrior. Monty obeyed and picked up the still sickly looking Harumi, halting her to her shaky legs and making her walk. Kozu guided her towards a massive set of stairs that lead up to the palace.

"It was your last mistake to go after your friend," Kozu declared to Harumi as he ascended the steps, "You will join him soon… after an audience with the Emperor himself."

Harumi couldn't say much. As she was forced to step onto the palace, it made her sickness only intensify. This entire palace was made of Dark Matter. It had to be in a lowered concentration, she conjectured, otherwise it would have corrupted her the moment she touched it. Being immersed in it and somehow not being corrupted was proof of that. Her body's reaction was undoubtedly due to her being the polar opposite of the very nature of dark matter; even if she didn't have it now, she was still connected to the light that was meant to banish darkness.

Kozu, however, didn't care about how Harumi continued to shake the further in they went. It wasn't his job to monitor how she was acting, only to deliver her to the Emperor as he knew he needed to. The Stone Warrior escorting her kept her held firmly, even if Harumi noticed Monty began to help support her a little bit more as they walked on.

The entrance to the palace was a massive grand hall. The palace was circular on the inside as well, but now that they were in it it was clear just how huge it truly was. The interior was large enough to house the area of an entire castle. The main room they entered into was very open, with large fancy beams and designs to flourish the walls. The sound of their footsteps echoed as they walked inside. Harumi looked around, trying to see what was there. Along the walls hungs large tapestries with various images stitches into them. Some of them she could vaguely recognize as iconography that was generally associated with the Temple of Light. Others looked more foreign to her, with a strange figure that seemed always bathed in shadow present in almost every single one.

"You were a fool to think that you could take on the Emperor's armies," Kozu spoke with his low growl as they began to approach the very center of the room, "Sun and his allies will fall beneath the might of the Emperor. It is by his graces Sun remains alive, and it will be very them that he will one day fall."

"Really?" Harumi growled out, putting a stop to her movements, "Do you really think that? I think Sun is more powerful than you give him credit for."

"He is nothing more than a boy with a weapon that he was gifted by a power beyond him," Kozu growled, "He has earned nothing. He has sacrificed little, and he will continue to be nothing more than a simple thorn in the Emperor's side until the day that he is brought to his knees."

"Maybe you should take a moment to rethink that," The Stone Warrior behind Kozu spoke up in Monty's voice, "Since you weren't smart enough to figure out you'd been tricked."

Just as Monty started talking, Harumi charged her hands with power and blasted apart her restraints. Kozu whipped around to face the escort, but the Stone Warrior had fallen onto the ground, lifeless as a statue. Monty appeared in Kozu's peripheral, right before a ghostly gunshot struck him in the side of the head. Kozu let out a shout of pain and stumbled to the side. He reached up to grab the ornament on his helmet to summon his weapon. Harumi reached out and managed to grab his arm, but Kozu used his raw strength to heave her into the air and slam her back down. As Harumi gasped out in pain, Monty fired another gunshot to stop him.

Kozu took the shot on his shoulder, fully summoning the drum as he had before. He took a step back and reached up, letting out a cry as he brought the two sticks down. He began to play a basic march, expecting for Harumi and Monty to start to look around for him in confusion. He raced forward, ready to grab hold of Harumi with his top two arms and strangle her.

Instead, when he reached Harumi, she opened her eyes and charged a massive Rhotatae disc in hand. The disc shot up towards Kozu's head, forcing him to take a step back to avoid it. As soon as he did, he felt his body becoming heavier. He looked down, but saw nothing on him. When he moved to take another step forward, his body's weight had increased enough he couldn't move. Just raising his hands up to drum again was impossible.

"Whew!" Mage suddenly appeared from behind Harumi, one eye purple and the other eye copper, "I told you guys doing more than one element here is tricky!"

From behind Mage, Lloyd stepped forward. Monty brushed his side cape back and walked over to stand with his back to them, looking around the halls for any sign of those hearing their little scrap. Harumi stumbled up to her feet and groaned, rubbing her shoulder and sighing as she forced herself to stand upright. Lloyd, seeing the state she was in, helped stand her up.

"W-What sort of trickery is this?!" Kozu demanded, "Those two did not enter this palace without my knowing!"

"You can do a lot when you know about light!" Magae beamed, "Same way we got into that weird glass house Borg lived in! Oh, and don't bother trying to drum," He taped above his purple eye with his finger, "I don't know a lot about sound, but I can at least block it from reaching us!"

"Lulloyd figured out your ability," Harumi shivered, "Your War Drum requires you to play a song for it to work. If we can't hear that song, it won't affect us."

Kozu roared in rage, trying to lift his arms up to play again. Despite Mage's power, he managed to actually raise the two sticks up just enough to do so before Monty came over and whacked him with the butt end of his pistol. While it only made Kozu growl at him, Monty did so three more times until Kozu remained completely still for them.

"You will pay for your crimes," Kozu declared, "If you wished to enter this palace, that boy's abilities would suffice. Why did you involve me?"

"Because you'd clearly know how this place is laid out," Lloyd stated firmly, "So you can lead us to our friend."

"You… have come for your friend?" Kozu suddenly chuckled darkly, "So, you are indeed fools…" Monty whacked him again just to relieve some steam.

Lloyd walked up to Monty and removed two things he was carrying. Monty took hold of a shotgun and the SoS to slide them onto his own back, nodding his head. As soon as Kozu saw the golden blade, his eyes widened.

"That belongs to the Emperor's treasury," Kozu's voice sounded as though hew as barely containing a livid rage, "Where did you retrieve that from?!"

"Somewhere you wouldn't understand," Monty replied simply, "Thanks for just telling us you know where the treasury is. Probably means you know where the prisoners are kept, too."

"What makes you believe that I will aid you?" Kozu asked, "The only reason I have not called for my men is because your friend says he can control sounds."

"He's a lot smarter in this world," Lloyd looked back at Harumi, "Did you notice that?"

"I think it's because he can speak more fluently than normal," Harumi pointed out, "He just got unlucky in your world from the sound of it," She went to say more, but a sudden pang in her chest made her stumble on her feet. Lloyd quickly raced back over to help support her, while Mage turned to look at her with a worried gaze.

"I...I'm fine," Harumi gasped out, "I just… I had to go through the outer wall. I… I don't feel good right now."

"Someone said the Emperor keeps the Dark Matter concentration in this city low enough so it doesn't corrupt you," Lloyd pointed out, "We really shouldn't be touching it, though. I… don't think we'd be corrupted before we reacted to it. I already don't feel good in this place…"

"Then let's stick around," Monty looked down at Kozu, "Lead us to Lulloyd."

"I have already told you, I will not assist you in your foolish quest," Kozu snarled, "You would do better to stop into the center and be taken straight to the Emperor's quarters."

"We don't have time for this," Harumi pointed out, "We need to get moving…"

"Agreed," Monty looked to Mage, "Mage, I want you to punch Kozu as hard as you possibly can."

"What?" Mage asked in confusion. Just as he did, Monty leapt forward and his body disappeared into Kozu's own, the SoS clattering to the floor.

Realizing what Monty wanted, Mage dropped the two elements and wound up a punch that was fueled with as much of his earth powers as he could muster. The impact struck Kozu on the jaw and sent his entire body down into the floor, cracking it and sending a massive dip into it. Mage wound up to give another one, but Kozu shook his head. Slowly, Kozu began to jerk around as he leapt to his feet. His War Drum disappeared, instead, leaving all four arms to claw at himself.

"I-I will not!" Kozu shouted, "Allow you to… take… the body.. The Emperor… gave!"

Kozu turned his body and rammed it straight into the floor again. When another massive dip was added into the previously immaculate floor, Kozu went still. Mage backed away and readied himself by raising his his fists. Kozu jerked a few more times, then slowly rotated his head towards the others. When he spoke, it was with the voice that they wanted to hear.

"I don't have long before he starts fighting me," Monty spoke through Kozu, "I know where Lulloyd is now. Come on." He reached down to pick up the SoS in one hand as he did.

Without waiting for them to really catch up, Kozu's body turned and walked over to the very center of the main hall, where a circular design was engraved into the ground. Mage blinked and quickly dashed up to follow, while Lloyd helped support Harumi until they were all there. Kozu reached down and placed his foot on a small pattern on the design, causing dark matter to begin to form up like liquid poured into a mold to form a small control console. Kozu reached a hand inside of it and moved his hand upwards, causing the circular pattern to separate from the floor and begin to rise up towards the ceiling. Harumi looked down at it in curios shock, while Mage looked up towards the rising ceiling more nervously.

When the disc reached the ceiling, the floor above them began to recede until a hole, perfectly the size of the platform they were on, was present. As they ascended through it, the floor began to pour back together in a manner not unlike water filling a cup. Upon looking down, Lloyd noticed that the two dents in the floor form possessing Kozu down below began to reform back into a flat surface as well.

"Normally prisoners are kept below," Monty explained through Kozu, "But Lulloyd is probably a valuable prisoner. Meaning that this Emperor will want him closer to his personal chambers. Meaning we'll be going almost all the way up to the top of this edgy place."

"Can you see into Kozu's head?" Lloyd asked, "Does he know anything about who this Emperor is?"

Monty went silent for a few moments as they continued to rise through floor after floor, only being given brief glimpses of each one as they went. Some floors looked like large halls, others were filled with hallways, and a few were clearly meant to be guard stations or armories. They passed through some which also looked like kitchens and bathing rooms, which seemed to indicate that this place was lived in by a person. Monty, however, shook his head as they passed what had to be the 20th floor, a room filled with more tapestries and pieces of art.

"Kozu met the Emperor when he awoke the Stone Army," Monty explained to them, "He was already like this when he met the guy, though. And it is a guy. Though, he didn't look like the way you guys described him at the tower. He looked more like an actual person."

"Do you think anyone close to the Emperor knows about him?" Harumi asked anxiously, "We need to know more about him. He defeated the Time Twins without anyone's help. If he's that powerful…"

"I don't think so," Monty sighed, "Looks like this guy keeps things a secret. Kozu namely stays in the palace to guard the place, so he doesn't really have a lot of interaction with the Emperor that would end in him telling him things."

"There has to be some explanation here!" Harumi exclaimed, "He's clearly the Overlord, but I don't remember the Overlord ever being a person! If he left the Dark Island, he needs a body to do it! Who would offer their body up to the Overlord?!" She wanted to say more, but her gut suddenly panged her, and she leaned a bit more on Lloyd.

"We can't stay here long," Lloyd grimaced, "I mean me and Harumi. This place is made out of Dark Matter. Our bodies aren't meant to handle being close to it. You and Mage are fine since you two aren't… you know."

"That means Lulloyd should be fine, then!" Mage added, "But yeah, you're right. We shouldn't spend a lot of time here!"

"Then get ready," Monty replied through Kozu, "We're just about there."

Exactly how many floors the group had risen up was lost on them. Normally Harumi would count them, but she was dealing with a body that felt like she was sick to the core. They stopped on a floor that was filled with hallways, four to be precise. Each hallway was guarded by iron bars, with several screens and keyboards by each one sporting the Borg Industries logo. It was clear that this had to be the detention center that they were referring to.

"Which way is Lulloyd?" Mage asked.

"Check the-" Monty started, then doubled over and began to growl a bit, "...Kozu's starting to fight back. We need to get to him soon before I have to let him go."

"What happens when you don't let go?" Lloyd asked.

"Means I get knocked out, and ghosts don't exactly wake up like humans do," Monty tossed the SoS to Mage, "Keep looking in that thing's reflection. If you see Kozu about to grab you, deck him. He might break out before I can stop him."

"Huh?" Mage looked the sword up and down in confusion, but ultimately held it awkwardly, "Sure?"

Harumi made her way over to one of the consoles, reaching up to plug her watch into it. She rapidly began to upload a premade simple firewall breaker virus. With how primitive the firewall security was compared to her day, it was down in a matter of seconds. With that opened, she began to look through data logs to figure out if the Emperor had logged where Lulloyd was.

"He's in cell… seven," Harumi groaned out, pointing towards the barred door to her left, "Should be down that way."

"Then let's get to it," Monty growled. He forced Kozu's body to walk over to the barred door, then reach out and grab it with all four arms. Using Kozu's strength, he began to pull the entire door from the wall. The thing was partially sunk into the Dark Matter walls around them, meaning he was essentially pulling up both door and wall. When that failed to work, he leaned Kozu's head back. With a roar, he forced Kozu's head into a headbutt, throwing his weight forward at the same time. The metal was ripped apart in several places. Using that, he bent the rest of the bars he needed to open for a gap they all could fit through.

Once the four had filed into the hallway, they were given an idea of what these 'cells' were. At first, they seemed just like normal, with one massive cell at least twenty feet long and ten wide on each side of the hall, separated by iron bars. The cells were mostly barren, with only shackles on the walls being their defining feature. All of the walls and floor were made of Dark Matter, and thus the strange liquid-like appearance of the cell made them seem ever darker than normal. There were several curios stains on several of the spots in the cells that made Lloyd flinch imagining what they truly were.

"These… are the nicest looking dungeons I've ever seen," Mage pointed out.

"You've, been in dungeons before?" Lloyd asked.

"Mhm," Mage responded casually, "Towards the end of things Chen started manipulating some tribes into thinking I was after them. I got thrown in a couple when I first arrived. Had to break out of some too!"

"And… they still taught you how to use their element?" Harumi followed up.

"Sometimes," Mage shrugged, "Other times I'd find someone outside the tribe to teach me. I spent most of my time after the war learning a lot more!"

The four soon approached one of the cells. The cell was just as barren as the others, yet this one had an occupant. When they saw who was inside, a sense of relief went through most of them. Lulloyd, currently asleep, was hanging by shackles. Around his neck was a strange collar looked to be made of Dark Matter, pulsing around it in a tight embrace. His hood had been removed, leaving his hair out. He didn't look injured, at least for now.

"There he is!" Mage pointed at him, thn looked to Monty, "How about you let me go and take this one?"

Monty nodded through Kozu, a strained motion that was reflected in his entire body. It was clear that Kozu would soon be breaking out of Monty's control. Seeing this, Mage took a few steps back and readied a punch. Just as he was about to strike, Lulloyd began to stir.

"G-Guys…?" Lulloyd groaned, slowly twisting his head to shake it, "Is that you?"

"Lulloyd!" Harumi smiled widely, "We snuck in to get you! Did the Emperor hurt you?"

"No…" Lulloyd groaned, "He… came around and put this, thing on me, then said he'd be back for me later," He tried to gesture at the strange collar, "I told him he wouldn't get anything out of me."

"And he won't," Lloyd assured him, "We're going to get you out. Mage, break it open."

Mage smirked and nodded his head, readying his fists. He bounced from one foot to another, readying himself for the strike. When he finally worked himself up, he called on earth and then shot his fist forward, striking the bars. They dented in firmly, shaking the entire barred wall. He smirked and leapt backwards, readying for another punch.

"There we go! Just one more before I can metal it open!" Mage exclaimed. It was easier to manipulate broken metal, after all. He formed another big punch, then sent it forward much quicker. This one caused the entire section to bend inwards, and one more punch would weaken it enough for him to do his thing. He went to pull his hand back, but slipped forward as he did and nearly hit his face on the bars.

"Huh?" Mage asked in confusion. He looked at his hand to see that something was wrapped around it. The Dark Matter in the floor had crawled up the metal bars and wrapped around his wrist. He went to pull back on it, managing to stand upright. As he did, the band connected to his wrist detached from the bars and hung in the air. A moment later, more of the floor shot up like a trap, wrapping in an almost elastic tentacle around his other wrist.

"Let go of me!" Mage shouted, yanking his arms up. In response, the strange bonds retracted into the floor, driving him down onto his stomach. Not willing to take this lying down, Mage got his knees up under him and sent several bursts of fire, lightning, ice and wind down into the floor. Nothing he did caused them to stop. A moment later, the floor stopped being solid, causing him to give one shriek before he disappeared into it like being pulled underwater.

"Mage?!" Lloyd asked in confusion. Harumi went to say something, but a tendril shot out from the wall in the cell behind her to wrap around her throat. It violently yanked her up against the iron bars behind her, tightening its grip on her and crushing her up against them with a choke.

Lloyd drew a katana, ready to slice through the tendril and free her. Just as he went to, he felt something dripping on him. He looked up towards the ceiling, just in time for it to pour over him. Almost immediately, he felt his body scream in distress. The Dark Matter poured onto him and flattened him to the ground, seeping up all around him. It forced its way under him until it had fully wrapped him up. As the same feeling Harumi had experienced washed over him, the strange thing lifted him up into the air, just like a cocoon. Harumi, still struggling against her own, was forced to watch as Lloyd was lifted up into the ceiling. He let out a strained cry just as the cocoon was pulled through it, removing him just like the palace had Mage.

"N-No…" Harumi gasped out. She raised a hand up towards where Lloyd had disappeared to, but there was not trace of him. She turned her hazy vision towards Lulloyd. The collar he wore had suddenly expanded upwards, covering his head and affixing itself to the wall. He struggled against it, but with his arms chained he could do very little.

Realizing she was going to pass out otherwise or worse, Harumi made a split second move. She formed a disc in his left hand and held it up against her back. She fired it, causing it to strike the dark matter tendril and shave off a few strands of her hair. The thing split down the mark, dropping her to the floor and letting her yank the thing off. Now free, a wave of sickness tried to fight the intense feeling she had inside of her. Her watch was flaring with a heartbeat and adrenaline warning.

"Monty!" Harumi gasped out, "The others! W-We need to-"

With a distinctly Stone Army shout, Kozu roared and thrust his arms out. Monty came flying out of him a moment later, snagging the SoS from his hand just as he did. He landed on the ground beside Harumi, leaping up and holding the SoS defensively. He raised up the shotgun Lloyd had given him in the other hand and fired it. The sound made Harumi clutch her ears in pain, but the pellets only made Kozu flinch.

"I saw," Monty told Harmi firmly, "We need to leave, now."

"**And when you've only just arrived?"** The voice of none other than the Emperor sounded out from the walls all around them, "**It is rather rude for you to come into my palace and expect to leave alive."**

"We're not polite guests," Monty spat. Harumi nodded her head. The voice laughed.

"**Such determined souls,"** The Emperor declared, "**You are truly skilled enough to make it this far. Yet I will not tolerate any further resistance. Lay down your arms now, or I will ensure the life of your allies are snuffed out the next breath you take in defiance against me."**

Harumi went completely stiff. Seeing how easily the Emperor had already attacked them with the very palace itself, that threat seemed credible. Harumi looked around, trying to see some way to get through the walls. The walls, however, looked the same they had before everything. It was as if once it took care of someone, the palace returned like a resetting trap. There was no way to know when they could be taken.

"Monty…" Harumi whispered nervously. Monty said nothing. When she turned to look at him, Monty had his eyes firmly trained on Kozu.

"I know that look," Kozu spoke calmly despite having just thrown off possession, "You wish to take my body for your own use again. Know the moment that you move, your friends lives are over."

"Monty," Harumi spoke more urgently to him, "We… we can't risk it. We can't."

"I can take hold of him again," Monty spat, "I can do it. I'll hold the Emperor's general hostage. I can give us some leverage."

"Monty!" Harumi snapped anxiously. Monty turned to look at her, anger in his eyes. When he met the terrified pupils that Harumi had as well, he began to twitch. After a few moments, he slowly turned back to Kozu and then planted the SoS in the floor. His expression gave away nothing of the thoughts he held.

"**You have made a wise decision,"** The Emperor declared, "**I will have Kozu take care of your ghostly friend. For now, I will send you to join those you came with, young girl."**

Tendrils shot up from the floor, each one wrapping around a different part of Harumi's body. Despite her agreeal to surrender, the action still made Harumi shriek out in terror. The tendrils yanked her down into the floor, shutting off the light as she felt her body being dragged through it. The sensation of Dark Matter enveloping her was the last thing she felt before her consciousness and freedom were stripped from her.


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings readers! I just wanted to take a moment here to plug my tumblr again! I've created this to give updates on my fics and let me just share some general thoughts https://bionicstars.tumblr.com/. You can also find this link in the description on all of my accounts. I would very much enjoy if you gave it a look! I had a slight mishap of having to transfer and then remake the blog, so if you did subscribe already, click the link and double check! Thanks again and NINJA-GO!

"N-No! Get off of me! Y-You can't put that thing on me!" Harumi's cries filled Lloyd's ears, causing him to rouse from his slumber.

As Lloyd opened his eyes, he found himself hanging from something. He was in shackles, with his arms held out to his sides and suspended a few inches off the nearby ground. Beside him hung Lulloyd, and to his other side was Mage. Across the room from him was none other than Harumi, who was struggling against two Stone Swordsmen that were attempting to affix something around Harumi's neck.

Harumi swung her legs wildly, trying to knock the assailants away. Lloyd began to stir, trying to pull himself free from his binds. As he began to make noise from the clattering of his chains, one of the two Stone Swordsmen turned to look back at him.

"Don't put that on her!" Lloyd's voice was hoarse but loud, "She can't have that on her! Get off of her!"

The Stone Swordsman promptly ignored him, turning back to Harumi. He reached up and struck her right in the gut, causing her to wheeze in pain. The momentary pause was all the other needed to affix the Dark Matter collar around Harumi's neck. As soon as it was in place, Harumi's eyes widened. She began to thrash and kick in her binds all over again, but this was no longer in protest. Her breath was caught in her throat, and now it was a wild panic in her body as it reacted to having the Dark Matter directly on her.

"Stop it!" Lloyd shouted, thrashing in his bonds, "You'll kill her! Get, get that off her!" He tried to charge up a blast of power, but nothing happened. The chains were most likely vengestone. He didn't care, shouting again, "Get that off of her, NOW!"

"**Oh?"** The Emperor's voice rang out from the wall behind him, seemingly right in Lloyd's ear, "**And why would that be?"**

"She's…" Lloyd didn't have time to think, "She's the Green Ninja! Dark Matter won't corrupt her, it'll kill her! It'll kill me too! You can't put that on her! Look at her!"

Harumi was struggling to breathe. She was starting to go limp, her skin turning pale and her hands rapidly clenching and unclenching to try to find something to help herself with. The display went on for another few seconds, letting Lloyd watch her movements start to become slow and lethargic. Her eyes began to flutter, then shut.

"**Release her,"** The Emperor sounded off, "**Place a collar on the child instead. I have seen enough to know that this one is not lying."**

Without hesitation, one of the Stone Swordsmen disconnected the collar from her neck. Lloyd didn't see her moving, making him worry that it was too late. After looking a bit more closely, however, he could see that she was still breathing, albeit faintly. Without checking her, the collar was swiftly delivered to a still unconscious Mage, affixed around his neck. It shrank rapidly until it was little more than a choker, but had no clear way to remove it. Thankfully, given the fact he didn't share their nature, he didn't have any reaction.

"**Your friend will survive,"** The Emperor informed him, "**You called her the Green Ninja. I suppose it is fair to say that you likely are as well, given your robes. This is most interesting." **

Slowly, the others began to stir. Lulloyd lifted up his head and slowly groaned, trying to piece together the last things he remembered. Upon feeling the sudden rush of terror that came with having his head enveloped in something, he started to try to kick the Dark Matter off his face. When he realized it wasn't there, he rotated his head to look around, seeing the others there with him. The memory of being literally enveloped in Dark Matter was a sickening one he thankfully could barely recall.

"Lloyd…?" Lulloyd groaned out, "Wait… you, you came to rescue me!"

"Yeah…" Lloyd shook his head, "I don't think that worked out like we thought it would."

"Ugghhhh…" Mage came to, briefly opening his eyes and looking around, "...Is this what inside the floor looks like?"

"You remember that?" Lloyd asked him. Mage nodded, his fingers reaching up to grip the chains around his shackles and tugging experimentally.

"I remember a lot of weird things…" Mage shook his head, "Here just, give me a second! I can get these chains undone!"

Mage yanked on the chains, groaning out as he did. When nothing happened, his eyes widened. He yanked again, but this time his eyes started to flare up gunmetal. The color faded like a flickering light, and instead he was left panting as he thrashed his arms in the chains.

"M-My powers…" Mage looked over to Lloyd in terror, "Where are my powers?!"

"These chains are made of vengestone," Lloyd sighed, "I've dealt with it before, trust me. It's… it's not gonna be worth trying to fight it."

"**And so he reveals more of what he knows,"** The Emperor spoke through the walls, "**I believe you might be the one that I must interrogate first…"**

"Interrogate?" Lloyd blinked, "Wait… Lulloyd, has he done that to you yet?"

"N-No…" Lulloyd gulped, "I uhm, he said he was waiting for you guys. I think he knew you were coming…"

"**To be precise, I knew you were here the moment you stepped foot in my palace,"** The Emperor answered him, "**I am connected to the Dark Matter as you are with your powers. I can sense the presence of any and all that enter this place. The only one that I did not sense was your ghostly friend, yet he was more than willing to reveal himself when the time came."**

"Monty…" Lloyd looked around the room rapidly, "Wait a minute, where's Monty?!"

"**He is spending his time in a deepstone cell inside of my… swimming pool,"** The Emperor chuckled, "**He has already managed to break out once, so you will not be seeing him around you anytime soon. He has experience breaking out of impossible traps, it seems."**

Lloyd ignored what the Emperor was saying, his attention firmly focused on Harumi. The girl was still breathing very shallowly, her body hanging limp. She was unconscious and it looked like she would remain so for a rather long time. Lloyd knew trying to get over to her was pointless, but he had to make sure she was okay. He looked up towards the ceiling, then shook his head.

"Emperor!" Lloyd shouted, "She needs help! You need to get her away from the Dark Matter! She's going to… to die if you don't help her!"

"**Oh?"** The Emperor asked back, "**And what would you give to me in exchange for that?"**

Lloyd paused. He had to think of something. Both Lulloyd and Mage looked at him in confusion, unsure of what he was saying. Lloyd forced himself to think again. This Emperor clearly didn't care about Harumi. With how he was treating them, it was fair to say he'd need some sort of bargaining chip.

"I'll… I'll tell you what those two Twins you're sending those Stone Warriors out to find are doing here!" Lloyd shouted, "Get her away from the Dark Matter and, and I'll tell you!"

For a few moments, nothing happened. Lloyd held his breath, terrified as to what was going to happen. Then, without warning, the chains he had on sunk into the wall until his hands were flush with it. The cuffs remained on, but the chains disconnected, letting him drop to the floor. Almost instantly, the same happened with Harumi. He raced forward and caught her just in time, helping her sit upright.

"L-Lloyd..?" Harumi whispered out, her eyes just barely open. Lloyd smiled down at her and helped to stand her up.

The two Stone Swordsmen from before entered the cell, growling at Lloyd as they did. One of them looked down at Harumi. Lloyd held onto her for a moment, but when they both barked something at him, he gently nodded his head. The two came over and roughly haved Harumi upright, who could barely make a noise at them. The two dragged her off, leaving Lloyd to stand up and stare at the entrance.

"**Come,"** The Emperor's voice beckoned, even as the floor outside the cell rose up to make a small path towards the left, "**I will escort you to my location. I will handle this personally." **

Lloyd looked back to Lulloyd and Mage, who both were staring at Lloyd with confusion and worry. Lloyd gave them a small smile nervously, then began to walk forward. Mage called out to him, but Lloyd couldn't stop. He nervously stepped out of the cell, letting the floor begin to guide him. It led him deeper into the cells. The floor rose up to create a wall between him and the way he came, cutting him off from his friends as he went.

Soon, Lloyd had walked far enough he came to a T-split. Directly in front of him was a large door with a slot in the top for. Two more Dark Matter walls blocked off the two other direction he could go, leaving him in a box with only the door in front of him. He looked towards the door and mentally steeled himself before he walked forward and opened it.

Inside the room was none other than the Emperor. The being stood on the other side of a metal table with cuffs built into the surface if needed. The being was still a massive ball of shifting shadow, with only a vaguely humanoid feature inside of it slightly darker than the cloud and his large purple eyes visible. As Lloyd entered, he heard a growl before a Stone Scout walked up and pushed him towards a chair. Lloyd took a seat. His left arm was forced down into the cuff, in which the cuff from his vengestone shackles was affixed to.

Slowly, the Emperor stepped forward. He raised one arm, placing a small brown dish in front of Lloyd. The dish was filled with a blue liquid. Lloyd looked up at the mass of shadow. Just staring at it from this close made his body tremble. The figure closed his purple eyes, then moved to take another and sit down across from him. Lloyd kept staring at him, trying to make something out. He'd felt this coldness before. This couldn't be anyone else other than the Overlord.

"**Drink,"** The Emperor commanded him, "**That is a truth serum, brewed from the Scopal leaves in the northern regions. It will not harm you." **

Lloyd looked down at the dish, staring at it nervously. The Emperor said nothing more, patiently waiting for him to do so. Lloyd shuddered for a moment, then slowly leaned down and picked up the dish. He shuddered, then forced it all down in one sip. It tasted like one of Master Wu's horrible teas, but nothing that felt like it was going to hurt him. He sat the dish down, wiping the side of his face with his free hand.

"**The way you look at me indicates you have dealt with me before,"** The Emperor surmised, "**Yet I have no knowledge of you. Morro has told me you were working with Sun. Tell me, for what reason do you work with such a deviant?"**

"You're the deviant here," Lloyd shook his head, "Who even are you?"

"**I could ask you the same question," **The Emperor placed his shadowy arms on the table, "**Tell me, what is your name?"**

"My name is Lloyd," Lloyd stated, not needing truth serum to state that, "Lloyd Garmadon."

That caused the Emperor to quirk one of his eyebrows up… if he had eyebrows, that was. The Emperor sat upright, pulling his chair a bit closer towards the table. Just that one action made Lloyd's breath catch in his throat. His eyes trained on the Emperor nervously, unsure what was going on. This was the same feeling as the Overlord… but it wasn't just that. Something else was up. Something else was wrong here.

"**Truthfully, then?"** The Emperor narrowed his eyes, "**You stand by that claim? Your name is Lloyd. Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon?"**

"Yes… wait," Lloyd blinked, "I never told you my middle name."

"**I have reason to know it,"** The Emperor stated calmly, "**Tell me… what do you know of the Twins in their machine that attempted to invade my Empire?" **

Lloyd could feel the serum working. Namely, it was less so that he wasn't able to lie, but more so he found trying to think of a lie harder to do. It was so much easier to tell the truth. He waited for a moment, however, before he forced his lips open.

"Is Harumi in a safe place?" Lloyd asked, "She can't be around Dark Matter. I… I shouldn't be either. I'll only tell you if she's safe."

"**I have placed her in a cell much like your ghostly friend,**" The Emperor informed him, "**I have reason to keep her alive, after all. So long as you answer my questions, she will remain that way."**

While Lloyd wanted more confirmation, he didn't want to push this man. He was clearly powerful, and right now he was only of use due to the information he held. He took in a deep breath, then began to talk. The serum seemed to have its effect, since he wasn't able to stop himself. He started all the way at the very beginning with his first encounter with the Twins. He went through his encounter, the Iron Doom, and briefly skimmed over each time he fought with them. The Emperor listened, never once stopping him. By the time that Lloyd was done, he was almost panting from having talked so long.

"**Other universes…"** The Emperor mused, "**I see. So you are from a divergent timeline, then. It appears that is a similar case for both the girl and the ghost. How does the ghost and the child fit in with that, then?"**

"Harumi said something about them being from universes that share enough of the base signatures to relate?" Lloyd answered honestly, "I don't know how. I just know that was where the Time Twins went to begin with."

"**Truly, then…" **The Emperor sat back, "**Tell me… for what reason do you chase the Twins, Lloyd?" **

"Because they plan to take over other worlds, and it's my fault they got away," Lloyd frowned, "It's my duty as the Green Ninja to save people."

"**Ah yes… the Green Ninja…"** The Emperor crossed his arms, "**Tell me… by what way did you become the Green Ninja?"**

"The Golden Weapons reacted to me and after that I started training," Lloyd replied.

"**Which Ninja was it that saved you from the Fire Temple's eruption?" **The Emperor followed up.

"Kai," Lloyd blinked, "Wait… I never talked about that."

"**What do you remember about the Megaweapon?"** The Emperor continued.

"Nothing, the ninja said my dad used it to make wishes but…" Lloyd looked up at the Emperor, "How do you know this?!"

"**I believe I know far more about you than you are aware," **The Emperor suddenly showed a smile on his form, a cruel one that arched up evilly, "**One last question. What do you know about the Overlord?" **

"That I defeated him," Lloyd spoke without thinking. At that, the Emperor's grin slowly faded.

"**I see,"** The Emperor stood up, "**Do you stand by the claim that you are from another universe, Lloyd? Would you swear your life on that?" **

"I don't need to, we all are!" Lloyd declared.

"**Such is your stance,"** The Emperor waved his hand, "**I have obtained all I need to from you, for now. In the future I can tell I will not need to use such things as my serums. You will prove to be a valuable asset to me. I will send for your strange friend next."**

"Lulloyd?" Lloyd asked, "You never told me who you are!"

"**For what reason must I do that?" **The Emperor asked, "**I am the Emperor of this land. That is all that you must know."**

"Because you're the Overlord!" Lloyd pressed his hand on the table, "And the Overlord can't leave the Dark Island without a host!"

"**Is that so? Then I believe you will have to answer that question for yourself,"** The Emperor waved his hand, "**Though when you figure out the answer, I do hope you share it with me,"** He turned to the Stone Scout, "**Take him away." **

Lloyd felt the Stone Scout taking hold of him. He undid the cuff holding him to the table, then hefted him up to his feet. Lloyd starred the Emperor down for a few moments until that cold sense of dread he felt washed over him again. He turned himself away from the Emperor, allowing the Stone Scout to escort him back to the cell.

The Emperor patiently waited for the next one to arrive. The same Stone Scout returned with Lulloyd awkwardly shuffling his legs back and forth. The collar he had on had shrunk down around his neck just as it had with Mage by now. He wore the same vengestone shackles as the others, even if he didn't need them. When he came to the chair, he rotated his legs perpendicular to his body and heaved himself into the chair. The Stone Scout went to cuff his hand to the table, but the Emperor shook his head.

"**I sense this one does not need bindings,"** The Emperor declared, "**He will answer our questions honestly." **

"What… what makes you say that?" Lulloyd rotated his head, "I'm not going to give up anything you tell me to!"

"**Because unlike the others, you are smart enough to realize your place,"** The Emperor leaned forward towards him, "**You have fought one with power beyond your own. Even now, you know that I outclass you in anything that comes to mind. I suspect that you have had training against interrogation as well."**

Lulloyd blinked in surprise. He didn't remember his father ever teaching him something like that. He'd taught him a lot of things, but not how to resist something like being interrogated for information. Well, it wasn't like he wanted to give away information in the first place, so it didn't matter. He stared firmly at the Emperor, ready to take what he had to say.

"**I do not wish to hurt those that do not require it,"** The Emperor admitted, "**Pain is a tool that must be used sparingly at best. Thus, I believe perhaps I can speak to you more so directly. I will allow you to even deny me an answer if you feel it too personal."**

"What?" Lulloyd asked in surprise, "Why would you do that?"

"**My reasons are ones that you will likely come to understand in time,"** The Emperor declared, "**Let us begin then, shall we?"**

Lulloyd sat up a bit more. For some reason, having the Emperor declare he wasn't going to be cruel with him was even more terrifying than him deciding to beat information out of him.

"**Your body is unlike anything I have seen… I would have previously taken it as a curse, yet I now believe you are from a world very different from this one,"** The Emperor began, "**Tell me… is the world you come from like you?"**

"Yes," Lulloyd answered.

"**Interesting… I believe that you were reported to be doing some very interesting things with objects,"** The Emperor continued, "**Do you refute those claims?"**

"No," Lulloyd shook his head. These questions weren't hard.

"**So that is how you wish to play this," **The Emperor sighed, "**For what reason do you chase the Twins?" **

"They hurt me and my friends," Lulloyd answered simply, "And I went to go and stop them from doing it to other people."

"**I imagine so,"** The Emperor agreed, "**Yet I sense that you have another reason. Perhaps you would like to elaborate on that reason?"**

"Another reason?" Lulloyd asked curiously, "I don't have another reason."

"**So there isn't,"** Lulloyd was shocked at how easily the Emperor pivoted away from that, "**Perhaps you would be willing to tell me what reason that you decided to join Sun and attack my forces in this city?" **

"I think that's, pretty clear," Lulloyd responded, "You're a bad guy, we're stopping you."

"**Is your morality truly that simplistic?"** The Emperor asked. Lulloyd said nothing, making the Emperor's eyes narrow, "**You are lying to me."**

"I'm not lying to you," Lulloyd answered back.

The Emperor's shadows began to flare up around him in a threatening aura, "**You seem wise, yet you seem not to recognize the situation. What do you know about this city?"**

"Nothing," Lulloyd raised his hands up, "I'm not from this world."

Suddenly, the Emperor pressed his hand to the table. The shadow that Lulloyd cast behind him began to morph up like liquid, raising up until it was like a claw reaching up to strangle him. That claw turned its fingers into swords, each one pointed at either his neck or head. The hand was dripping in a few places, yet it waved in the air like a shadow would in candlelight. The blades remained trained on him, while the Emperor's eyes glowed right into his own.

"**I have much reason to study your body, Lulloyd,"** The Emperor snarled, "**I could simply pluck your limbs from your body and see what it is that makes you like you are. I will do so slowly, however. I will make the pain that you so often burn through stretch for days, and ensure that you will not dare think to oppose me again."**

"You won't hurt me," Lulloyd's eyes looked nervously to the blades, yet his tone was firm, "You haven't gotten the information out of me yet."

"**And on what basis do you place your faith in that claim?"** The Emperor moved the blades so they were each touching Lulloyd.

"Because when you interrogate someone," Lulloyd explained, "Hurting someone off the bat will just ruin any chance of them trusting you later on."

The Emperor relaxed his body. Clearly, this boy had been trained by a professional to avoid any form of interrogation. He must have been given rigorous training to lose his fear of death as well. With a body like that, he wasn't even certain he could bleed either. If the threat of being stripped limb from limb didn't scare him, then this session would bear no further fruit.

"**Then I have no further questions for you,"** The Emperor nodded to the Stone Scout, "**Bring him back to the others. I will speak to the girl when she awakens from her slumber." **

Lulloyd was stunned from the turn of events enough to not say anything as the Stone Scout helped to guide him away. The Emperor raised his hand, using Lulloyd's shadow to shut the door behind him. Lulloyd looked back as he was walked away, yet the Scout Scout simply barked an order at him to keep moving. Without much choice, Lulloyd did as he was told.

Soon, Lulloyd was pushed back into the cell, where Mage and Lloyd were waiting for him. Mage was trying to grind apart the chains on a rock, while Lloyd was simply leaning against the wall to get some rest. When Lulloyd got back into the room, both of them sat upright and quickly raced over to him.

"Lulloyd!" Mage quickly moved up and hugged his side, "Are you okay?! Did the Emperor hurt you?!"

"He uh… he tried," Lulloyd blinked, "But uh, my father has kinda done worse to me."

"Wait, what?" Lloyd asked in shock, "Like what?"

"Let's just say waking up to your bed being in the middle of a harbor filled with Piranha Mechs and Jelly Subs all fully armed... well, you kinda get you over the fear of pointy objects," Lulloyd shuddered, "And missiles."

"Did he say anything to you?" Lloyd asked. Lulloyd shook his head.

"He said he was going to talk to Harumi next but, uh…" Lulloyd looked to the side, "I didn't get anything else from him. He wasn't really… I mean, I didn't think to ask him anything?"

"Do you think you can master build us out of here?" Lloyd asked, "We've been trying to break Mage's cuffs but, it isn't working."

"Uh…" Lulloyd looked up, "I uh, don't think so? I can only do that to things that are made of different parts. The floors and walls are all kinda one big thing. And the bars don't look like I could do that to them either."

"Great…" Lloyd sighed, "Then we need to focus on trying to get Mage's cuffs off so he can get us out of here. Any ideas?"

"Why not do that tornado thingy again?" Mage asked, "That might work!"

"I don't think I can control it enough to balance it right on top of your cuff," Lloyd lamented, "We'll have to find another way."

"We better come up with something soon," Lulloyd looked back towards the bars, "I don't know how long we'll be able to last in here…" The room filled with silence.

"...Wait, why?" Mage broke the silence, "The Emperor hasn't tried to hurt us."

"Uh…" Lulloyd was left a bit stunned, "I mean, it's just that, you know. We're in a bit of a situation, right? It just, felt appropriate."

"But, we're not in any danger right now, so why do you say that?" Mage asked.

"Let's focus on your cuffs for right now," Lloyd interjected, "Let's just hope he's not doing anything to Harumi…"

* * *

Harumi sat with her hands in her lap and her eyes trained down there permanently. She sat in the same chair Lloyd and Lulloyd had sat in, yet her fear was far beyond what those two had experienced. As the Emperor stared down at her, her body felt as though all the warmth in it had drained away. She almost felt as though she'd forgotten what it felt like to feel warm at all. Each time her eyes brushed up even slightly towards the Emperor, she felt as though her body somehow found ways to freeze even deeper into her.

"**You have a fear about you, Harumi,"** The Emperor declared, "**For what reason do you fear me?"**

Harumi said nothing. She felt as though her lips were permanently welded shut. The Emperor, upon hearing her silence, stood up. The sound that produced, however small, sent what felt like a lightning bolt right down Harumi's spine. Her body tensed up without her consent, showing the Emperor all she was feeling. Just seeing that alone was enough to make him slowly nod his head towards her.

"**You do not seem to be like the others,"** The Emperor declared, taking a step around the table, "**Something about you is unique. Something that seems to fester inside of you that they do not carry. It is something related to me… and yet it is not,"** The Emperor paused, "**I ask again, why do you fear me, Harumi?"**

Harumi tried to speak, but just opening her mouth hardly let any of her breath out. The Emperor was quick to notice this, but made no immediate move to capitalize on it. Instead, he began to stalk around the room. Harumi felt her body clench and twitch with each step that he took. The mass of shadows was unlike anything she had seen before, and yet the sound he produced was far more human than anything else. He took his time in circling Harumi, letting her eyes track him knowing that she would be trying desperately not to.

"**Do you intend to make it through this session without saying a word?"** The Emperor asked of her before letting out a dark chuckle, "**If so, I can assure you a tactic as simple as that would never have worked on me to begin with."**

"Y-You…" Harumi gulped, "I-I know who you are."

"**Ah, she finally speaks,"** The Emperor paused, his back to Harumi, "**Would you like to share with me what you believe I am?" **

"T-The… The Overlord," Harumi gasped out, "T-The embodiment of darkness. A-A byproduct of introducing light into Ninjago. You were sealed away by the creator of this place. Somehow, you escaped the Dark Island."

"**Your friend said something similar,"** The Emperor nodded, "**Yet both of you lack… imagination. Perhaps you could tell me more about who I am."**

"I don't need to," Harumi gulped, "N-No one in Ninjago would be foolish enough to actually let you off the Dark Island. You.. you threw off the balance, somehow."

"**As I have just said, you lack imagination,"** The Emperor sighed, "**Do you not understand what I am saying? If you approach me in such a straightforward way, the details in which you need to complete the picture will be lost to you."**

"And I'll never need to figure that out," Harumi trembled as she gripped the table in front of her instead, "Because good will rise up to defeat you."

"**It seems that your group holds a peculiar sense of morality… except for the one that has no further use for it,"** The Emperor nodded his head, "**To think that all good must rise up for all evil is a flaw in the very nature of its dichotomy. You define your stance of right and wrong based on the experiences you had grown up with. The things you see in life determine where you stand. Yet injustice is far more prevalent than justice, is it not? By what means can you truly create a metric by which to place faith in an assessment of one's stance on a spectrum that is, by its very nature, a subjective one?" **

"You just said it," Harumi refused to look at him, "If… if a system is by its nature subjective, then attempting to evaluate it by objective means fails on principle."

"**So you understand that, yet you still believe you can live a life based on only one side of that system?"** The Emperor asked her.

"...I don't need to justify myself to a tyrant," Harumi muttered.

The Emperor didn't say anything to that particular remark. Instead, he waited for her to relax. When she was no longer completely tense, he suddenly spun around and crossed the room in two small strides. His shadowy hand came out to grip her chin and yank it up to face him. Harumi's eyes went wide with fear, her body quaking in terror as her eyes were forced to meet those glowing purple ones. Almost immediately, she tried to move her palms together to form a Rhotatae disc. Before she could even make a curve, the Emperor's eyes flared. Harumi's shadow bubbled up behind her and formed two massive claws that grabbed her arms and gripped her wrists until the pain was too much to handle. The Emperor took a step away as her own shadow held her immobile in front of him.

"**I am aware of each of the abilities your friends have demonstrated, including yours,"** The Emperor looked deeply into her eyes, "**Tell me, Harumi, do you feel fear?" **

Harumi felt she was about to panic. It took all she had in her mind not to actually scream. Being this close, the sensations were piling on her. The memories she had buried were rushing back in full force. Her mind felt like it was drawing blanks to come up with a soothing remark, and her body felt as frigid as ice. Her lower lip trembled just looked at him, as though speech was something that his very nature wasn't' allowing her. The Emperor just let her remain like that, scared, vulnerable, terrified. She would know her place when in his presence.

"**You are a girl that holds many mysteries, so many of which I wish to uncover,"** The Emperor reached down with one of his free hands to brush the golden ouroborus design that lined the hole in the chest of her gi, "**Such a gaudy display. For a girl that seems as innocent and intelligent as you do, such a feature to allow those to see your skin is a blemish upon your image."**

"I-I-It…" Harumi's words wouldn't work, "N-Not…"

"**I imagine you have meaning behind it, yet I cannot seem to find it,"** The Emperor paused, "**Perhaps I will find more meaning in it if I am to take the time to do so…" **

"N-No!" Harumi felt a rush of panic go through her, "D-Don't!"

Suddenly, the Emperor's eyes flared up. The shadowy claws came together to yank her arms behind her and travel up them, forming a binder that then slammed her forward into the table. The jarring pain only rattled her momentarily compared to the fury that was suddenly present in the Emperor's features.

"**I will find what I am looking for, with or without your desires aligning with mine," **The Emperor snarled, "**Do not think that you can resist me, even for a moment, Harumi. I will rip apart anything I wish to if I must. You chose to enter my world. If you do not do so, I will arrange for your new outfit to be a rather nice dress of Dark Matter. I'm certain you would love that, wouldn't you?"**

Harumi's eyes were so wild with fear that the Emperor was surprised she hadn't broken down into tears. With how vulnerable she already seemed to be, this would ensure that her fear was going to remain higher than her urge to fight back with him. The shadowy bind was holding her firm while the Emperor stared down at her.

**"You seem like a smart one, so perhaps I will let you decide this for yourself,"** The Emperor's eyes stared into her own, **"I know you are hiding something from me, Harumi. Show me. And perhaps this session will end much faster," **When Harumi didn't say anything, the shadows around the Emperor flared up, racing out to surround her body. Harumi's world went black for several seconds, leaving her gasping for air in a dark void. The shadows retreated seeming as quickly as they came.

When Harumi looked to the Emperor again, he held up two things. The first was the shard of Lloyd's Realm Crystal that the group used as keys to enter other universes. The other, however, was what her eyes widened at. In his hand, he held the small black chip that Olive had given to her right before she had rescued her from the Vermillion. Just seeing it there, in his hand rather than her own, it was enough to make her blood run cold.

"N-No…" Harumi tried to sit up, "T-That's mine. Give that back!"

"**This?"** The Emperor looked over the black chip in confusion, "**For what reason do you carry this around?"**

"That's not your concern!" Harumi felt a bit of courage well up in her, "T-That was given to me by his friend! You have no right to-"

The shadows binding her arms constricted. Harumi had to stop talking just to grit her teeth in pain. The Emperor waited for her to go silent, once more in that trembling and vulnerable state, before he looked towards the chip and growled at her.

"**Let me reiterate something here, Harumi,"** The Emperor opened his palm with the chip up, "**You have, by invading my domain, rejected your freedom. It is not a trinket from a friend that you should worry about, Harumi,"** The Emperor's shadows began to violently stir up around him once more, "**It is your survival that you must worry for. I will not tolerate resistance, nor a rejection of my wishes. You chose to come here. Now you will submit to the darkness."**

Harumi turned her head to look at the chip. The Emperor's hand began to ripple like water, then the chip sunk into his hand. Just seeing that caused Harumi's breath to catch in her throat. Her eyes watched in horror as both crystal and memento were lost, seemingly absorbed into the essence that was the Emperor. The Emperor looked down at her for a long while, then his shadows began to envelop around her.

"**Let us begin our interrogation in full, shall we?"** The Emperor's smile suddenly returned, "**I have a feeling that you will be far more receptive to my questioning than your friends."**

Harumi watched the shadows slowly begin to wrap around her, blocking out the dim light of the room. The last thing she was able to do before her vision was fully enveloped was let out an involuntary scream of terror as her world was stripped away by darkness.

* * *

"Are… you sure about this?" Lulloyd asked. Lloyd, looking down at Mage's outstretched arm, shook his head.

"Not really, but we don't have any other choice," Lloyd turned to Mage, "Are you ready?"

Mage nodded his head, a determined gaze on his face. Lloyd was perched up on one foot on top of the cuff that was on Mage's left wrist, with Lulloyd having his arms around Lloyd's hips. Lloyd gave one more look of worry before he focused, twisting into Spijitzu. Lulloyd held onto his body to help him stay upright. Lloyd focused on balancing on top of the small cuff, leaning heavily onto Lulloyd. While he did, he pushed down with his tornado, hoping to break the cuff apart and free Mage.

Instead, the cuff remained firm. Lloyd pushed harder, but this ended up in unbalancing him. He let out a shout of fear as he was sent tumbling down off of the cuff, which dragged Lulloyd right down with him. The two hit the floor hard, leaving Mage to blink and quickly raise his hand up. He looked to the cuff, only to then pout and groan as he saw not even a mark was left.

"It didn't work!" Mage shook his fist, "Gah! How is it even fair for them to lock away my powers?! That's like, all I do!"

"I wish I could be more supportive but uh… you'll just have to get used to it," Lloyd sighed, rubbing his head as he sat up and helped Lulloyd do the same, "It happens to me every other week."

"It's just not fair!" Mage declared. Lloyd could only shrug and slowly help all three of them stand up. Once they had, he looked around as he tried to think of something else he could do. This was clearly vengestone, but it was clearly stronger than Lloyd remembered.

"Let's just keep our chins up, okay?" Lloyd smiled weakly to both of them, "We're all used to being in tough situations. We just have to keep thinking. We can figure this out if we work together!"

It seemed Lloyd's words were enough for the others. However, not long after he said that he heard noises coming from the hallway. The three quickly tensed up and looked towards the entrance, ready for what was about to come.

With a growl, the Stone Scout Lloyd and Lulloyd were very familiar with opened the cell, throwing Harumi's limb body inside. Lloyd and Mage immediately ran forward and moved to help pick her up, checking her over. While she didn't seem injured, she was breathing hard and cold to the touch. Lloyd helped her sit upright. Lulloyd came over to help hold her up, but stopped as soon as he saw who else had come with them.

"**You four are proving invaluable to me,"** The Emperor chuckled at them, "**My first round of interrogation has gone well, considering your… resistance." **

"Wait, how can it be over?" Mage raised his hand up and spread his palm over his chest, "You didn't question me!"

"**It would be in poor taste for me to put a child through that," **The Emperor responded calmly, "**Unlike your friends, I have the wherewithal to not drag a youth into the jaws of conflict."**

"I'm not a child!" Mage protested, "And they didn't drag me along! I demanded they take me with them! I have to pay back the Twins for what they did to me."

"**Yes, of course… that still does not excuse them for allowing you to come,"** The Emperor had the Stone Scout close the cell door and stand beside him.

"L-Lloyd…" Harumi gasped.

"Harumi!" Lloyd quickly turned her to face him, "Are you okay? What did he do to you?!"

"H-He… he touched me, Lloyd…" Harumi gripped her chest, "His darkness. I… I don't want to admit it. I-I checked the dimensional signature right after…"

"You should rest now, Harumi…" Lulloyd muttered nervously, "You, don't look good. You haven't looked good since we got here…"

"This is important!" Harumi shouted suddenly, "You two don't get it! He's not just the Overlord! He's YOU!"

"...What?" Lloyd shook his head, "No. No, you have to be wrong about that. He can't be! Lloyd doesn't exist in this world, Sun does!"

"Look!" Harumi thrust her watch up in Lloyd's face. On the screen were two wave-like graphs. One of which displayed his face, the other a hastily shot picture of the Emperor. The two graphs slowly overlaid on top of one another. When Lloyd saw what Harumi was saying, his eyes widened.

"**I have deemed that watch to be of no concern to me,"** The Emperor smirked, "**And she is smart enough to know not to use it against me."**

"Who are you?!" Lloyd suddenly demanded, "You… you've been hiding behind that shadowy stuff this whole time! Show us who you really are!"

"**Do you truly wish to know?"** The Emperor asked, "**Can you handle the truth?"**

Suddenly, Lloyd felt his chest run cold. He looked down to Harumi's watch and the patterns she was showing. Then, he looked up to the Emperor, a shadowy being that had no features on his body. Lloyd looked to Mage, then Lulloyd. Both of them had a similarly confused look on their faces. Lloyd, after a moment, nodded his head.

"**Then see this, my prisoners,"** The Emperor declared, "**See the face of the one that only those privileged are allowed to see. See the face… of your Emperor."**

Suddenly, the shadows around the Emperor shot out around him like a dark cloud. The shadows passed through Lloyd and the others, allowing them to see who stood before them. The Emperor stood tall with four black arms. His skin was completely black, with some small purple lines around his shoulders and elbows. He wore a beautiful sleek set of purple armor across his torso, with intricate blue markings carved against it. He wore no helmet, instead a crown that looked to be made of dark matter itself laid upon his head. His eyes, however, were completely dark purple, the same color the Overlord had shared. Along the figure's arms, sickening purple blades seemed to just out of the elbows and extend past the hands, pulsing with dark power as he moved. The Emperor placed those hands behind his back as he stared down the four in the cell. As the four were able to look upon his face, however, it became clear exactly who they were seeing.

"Now you have seen my true form," The face that spoke to them was none other than Lloyd Garmadon's own, purple pupiless eyes shining, "Rejoice… and kneel before your Emperor."


	44. Chapter 44

Without the shadow of darkness to conceal him, the Emperor stood in front of them. The face that he wore, sans the glowing purple eyes, was none other than Lloyd Garmadon. He stood with his hands now all behind his back, those strange sickly blades still jutting from his wrists. The crown he wore was equally as jagged and off putting, yet also radiated power and strength. He looked down at the four of them, all staring back at him with confusion written over their faces.

"Is… is that your real face?" Lulloyd gulped, "You… you were, doing shadowy stuff earlier. Are, are you sure that's what you really, look like?"

"Yes," The Emperor nodded his head, "This is the true face of the Emperor. I can see from your own that you are confused at its appearance."

"This… this can't be," Harumi looked down at her watch, "Sun… Sun never indicated he had a sibling."

"He does not," The Emperor informed her, "Sun is the only son of Wu and Misako."

"But…" Lloyd shook his head, "Then, you can't be Lloyd. You can't be us! Lloyd's mother is Misako!"

"Did I not tell you to stretch your imagination?" The Emperor sighed, "Perhaps you truly are not able to grasp what I wish for you to after all."

"Wait a minute," Mage stepped forward, "If… he's Lloyd, and, Sun is Sun then… why does he look like that?"

That question was one that hit each of them. The Emperor claimed he was none other than Lloyd Garmadon. Regardless of the very existence of Sun being of question now, that didn't explain why the Emperor looked like that. The Emperor showed powers and traits that only the Overlord had. Both Lloyd and Harumi had faced him personally, and until now it'd been a solid guess this was the Overlord.

"...The Overlord can only leave the Dark Island if he possesses a host," Harumi muttered nervously, "That… That means that the Overlord is…"

"**Right here."**

The deep voice the Emperor had came rushing back to him. When the group turned to look at the Emperor, however, his face had completely changed. Gone were the human features that he normally held; in their place was instead a face that Lloyd swore he'd never see again. A protruding snout, deep curved eyes, massive teeth-filled jaws and an oily sheen had come to define the Emperor's face. It was the face of the first stage of the metamorphosis that Lord Garmadon had gone through to become the dark dragon. While the rest of his body remained the same, the face had twisted and morphed into that terrifying visage..

"**I have been waiting for so very long,"** The Overlord's voice came ringing through the Emperor's body, "**I could smell your fear. I could sense your terror. It is so utterly… addictingly… delicious."**

Suddenly, the Emperor leaned his head down, groaning as he did. With a few sickening snaps, the snout retreated back into his face. The shadows covered his features for a moment, as though hiding something underneath. When the darkness retreated, the face of Lloyd was back, with the purple eyes still remaining.

"We agreed," The Emperor groaned, "That you would not alter our face unless needed."

"**I had an impression to make,"** The Overlord's voice came through the Emperor's lips, "**The girl's fear is one that I have not felt for so long…"**

"We will have their fear and more," The Emperor responded, seemingly to himself, "Be patient. We will learn all we have to from them, then you may have it."

"W-What the…?" Lulloyd took a step back, "Is… is he talking to himself?"

"...When my dad was being taken over," Lloyd was starting to look as terrified as Harumi, "There, there was a moment where both him and the Overlord were fighting for control. Both of their minds were in the same body. Does… does that mean?"

"Whenever we heard his voice before," Harumi shuddered, "We weren't hearing the voice of Lloyd. That… that was…"

"The Overlord, yes," The Emperor smirked, "He does command a rather interesting presence, does he not? I simply told him what to have us say."

"Us?" Mage stepped forward, "But, you're talking like you're two different people!"

"Yes," The Emperor frowned, "In a sense, we are. Our body is one we crafted from both of our former ones. Our minds are melded and fused irrevocably. While we retain two personalities, we are yet one being… the Emperor."

"No!" Lloyd straightened his back up, "You're Lloyd Garmadon and the Overlord! You, you two were meant to be the opposite of each other! How could you fuse with the Overlord?!"

The Emperor turned his head, shining his purple eyes deep into Lloyd. In an instant, shadows began to rapidly burn around him, rising up from around his feet like smoke from a roaring inferno. The shadows spread up and around him, the force of which produced a gale hard enough to make Lloyd fall back onto his rear. Harumi let out a cry of fear and scrambled backwards, trying to form a Rhotatae disc in front of her. Both Lulloyd and Mage were unable to move as they saw the sheer display of power.

"How could I?" The Emperor asked in a soft voice, "You wish to know what happened to me, to know why I would do such a thing?"

The way that Emperor spoke sounded as though he was barely holding back rage. Lloyd was too terrified to actually answer him. No one wanted to say anything to him. Seeing this, the Emperor slowly lowered the barrier of shadows around him and turned his back to them. With a slick sound, the blades in the Emperor's arms began to retract into his body, the skin healing up as it did. Then, out of his right palm, a large staff emerged. The staff was black and purple like the rest of his body, and the four blades in his arms had merged together into two long points at the top and bottom. When he planted the staff onto the floor, having fully slid out of his body, it was just shorter than he was. The Emperor looked down to them, then he slowly nodded his head.

"You will stay here, in this cell, without question or protest," The Emperor raised his staff up, "Seeing as how your ghostly friend has already attempted to escape, I will ensure that you do not leave this place…" The Emperor focused, then his voice deepened as he stated firmly, "Shadow Control."

The Emperor tapped his staff on the ground. Lloyd felt a flash of movement from behind him. There were several small lights outside the cell that shone on each of them. From the shadow that made them cast, a dark hand reached up to grab them. Lloyd was slammed face-first into the floor, gasping out as his own shadow held him down. Mage's shadow reached up and grabbed his wrist, then began to wrap around his chest until it had covered him in a shadowy straightjacket. Lulloyd had the same blades raised up at him, stopping him still, while Harumi had her hands yanked behind her back and held there. Once each of them was bound, the Emperor pointed one of his hands forward. The four of them went flying back into the opposite wall. As soon as they left the light, the shadows around them disappeared, causing them to simply crash into the wall and slump down into a pile. The Emperor waited for them to begin to move before he nodded his head.

"**Effective,"** The Overlord spoke up through the Emperor, "**But not very creative."**

"That is not what we should strive to be," The Emperor fired back, "Overwhelming power used with only the slightest of thoughts is that which the enemy should be shown."

Slowly, Lloyd helped to pick the others up. His mind told him he should have been able to dodge what was thrown at him. As he looked down at himself, he felt a wave of haziness. Just as the others had managed to stand up, Lloyd himself fell backwards. Lulloyd leapt over and helped to hold him upright.

"Lloyd?" Lulloyd asked. Lloyd was looking just as pale as Harumi was. Was the Dark Matter starting to affect him like Harumi was?

"It appears that your claims of being allergic to Dark Matter are true," The Emperor turned to leave, "It appears to also be at a slow enough process you can stay where you are. I believe I will leave you there, then."

"You… you haven't told us anything else…" Lloyd protested. Lulloyd helped to hold him. The Emperor stopped just before he was out of view.

"No," The Emperor chuckled, "And I don't believe I will."

With one large step, the Emperor was gone. Lulloyd quickly moved to help find a pot on the floor to lay Lloyd and Harumi. The two looked almost like they had a fever, albeit with Harumi's more progressively down the line. Once they were laid down, Lulloyd moved to sit beside Lloyd, while Mage did the same for Harumi. For a few minutes, the two green ninja lay panting, trying to get their breath back.

"How…?" Lloyd asked after a little while, "This… this isn't like with Monty. This… this is something else!"

"I… I don't know…" Harumi muttered, "The Emperor said Misako, only had one child. Which is Sun. I… I have no idea how he could exist in this world too."

"Maybe, we just shouldn't think about it?" Lulloyd suggested, "You two need to focus on, staying strong."

"We have to know!" Lloyd protested, "We can't just ignore it now that we know... Right?"

Lulloyd gave a bit of a nervous glance. Lloyd slumped back down as he did. There were too many things here that didn't make sense. From the minute they got to this world, there was something wrong with it. The city was corrupted, the Overlord was in power, and Sun was a knight swinging around a sword of light. Sun was the 'Lloyd' of this universe, that was the thought they'd all had. It was easy to see! But… now they had met someone that said he was Lloyd. An Emperor that claimed he was. For some reason, Lloyd didn't feel like he was lying. Lloyd looked across the room at everyone else, trying to gauge what he could say to them. When he realized he had nothing to say, he just closed his eyes and tried to drift off to sleep. Mage looked ready to talk to him, but Lulloyd reached out to stop him.

"Here," Lulloyd noted the way that Lloyd was starting to sleep, "Let's let them rest, okay? We uhm… we can go over here." Mage paused, then nodded.

Harumi gave him a murmur of thanks, just before she herself was soon to follow. Mage stood up along with Lulloyd, letting them both rest. The fear of the situation had likely taken out more of their energy, and now they needed to rest from it all. Lulloyd rotated his legs so he was lying flush against the wall, while Mage put his hands behind his head and leaned up against the wall that way.

Time passed. There was nothing to do in the cell. Nothing there for them to think about, other than the confused reality that was in front of them. Nothing about the Emperor made sense. Nothing at all, here, made any sense at all. All they could do was sit in silence. Soon, Lloyd and Harumi had fallen asleep. That only made the silence worse, and in turn, made Lulloyd feel more out of place.

"...Hey, uh," Lulloyd felt the need to talk, "Are you… doing okay, Mage?"

"Huh?" Mage turned to him, "Well… yeah, I'm okay. I mean, aside from being thrown into walls and getting my powers turned off."

"Oh… yeah, sorry that was a dumb thing to ask," Lulloyd paused for a little bit, "Hey… uh, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"I think you just did," Mage smirked. Lulloyd blushed a bit.

"What's it like… to have… powers?" Lulloyd asked, "Like… you got all those really big powers, what's it like?"

"What's it… like?" Mage blinked a bit, "Uh… well, it's really cool! Being able to do whatever I want is, really sweet! And like, it means I can go around and help everyone. Which means I get to have even more fun."

"Oh…" Lulloyd looked away, "Yeah, uh, cool. Thanks."

Mage wasn't satisfied with that response, "Why'd you ask? You have a ton of cool powers! That whole building thing you do is amazing! And that wholef like, knocking people into the air and just wailing on them!"

"Everyone back home can learn how to build like that," Lulloyd pointed out, "And uh, that's called the Art of the Skyward Dragon. All of my friends can do it."

"So?" Mage asked, "You're the only one here who can! I'd say you're pretty powerful yourself!"

"You… you're just kinda saying that," Lulloyd sighed sadly, "I, I guess I just, wanted to know. I want to be useful to you guys. Everyone here is either strong or smart or has some cool thing they can do and… I feel like I get lost in it all, you know?"

"You organized that entire rescue for my friends," Mage informed him, "You saved them. And you were able to figure out how to fight your way out even if I hadn't made the iron Doom retreat when I did," Mage paused, "Is… this about you getting captured?"

"...Maybe?" Lulloyd looked away from Mage, "...Of everyone to get caught, it had to be more. I… I was the one that got you all into this mess. You… you could've left me behind and then, you wouldn't have needed to get caught. Now you're all set back and, it's my fault."

"So?" Mage cocked his head, "What's being captured have to do with you being strong?"

"The… fact I couldn't actually get away myself," Lulloyd answered in confusion.

"I used to get kidnapped by someone every other week," Mage shrugged, "Doesn't mean that I didn't learn how to use the elements. And hey, you said I was strong too, right? So that means that being strong doesn't mean you don't get captured."

"You all still got caught because of me," Lulloyd protested. Mage shook his head.

"We would have had to get here at some point, right?" Mage giggled, "I mean, it was a big huge dark fortress! That's like, the easiest thing to have to go to. You being kidnapped just means it gave us a good reason to get here sooner."

"How… how can you be so optimistic?" Lulloyd asked, "We're in a big dark cell and, you're just… all ready to get going. I… I don't get it."

"It's not that I'm not worried," Mage pointed out, "But… Harumi told me that if I want to be a symbol, I need to make sure everyone around me sees me smile. You all need my help, right? Then let's not worry about what we can't do and, instead worry about what we can," Mage inhaled, "If I want to bring peace to my world as the Dragon Lord, I gotta make sure that I can handle the pressure that comes with it."

"Wow…" Lulloyd couldn't help but smile himself hearing that, "You're… really mature."

"Thanks!" Mage leapt up to his feet again, "Alright, I'm rested. Come on, let's see if we can find some way to get out of this place! Every prison has a weakness somewhere, we just gotta find it!"

Lulloyd felt his own energy rising as he heard Mage's declaration. Quickly, he got up to his own feet and began to work around with Mage. Mage was right; it wasn't worth him getting down on himself for all of this. He needed to get moving, and needed to help find a way out of here! As Lloyd and Harumi rested, the two of them got to work, even as the cell pulsed angrily around them and the situation couldn't have been more bleak.

* * *

Slowly, Lloyd lifted himself up from the floor. He didn't know how long it had been, yet seeing that Lulloyd and Mage were both resting as well, it had likely been several hours. Harumi had turned onto her side and was curled up, shivering a little bit but some of the color having come back to her. Lloyd tried to shift her to wake her up, yet she simply groaned at him in response.

Lloyd looked around the cell, seeing what he could find. He didn't feel great -the Dark Matter really was starting to get to him- but he was still able to move around and think. He slowly turned his eyes to scan towards the cells near the door, at which point he realized that someone was standing there. When he took the time to look a little closer, the image that he saw didn't give him any reassurance.

"Morro?" Lloyd asked, standing up slowly. Morro was leaning with his back against the bars, his massive scarves dangling towards the floor. Upon hearing Lloyd, Morro turned around, his eyes narrowed.

"I was hoping I would get another chance to fight you before it came to this," Morro sighed, "Looks like you weren't all you claimed to be."

Lloyd vaguely recalled the last time they fought ended with Morro being thrown off a train, "What do you want, Morro?"

Morro turned to face Lloyd. When he did, the light of the hallway caught the necklace that he wore around his neck. Now that he was close, Lloyd could see the necklace was a collection of small circular gems of shades of blue and green strung together on a chain. Morro reached up and placed his hand on it for a few moments, then he shook his head and looked to Lloyd with anger in his eyes.

"When I went to go talk to the Emperor, he was angry," Morro hissed, "Angrier than I've seen him in a long time. I don't know what you said to him, but I came here to tell you he isn't what you think he is."

"I don't need to know anything," Lloyd frowned, "He's evil. You can't tell me he isn't."

"You're just as bad as Sun," Morro growled out, "Do you even know what the Emperor has done for Ninjago?"

"He's clearly turned the sky dark and put Dark Matter everywhere!" Lloyd protested, "How can you look at that and say he's somehow a good thing for Ninjago?"

Morro looked like he was getting far too worked up. He stopped for a moment before he sighed, turning away from Lloyd and his hand gripping the end of one of his scarves. When he finally turned back around, he was forcing himself to look calmer than he actually was. Lloyd's words had an effect on him.

"The Emperor has saved Ninjago from turmoil and conflict," Morro leaned in, "He rose up and defeated enemies before they could strike. He removed anyone that would threaten this land. The dark sky is his way of demonstrating his power. Under him, there hasn't been any conflict in Ninjago…" Morro paused, "The only ones that actually cause danger for the people are those that follow Sun."

Lloyd didn't have an immediate answer for Morro. It was true… the streets were only flooded with Nindroids and Stone Warriors because of what they'd done with Sun. They were somehow early in the order of events, and yet it seemed that everything had been taken care of. Truly, in terms of the immediate threat to Ninjago.. Sun was the only one propagating conflict. Morro waited a moment before he spoke again.

"This necklace…" Morro reached up and pulled it from his neck, holding it in the air, "The Emperor gave this to me the day he rescued me. He told me I wouldn't have to live a life that would end in misery. I didn't know what he meant by that, but he told me that he'd watch over me. I had nothing when he found me. Now, I have everything. He saved me from a life of nothing. Would someone evil do something like that?"

"The Emperor what?" Lloyd blinked, "He… saved you?"

"The Emperor found me on the streets as an orphan," Morro explained, "And brought me onboard some strange machine. He told me he'd make sure I was given a life I deserved to live. When I woke up the next day, I was with relatives I didn't know I had. And I stayed that way… until the day the land turned dark, and I was old enough to pledge myself to the Emperor cause," Morro frowned, "You were thinking he forced me into service, weren't you?"

"What?" Lloyd asked, confused. The fact the thought had crossed his mind, however, meant that Morro was able to read it off his face and scoff at him.

"You'll clearly never understand," Morro walked away, "I just wanted to make sure I got a chance to talk to you before the Emperor got serious about interrogating you."

"What?" Lloyd tried to lean in and talk more to the retreating Morro, "Wait a minute, what do you mean by that? What is he going to do to us?!"

Morro stopped just before he was out of sight, "Nothing that you don't already deserve." Despite Lloyd's protests, Morro walked away with that line, the sound of the door to the wing opening and shutting accompanying it a few moments later. Once more, the four of them were left alone.

Lloyd slumped against the wall. So much of this didn't make sense. There wasn't any logical reason for Morro to be as young as he was. The Emperor had apparently saved him, meaning he knew what would happen to Morro. The Emperor also knew about Chen, the Twins, and had the foresight to get both Borg and Kozu under his ranks. Now that it was clear the Emperor was Lloyd, that made sense in some ways, since he would know himself about all that… but, the questions just kept piling up on top of each other!

Once more, Lloyd checked on Harumi. She didn't look good, but it wasn't getting worse. The Dark Matter here was more like a slow killing disease. He already wished it'd been him that played the bait for the plan to get in here. Harumi had been forced to go through a wall of the stuff. The fact she was still breathing and wasn't corrupted was a sign of how powerful she truly was. It was a sign of how strong her will and body was overall.

Lloyd took the chance to look over at his other two companions. He'd only known them for a few months to a few weeks, yet each of them felt like he'd been fighting alongside them as long as he had his team back home. He'd seen so much in just so little time, met so many people so quickly, and found himself in places he'd never envisioned before.

His thoughts drifted to Lulloyd. At first, he hadn't been sure what to think of him. He seemed unsure, young and somewhat nervous to just be around other people. He had a very strange relationship to his very strange father, and the line between if he was a ninja or a warlord in training was so blurry he often forgot to look for it. Yet he'd risen to every task he could. He slipped into the background at times, but he had never failed them before. Despite how long he'd been away from home, he never once complained, nor did he show anything other than pure and raw determination.

Slowly, his gaze was drawn to Mage sleeping beside him. He'd known Mage for a much shorter amount of time, but the respect he gained for him was far more than that. Somehow, he'd managed to bring together an entire world of tribes, stop a war, redeem his now best friend, stop a madman from ending the lives of everyone and broker a sort of world peace. Even when his world had been falling apart, he held on and kept going. He'd done some questionable things, and was clearly not as mature as he needed to be, but in a sense that was forgivable. With how much Mage had accomplished, Lloyd wondered just what true strength he was hiding under his small and oddly shaped body.

And finally, he looked to Harumi. The girl that had hated him the first time they met. His relationship with her, at first, had been complicated. Now, after fighting alongside her, he saw her as a friend. More than just a friend, he saw her like anyone else on his team. She was smart and quick to figure things out none of them could, while also keeping her cool during terrifying situations. She was truly worthy of being called the Green Ninja. She really was an incredible girl.

There was one member of their group missing. Monty was currently locked up somewhere else. Just like Mage, he couldn't help but respect Monty. He'd had his entire life ripped away from him, his arm twisted by destiny, and still managed to carve out a place in the world for himself. His crass behavior almost seemed like a natural reflex to apply when the world was a s cruel as it was. He was powerful in battle and straight to the point. Even if he didn't think he liked Monty, he was an almost invaluable ally.

Lloyd leaned up against the wall. It was natural of him to find allies when he was in tough places, wasn't it? Even when the situation was dark, he always found ways to bring people together. Though, if he was to have a team, he'd need one more. He had already gotten used to fighting alongside all five of his friends back home. His… friends back home.

"Mhmh…." Harumi stirred in her sleep, lifting her head up to rub at it, "Lloyd?"

"Harumi!" Lloyd exclaimed, helping to sit Harumi upright, "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine… I woke up a little bit ago…" She slowly rubbed at her eyes, shivering at bit, "...Where you thinking about something?"

"Huh?" Lloyd paused, "Uhm… yeah, kinda. I was just getting lost in thought about how we've all become a group like this. Like… a ninja team."

"Don't say that," Harumi sighed, "That means Monty is apart of us."

"I wasn't much better than he was when the ninja first took me in," Lloyd pointed out, "Haven't you seen Zane's pink gi?"

"He had to buy it back from a collector Ronin sold it to in my world," Harumi chuckled softly, "He has it on display in his big school."

"Yeah, that sounds like Ronin," Lloyd chuckled, "He's the same guy, even back home." The two of them shared a smile, but Lloyd's quickly fell. Harumi, seeing this, cocked her head and leaned in towards him.

"You miss home too?" Harumi asked forwardly. Lloyd just nodded his head slowly.

"I… I know it's been a really long time since we've gone home," Lloyd muttered, "Master Wu is probably freaking out. It's been what… four, five months now? Heh. We spent a lot of time just kinda bumming around with Ronin, then even more at the Summit…"

"I… want to go home too," Harumi gripped her fist a bit on his outfit, "...I really just want to go home and relax with Carn. Forte is probably freaking out too. Ren's keeping everyone together, just like she always does…" She trembled a bit, "I… I want all of this to end, Lloyd. I want to save our worlds and then, go home."

"We're working on it…" Lloyd sighed, "...I, guess I don't have a good comeback for that yet."

The two of them went silent for a few minutes. The possibility of this adventure dragging out even longer than it already had was very real, especially with them not knowing where the Time Twins were. With the Iron Doom in pieces and the Emperor's iron grip on the city, it was clear to see that they didn't have a clearly posted goal in sight. If the Twins got away, their adventure would just continue. They'd go to more worlds, they'd have to fight even harder, and they'd likely keep picking up people to go along with them. Somehow… somehow it felt like they weren't going to stop this adventure anytime soon.

"If, they do get away again, then we'll stop and go home," Lloyd smiled to Harumi, "We need to tell them we'll be okay. They need to know that. We'll make sure they know that. How about that?"

"If they do get away again," Harumi sighed, "We'll have failed pretty badly at actually being ninja." That statement made the two of them smile together.

"We'll do this," Lloyd reached out and formed a fist with his hand, "Because we're ninja. And what do ninja do?"

Harumi couldn't help but chortle as she fistbumped him back, "I'm not even going to say it."

"Good, cause otherwise I would have told you to quit it," Monty's voice came from beside them.

Both Lloyd and Harumi shakily got to their feet in shock, turning to see who it was. None other than Monty, wielding the SoS, was standing in front of them. He had no guns on his person, and his cape had been stripped from him. He had perhaps the most angry expression the group had ever seen from him, and that was even accounting for his normal state of being.

"Monty?" Lloyd looked around, "How… how did you?"

"You think I'm not used to getting Ronin and I out of prisons?" Monty scoffed, "I learned how to get out of deepstone cages after Chen died and left me locked in one for months. Once I picked the lock on my cuffs, it was pretty simple."

Harumi stumbled her way over to wake up both Lulloyd and Mage. The two of them blearily got up, muttering apologies about how they'd failed to find a way out of the cage. Soon, the four of them were standing by the entrance, with Monty looking at each of them before he growled and waved his hand at them.

"Step back," Monty brandished the SoS, "I'm getting you out of there."

"Where did you find your sword?" Mage asked. Monty gave him a bit of a less angry frown at the sword being called his.

"He's got all our weapons, and your dragon, Lulloyd," Monty pointed out, "They're in a room about ten floors down. I didn't have time to get them, but he took this thing somewhere else," Monty raised the SoS, "It must have been his personal room or whatever. Some great stuff in there. We'll have to come back later for some of it."

"Has the Emperor found out about you getting out yet?" Lloyd asked. Monty paused for a moment, then worryingly nodded his head.

"This entire palace is connected to him, I'm sure he has," Monty wedged the blade of the SoS into lock on the door. He focused, then thrust his hands forward. Wind gusts were shot straight into the lock, breaking apart the pieces inside and rattling it until he was able to jam the blade in further. With a crunch, the lock broke and allowed the door to swing open and the four chained friends to come with him.

"Alright," Monty waved his hands, "Cuffs."

Lloyd nodded. Monty, using an extremely precise cut on the SoS, was able to cleave apart the cuffs on Lloyd's right hand, allowing him to break off the rest of his with another slash. He did the same for Harumi and then for Lulloyd. When he came to Mage, the sword bounced off the cuffs, making both Monty and Mage stare at it in confusion.

"Probably figured you're the most dangerous one," Monty sighed, "We'll just have to deal with this later. We need get moving before-"

"Before you run into trouble," From the floor itself, the Emperor's form slowly rose up like a demonic sight, "You were right indeed, Monty. I knew of your escape from the moment that you did so. I was simply busy with other things at first."

The group, sans Monty, immediately tensed. Both Lloyd and Harumi charged up balls of power, while Lulloyd looked around for something to build. Mage looked around the room, trying to piece together what he could do and, seeing nothing, pouted and tried to yank his chains a bit. Monty, however, calmly glared at the Emperor and then down at the SoS.

"Actually," Monty narrowed his eyes, "This is exactly what I wanted."

"Oh?" The Emperor narrowed his gaze, "Tell me… what exactly do you want?"

"A challenge, basically," Monty held up the SoS, "If I win, you let us go. If you win, we stay. Simple as that."

"Hrmm…" The Emperor looked down to the SoS, "Do you believe the blade of destiny is able to save you from my ability?"

"I think so," Monty nodded, "I don't cast a shadow."

The others blinked, then looked down. It was true; Monty was so translucent that he didn't cast a shadow. Given the Emperor's power had been, so far, the ability to manipulate people's shadows into weapons that gave Monty a very distinct advantage. Still, hearing his plan was enough to make them all quickly give him a confused look.

"Monty, are you sure about that?" Harumi looked towards the Emperor, "He's stronger than all of us!"

"Yeah," Monty nodded, "But I also know his secret."

Suddenly, the Emperor raised his hand. The Dark Matter in the floor reached up and threw the occupants of the cell back inside, leaving Monty standing firm. The Emperor looked Monty up and down, even as he extended his hand. Slowly, that massive double bladed staff slid out of an arm far too short for it. He planted it into the floor in front of him, then gave Monty a small growl.

"I accept your challenge then, ghost," The Emperor declared, "You may have the first strike."

"Monty…" Lloyd gripped the bars, "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Yeah," Monty brandished his blade, "I got this thing on my side. He can't get the best of me."

With that, Monty rocketed off. His feet were surrounded with wind, sending him flying along the ground. He cleaved the SoS up before he approached the Emperor, causing the blade to strike that massive staff the Emperor held. As soon as it did, the Emperor raised his hand out to grab at Monty's head. When it passed through him, Monty solidified one of his fists and sent a wind-fueled uppercut into the Emperor's chest.

The Emperor didn't seem to take kindly to that. Monty turned to see that the lights were coming from small slots in the wall, meaning they cast shadows. The Emperor turned towards them and extended one of his hands. The shadow there began to rise up and form what looked like a spear that shot out from the floor. It went right through Monty's chest, who looked down at it and rolled his eyes.

"Hmmph," The Emperor nodded his head, "So it seems that you cannot be hurt by shadows."

"Should've gotten that from the first minute of the fight," Monty sighed.

"That was just a test," The Emperor suddenly spun the staff so it was being pressed flush with his back by one arm. The other three raised up and charged up a blast of dark power. Monty turned to look into the SoS, then rocketed up towards the ceiling with wind. He flattened his own body to it, letting the purple beams fire down and off into the hallway. Before Monty landed, he took another look into the SoS and then raced right for the Emperor.

This time, the Emperor tried to pull a move from Lloyd's book and charge up a ball of power to burst right in Monty's face. Monty swung his body out of the way just as the emperor thrust it forward with two hands, surprising the dark warrior. Monty spun the SoS and readied to cleave right into the Emperor's chest. The Emperor let the blast he'd prepared loose, swinging his body backwards and avoiding Monty's strike. Monty tried to blast wind from his foot to swing himself down and around to strike, yet the Emperor instead thrust his other two hands forward and blasted out beams, sending him out from under Monty and letting him stand upright.

"I did not grow to become the Emperor by failing to master the blade," The Emperor growled, "I wonder… why do you dodge my attacks?"

"Reflex," Monty spun the SoS tauntingly as he stood up.

"Mhm… no, there must be a reason," The Emperor narrowed his eyes, "You have reason to fight like you might be hit. I simply must find it."

"Oh, really?" Monty held the sword out in front of him, "Let's test that."

With a burst of wind, Monty rocketed forward like a missile. When he struck the Emperor, the tip of the SoS was being held between two blades. The Emperor had split his staff down the middle. Monty watched as the blades on each end actually split in half, then traveled down the blade like going through mud, until he had formed two half-sized double bladed staffs. He twisted them both in opposite directions, forcing Monty's arm back. He held out the two staffs, causing them to begin to oddly shrink, until only the four blades remained. He took one in each hand, letting the blades begin crackling with purple energy.

"Hmmph," Monty nodded, "I'm guessing that staff is apart of your body, isn't it?"

"More or less," The Emperor informed him, "The blades are my personal weapon, much like Sun's own flashy sword. The staff portion is something I simply create from my own body."

"So you've got three modes then," Monty looked down into the SoS, "Let's play, then."

Monty let the Emperor come to him. Much like Lloyd and Harumi had seen when in the Security Tower, the Emperor came down on Monty in full force. His four blades never gave pause in their strikes, forcing one after the other in a dance of sorts right onto the SoS. Monty, however, slid his body left and right, allowing his eyes to track the motion of the SoS itself. The sound of metal clashing on metal rang out in a symphony of battle, making the four in the cell watch in anticipation and trepidation respectively.

"You fight well," The Emperor nodded, "For a ghost."

"And you fight pretty well too," Monty replied calmly, "For a fake."

The Emperor swung his four blades out, throwing Monty back. Monty came to a halt, hovering slightly in the air to put him on the same height as the Emperor. Slowly, he reached into his ghostly armor, pulling out what looked like a photo. He held it up at the Emperor, smirking at him as he did.

"Recognize this?" Monty asked confidently.

While the Emperor had no reaction, Lloyd did. His hands gripped the cell bars. That picture Monty had was one that he had. One that was currently shattered in its picture frame. An image of Sensei Garmadon, and Lloyd Garmadon. Lloyd had taken that photo before leaving Chen's island. It was a photo that was one of his remaining memories of his father. A picture that the revived version of his father had smashed so cruelly to prove a point to him.

"...What about it?" The Emperor asked.

"Harumi," Monty turned to her, "Remember what Garmadon said to us about the past?"

"What?" Harumi blinked, "He… he said that… you mean what he said about the Great Devourer bite?" The Emperor's eyes shot to her.

"Exactly," Monty tossed the photo at the Emperor, "He had this in his room, buried under some weapons. I think this can only mean one thing."

Harumi's gears were turning. The Emperor stared darkly at Harumi, his gaze penetrating deep into her courage. When she looked up at him, she felt her thoughts trying to stop out of sheer terror. Yet the thoughts had already come to her, and she already knew what Monty was trying to say.

"N-No…" Harumi shook her head, "That can't be it. That can't have happened!"

"What?" Lloyd turned to her. Monty, however, was the one to answer.

"How do you think the Green Ninja was able to fuse with the Overlord?" Monty spat, "He showed me that whole Overlord trick when he locked me up. I think it's pretty simple as to why he's the dark one and not Garmadon."

"**Be careful of what you speak, boy,"** The Overlord spoke through the Emperor darkly, causing Lloyd's spine to run cold, "**You may not like the answer you come to."**

"Really?" Monty spun the SoS again, "Tell me, how'd that bite feel, Lloyd?"

Suddenly, Lloyd's brain was working overtime. He shot his gaze at the Emperor, then to Monty and finally Harumi. Harumi didn't react to Monty's words, which he could only take to mean they were true. The Emperor's face fully twisted into that twisted snout of the Overlord, his teeth showing and snarling at Monty. Monty, however, just stared him down.

"**Clever,"** The Overlord hissed, "**But not clever enough."**

"That… that would explain it…" Harumi shook her head, "Somehow… somehow he was the one that got bit by the Devourer. When… when he somehow saved Garmadon from it. He was infected with the Devourer's venom… which… which would mean…"

"**When that boy came to my island and asked for us to fuse,"** The Overlord grinned, "**His body was already to recieve my darkness."**

"But… but that doesn't make sense!" Lloyd shook his head, "How was Lloyd about to be there and, do that! How'd he get bitten?! This doesn't make any sense!"

"Don't think too hard on it," Monty sighed, "Let's just worry about beating him right now."

Slowly, the Emperor's face began to snap and crack again, bringing him back to the look of simply Lloyd once more. He adjusted the crown on his head -which now seemed to look like it was apart of his body somehow- then he reformed his full double bladed staff from his blades. He leveled the point at Monty, his eyes narrowed as he did.

"You have truly angered me, little ghost," The Emperor hissed, "I will now take from you whatever passes for your existence from you."

The Emperor suddenly began to spin his staff in a circle. As the group watched, his arm seemed to unnaturally twist and snap back into place, causing the blade to whirl like that of a rotor. Dark power began to spark around the ends until a solid circle of power was crackling at the edge of it. The wind that it kicked up was enough to make the four holding onto the bars stumble backwards. The crackling that it produced began to come together, slowly crawling out line lines towards the center of the spinning whirl to charge up a blast.

"Fancy move," Monty, unabashed by the sight, rolled his eyes, turning to look at the SoS, "I'm sure it's probably even easier to-"

The SoS showed nothing to Monty.

"What?" Monty blinked in shock. The little moment of hesitation was enough for the Emperor to raise the whirling blade over his head and bring it down over his shoulder with a demonic bellow. The action caused a massive burst of dark power to go right for Monty, consuming almost the entire hallway. Monty, stunned at the SoS' refusal to show him anything, was forced to flatten his body to the opposite wall. The Emperor's eyes narrowed as he saw Monty flatten the sword to the wall too.

"So… you need to hold onto things to use them, don't you?" The Emperor grinned evilly, then vanished. Monty, by reflex, looked down into the SoS again, yet the blade was still an unreflective dull gold. When he did see the Emperor in its blade, it was because he was behind Monty, reaching out to grab his wrist and then hurling him overhead.

"What is wrong, ghost?" The Emperor laughed, "Your blade is not working for you?"

Monty tried to get up and mount another attack. He sent a burst of wind right towards the Emperor, trying to knock him over. The wind wasn't strong enough, and instead the Emperor brought his staff down to try to impale Monty's arm. Monty turned out of the way, yet the blade cracked the floor and sunk into it.

"It's working just fine!" Monty lied angrily. He leaned to look into the sword, yet it showed nothing. Nothing at all. He looked up towards the Emperor, who had reached his hand out to blast a beam of dark power at his arm. Monty was forced to dodge normally, yet this gave the Emperor time to retrieve his blade and clash it into the SoS. Monty was forced into a lock with him, forced to hold onto the SoS lest he risk losing it.

"Something is clearly not fine, ghost!" The Emperor hissed, "Where is that bravado I saw earlier? Where is the face of one that would tell the world of my past, and then dare to challenge me for my rightful place in it?!"

"Rightful?" Monty growled, straining to actually hold a clash with such a powerful being, "I can't stand people that try to act all high and mighty. You remind me too much of someone else. Kinda like Sun."

"You know nothing of Sun," The Emperor growled, "You know nothing of what happened to me. This world rejected me. It cast me aside and left me to die. I stand here before you now because I had the strength to seek out the only other being that was able to understand my pain!"

The Emperor threw Monty back. Monty held up his guard, clearly winded and unsure of what to do. He frantically turned his gaze to the SoS, yet nothing was showing back at him. The blade was refusing him. The Emperor straightened himself up and held up one of his hands. As he did, two small purple spots were revealed. The spots of none other than a snakebite.

"You think I feel anything for that world that cast me out?" The Emperor shouted, "Anything for a people that never cared for me? Let me tell you a story, ghost! When I took the chance to rid them of hardship, of the pain that my father would cause, I was poisoned. The world struck at me for trying to save it. So I said to hell with the world! Everyone would come to hate me, to despise me. And as if to say that to my face, I wasn't even born. I was now in a world where I. Never. Existed. So I found the one thing that would understand me. The one being, cast out beyond everyone, one that would finally see me, and would allow me to share in his power!"

The Emperor slammed his staff with all four arms into Monty's guard. The SoS failed to respond to this, forcing Monty to take it head on. With him actually having to hold it back to keep his sword, the ghost began to shake. The Emperor slid to the side and swung his staff, striking Monty's hand and sending him into the bars of the cell. HIs face cracked as it turned to the face of the Overlord.

**"You look at us like some sort of abomination!" **The Overlord raced forward and grabbed hold of Monty's sword to sling him around again, "**Something that shouldn't have existed. So we shouldn't have. But it is us, us who shouldn't have existed. They will see us as evil, then let us be evil. Together, here, on top of our palace, of our throne, their cries cannot reach us. They will never understand us. Let them squabble to take us down. They will never understand who we became. Who we are!"**

Monty tried to see what was coming next. Nothing. The Emperor crashed the staff into Monty's hand, causing his entire arm to feel numb. Monty tried to phase through him, yet the Emperor spun his staff like a saw, knocking Monty and sword across the room again.

"I have learned from your words, your actions. Each of you beat him, like he was nothing more than some sort of pest to put out! None of you would ever consider that fate was always against him! Against us! When the world cast me out just like the First Weapon Master did to him, I found him. The being that was meant to be pure of light, was corrupted by darkness. And that darkness brought us together. In a way none of you will ever find to each other!" Dark Matter erupted from the floor to wrap around the SoS like vines, trying to pull it out of Monty's grasp. With a desperation, Monty grabbed it with both hands and pulled. When he turned to the Emperor, his face was twisted between the Lloyd's and the Overlord's own.

**"We are power. We are might. We are darkness. Ninjago is a place of light? Then let it be covered in shadow for what it did to us!"** The Emperor raised his staff.

"We are the Overlord of this world! We are two and one! We are more than any human could ever be!" He crashed it down into the SoS.

**"Let our reign be endless. Time can no longer harm us. Time ripped him apart. It ripped everything apart!" **The SoS was yanked from Monty's hand, disappearing into the floor. The Emperor reached down and grabbed Monty by his arms and raised him up.

"I am! **I am!** We **are** the **EMPEROR!**"

Dark power, the pure unfiltered evil that could only be countered by the light was sent right into Monty's body. Before he could phase out of his grasp, it was sent right into him. For the first time since the group had met him, Monty screamed. His body convulsed as the power ripped through him. It burned and tore whatever it found. It scorched and ruined him. When the Emperor dropped him, Monty simply crumpled. With a tssk, the Emperor picked him up again and then slung him towards the bars. His body went through them, his arms clanging violently as they prevented him from going all the way through.

"MONTY!" The four of them shouted. They quickly grouped around the ghost, checking to see if he was alright. For a moment, they were checking to see if he was alive before realizing what that meant. Monty was sizzling and twitching still, and his eyes were firmly shut. The Emperor slowly walked over to them, the staff of his disappearing into his body as he did. The four looked back at him, but the Emperor gave them no such consolation.

Then, Monty coughed. He slowly raised his arm and groaned, pulling himself upright. He rubbed his head for a few minutes, then, seeing everyone's caring gazes, scoffed and stood up. He took a few steps forward through the bars, then stood in front of the Emperor.

"I don't say this to a lot of people," Monty spat, "But good try."

"Hmmph," The Emperor sighed, "I had hoped my powers would work on a ghost. It seems I need to develop them further to truly send you back to the Cursed Realm."

The two of them stared at each other for a long while. Monty, without the SoS, wasn't able to fight to nearly the same extent. He had no guns, no tools and the Emperor had taken hardly any damage. In a sense, it was a bleak situation to be in. The four were still in the cell, unable to leave, while Monty was all that stood between them and the Emperor.

".. Uhm…" Mage looked towards the Emperor, "I just figured out what we can call you."

The Emperor turned, "What do you mean, child?"

"Well… you just made it sound like you were two different people, but you're also the same person, right?" Mage grimaced, "So… it's weird to call you the Emperor if you're two people, right? So… let's call you Overlloyd!"

The entire room was silent. Mage wasn't sure what they all thought. Then, someone began to laugh. The laugh was scratchy and hoarse, yet filled with mirth. Each of them looked around, unsure where the sound was coming from. It was only after exhausting each of them they realized the sound was coming from the Emperor himself.

"S-Stop that!" The Emperor shouted, "Stop laughing!"

"**That's your name now!"** The Overlord cackled, "**OVERLLOYD! It's perfect! It fits you like nothing else!" **

"Silence!" Overlloyd shouted. Despite this, the Overlord caught laughing.

"It… does have a nice ring to it," Lulloyd muttered, "Kinda works since they're both the Overlord, right?"

Overlloyd shot a harsh glare right towards Lulloyd, making him wilt. He held that sharp gaze for a long while, then he growled and turned away from them all. He stood with his back turned to them, trying to reclaim some of his dignity. After a long few moments, he snarled.

"Do not think that a rechristening me with a new name will mean you leave my clutches," Overlloyd spat, "You will suffer my full wrath for your indignation you have forced upon-"

Suddenly, there was the sound of a massive alarm. Overlloyd spun around, his eyes widened and his body tense with anger. His four hands began to charge up with dark power just to show the state of his rage. He took a few steps forward, then slammed one hand into the dark matter wall.

"What?!" Overlloyd spat, "What is going on, General Kozu?!"

"There appears to be an intruder in the palace," General Kozu spoke through the walls much like Overlloyd had, "He is heading right for your location!"

"I don't have time for that!" Overlloyd spat, "I must teach my prisoners the true meaning of-"

Once more, Overlloyd was cut off. The door to the wing went flying past him, nearly cleaving his head off as it did. The action caused the five prisoners to turn to look towards the source. When they did, they saw a massive flash of white knightly robes and a glow of yellow that illuminated the dark cell wing far more than any other light could.

"You…" Overlloyd snarled, "How have you come this far?!"

"You will soon find out!" Sun declared, raising his sword up as he turned to the captives, "Do not worry, my friends! Your knight has come to your rescue!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The information continues to flow! This was a chapter that underwent a lot of last minute edits, but I think it came out as I wanted it to. I wanted to quickly remind everyone that I have a tumblr, the link of which you can find in my profile, or by going to bionicstars! I'll be using it to drop some behind the scenes stuff and information on hiatuses and more, so please give it a follow if you're interested in Enter the Ninjaverse!


	45. Chapter 45

Sun brandished his sword of light, panting as he focused. The blade began to glow even brighter as he did, illuminating the entire hallway with its glow. Overlloyd looked first to the others in the cell gazing towards him, then towards Sun. Overlloyd took his time staring at each of them, then he slowly inhaled and let out a long breath to help calm his nerves.

"General Kozu," Overlloyd spoke with a barely restrained rage, "How was Sun able to get this far into my palace?"

"There was an explosion on the side of the palace, sir," General Kozu answered back through the walls, "He was able to slip by the men I had posted using that."

"Explosion?" Lloyd asked, then he blinked, "Wait… did you use the core?!"

"I did," Sun nodded, not taking his eyes off Overlloyd, "The Shadow awaits for us! Once I defeat the Emperor, we will make our escape!"

"Funny," Overlloyd frowned, "That you assume you can best me after our last encounter left you barely able to move."

"I have grown since then!" Sun declared, "... If I am to become the knight to save Ninjago, I must overcome myself first! And to do that," Sun's blade began to glow so brightly it was turning white, "I will prove myself to those that I have wronged!"

Overlloyd didn't give Sun another chance to speak. Monty turned invisible just as Overlloyd raised his hands up and blasted Sun with four beams of dark power. Sun, rather than dodging, twisted his sword across his body to take them head on. The four beams were drawn right into the light, burning violently against it. Sun focused, his eyes remaining fixed on Overlloyd as he did. With a loud shout, Sun twisted his blade towards the sharp end and cleaved it up into the air. The four beams were cut apart and burned away by the light, leaving Sun sweating but standing firm with his blade held backwards.

"Your darkness," Sun pointed his hand at Overlloyd, "Cannot overcome my light!"

Overlloyd snarled and shot forward, using his two lower hands to drag up two pillars of Dark Matter from the walls to crush Sun. Sun spun his body out of the way and used his momentum to carry him right into a clash with Overlloyd's large staff. The black Emperor and white knight were framed as both darkness and light burned violently within the hallway.

Out of the corner of his eye, Overlloyd turned to see Monty appearing in front of the cell door, moving in to possess the lock. As soon as he did, his eyes flared with rage and he turned one hand towards the cell. The walls began to push upwards, then contract and crush the bars onto itself. Overlloyd let out an angry yell as the floor slammed upwards towards the ceiling, ripping the bars from them and knocking it into the cell itself. The cell became a pitch black box, with Monty still possessing the bars trapped inside.

"**You will stay!"** The Overlord's voice snarled in a demonic snarl, "**If the ghost attempts to leave, I will impale each of you on your own shadows!" **

"A-And so the true face of the Emperor is revealed!" Sun declared, "Do not worry my friends, I will-"

"**QUIET!" **The Overlord screamed. Sun saw Overlloyd's hands charging up with dark power, inches away from his own face. Sun, thinking fast, activated his ability and slid the sword down the length of Overlloyd's staff, drawing a small ribbon of light. He released the energy stored in it, the explosion knocking Overlloyd away enough for him to twist his sword and take the blasts of dark power again. When the blasts ended, Sun was panting yet still standing unharmed.

"Is that all you have, Emperor?" Sun taunted him, "Your darkness can no longer touch me. I have grown since the last time we fought, and now I will-"

"If you believe that somehow spouting your nonsense at me will allow you to believe it," Overlloyd spat at him with a gasp of anger, "Then you clearly need to learn more of how true battles are fought!"

Sun took the chance to go on the offensive. He began to paint that golden ribbon in the air, running forward as fast as he could to store kinetic energy in it. Overlloyd went to swing at him, but Sun rolled forward and under the swipe. When he got up to his feet, he leapt into the air and swung his sword around, catching it on the back of the Emperor's staff. He slid forward on one foot to go under the resulting counter, then dashed forward to avoid another. When he stopped, he had completed a circle around Overlloyd and, more importantly, his ribbon had. He grinned at Overlloyd, then let loose the energy he'd stored up.

A massive series of explosions down the length of the ribbon lit up Overlloyd like a flash bang. Sun wasn't able to see him for a few moments, yet he held his sword out as defensively as ever. When the light cleared, Overlloyd was still standing, with small bits of smoke trailing up from him. While he had a rather hard look on his face, he seemed to have taken very little damage from the attack.

"Is that all you can give me, Sun?" Overlloyd's tone had dropped back to the cold and calculating voice of the Emperor, "You have not grown at all. If you wish to save those around you, you will need to be able to demonstrate that with power."

Sun felt his senses flaring up and dodged as the walls erupted in Dark Matter spikes to impale him. This forced him right into Overlloyd's staff, causing him to stumble backwards and nearly fall back on the spikes. Sun saw his shadow begin to rise up out of the eye. The Emperor's ability could kill him instantly if he wasn't careful. Quickly, he flared his sword with light, burning away his shadow enough to cancel the effect.

Overlloyd, however, took advantage of this. He reached out with one hand to grab Sun by his robes and fling him into the wall. Sun gasped out from the impact, his right shoulder flaring up in pain from taking the brunt of the hit. He quickly rolled forward as the wall opened up into a void, ready to drag him in. He was forced to roll again as Overlloyd tried to bring his staff down on him once more. Once he was on the ground, Sun panted as he tried to catch his breath there.

"You will never be able to defeat me," Overlloyd declared, "I don't have time for you right now. If you truly have something to show me, do so now or leave my sight."

Sun got up to his feet, turning his sword and catching another blast of dark power on it. Overlloyd, expecting this, leapt into the air and brought his staff down at Sun. Sun looked up and swung his blade upwards to catch it, yet his strength wasn't enough. He was sent right down onto his back again, gasping out in pain as Overlloyd reached out with all four arms to grab hold of his staff and force it right down towards Sun's blade.

"I have something to fight for, unlike you!" Sun gasped out at him, "Those allies of mine that you have caught! They give me the strength to keep going!"

"All you do is spit out platitudes and worthless empty phrases, thinking that somehow propels you forward," Overlloyd stated to Sun as he slammed Sun's back into the wall, "You truly are a selfish boy. Did you come here with your team?"

"No," Sun admitted, much to the chagrin of those trapped in the cell, "I was unable to convince them."

"Liar," Overlloyd swung his staff hard enough to knock the sword from Sun's hands, reaching out and grabbing him by the neck, "You came here on your own. You felt guilty for losing to Kozu, and now you've come to redeem yourself in the eyes of those in that cell. Admit that, Sun. Admit how selfish you are!"

"I-I came because!" Sun struggled out as he was strangled, "J-Justice demands it!"

"Justice?" Overlloyd rolled his eyes. He let go of Sun, letting the wall instead grow claws that grabbed him and flung him into the opposite wall. Sun shouted as he crumpled down to the ground, slowly dragging himself back up.

"Y-Yes…" Sun coughed out, "Justice! I am an arbiter of!"

"You are only an arbiter of your own desires," Overlloyd hissed out, "Your sin is pride, Sun. You pride yourself in being a champion of the light. You thrive upon being a symbol. Yet you are unwilling to put aside your own desires to have what that takes!"

The floor shot up in a pillar, throwing Sun into the air. Overlloyd thrust his staff out, catching Sun around the hips with it. Overlloyd swung the staff, sending Sun back down into the floor and causing the breath to be knocked out of him. The impact broke Sun's concentration, causing his sword to extinguish and fall from his hands. As Sun gasped for air, his body throbbing in pain, Overlloyd reached down and picked up the now useless wooden hilt that was Sun's weapon.

"Is this what your resolve gets you, Sun?" Overlloyd narrowed his eyes, "Then see it be crushed as easily as your body."

With a snap, Overlloyd closed his fist, causing the sword hilt to snap in half. Sun's eyes widened as they did, eyes filled with horror. Sun tried to force himself up again, but the Emperor's aura and the pain he's caused the knight were too great. When his body refused him, Overlloyd simply tossed the now broken two useless pieces of wood down at him.

"It takes time to bind an object to become your weapon, does it not?" Overlloyd stated firmly, "Then that means that I have already won," Overlloyd observed Sun's look of shock and turned away from him, "You could not save your friends. You could not save yourself. And now… you won't save anything."

Sun looked down at the floor, just in time for another pillar of Dark Matter to rise up from it and uppercut his chin. He went flying onto his back, his world going dim. Overlloyd scoffed at the sight and slowly focused. He held his staff out and opened one of his palms, then sank the staff down into it. When it was gone, Overlloyd scoffed and began to walk away.

"A bravado is nothing without the power behind it," Overlloyd stated firmly, "Stay there and reflect, Sun. Reflect on your failure. Reflect on your pride. See it broken like your blade of evil's bane you carry."

Overlloyd took a step down the hallway. That was when he heard something. The sound of shuffling clothes. Slowly, Overlloyd turned his head back and saw that Sun was beginning to sit up. His body was quaking and cracking as he did. Overlloyd, intrigued, fully turned around and watched Sun lift himself up onto his knees, then reach out and grip one half of his broken wooden hilt in each hand. He tightened his grip to the point he could feel the splinters starting to dig into his palm. Sun remained there, on his hands and knees, willing himself to stand up.

"**I'm impressed,"** The Overlord spoke once more, "**That was far more direct than usual."**

"I'm becoming rather tired of his antics," Overlloyd hissed, "I've had a busy day."

"**Then finish this off in one strike,"** The Overlord replied with a nod of their head, "**He can't take more than another swing."**

Sun huffed hard, digging deep into his body. Slowly, he dragged one leg up and planted his foot down on the ground. With another hard huff, he dragged himself to fully stand up. As he did, he smirked and wiped the sweat from his brow. That action alone felt like lifting up a mountain. Slowly, he held out his two hands, panting as he raised a shaky gaze towards Overlloyd.

"Just one more strike, then?" Sun huffed out, "Then I suppose I should be more careful."

"Silence, boy," Overlloyd growled, taking out one of his blades from his body and pointing it towards Sun, "You cannot stand up to me anymore. Get down before I make it a more permanent command."

Sun slowly raised his eyes up. As they did, a fire was burning in them. Slowly, he focused. He focused harder than he had until now. As he did, his two wooden pieces he held began to spark. Overlloyd eyed them curiously. Sun focused, focused, and focused harder. With a let long growl, he held his arms straight out from his body. The wooden pieces began to spark.

Then, two brilliant broadswords of light appeared in each hand. Overlloyd blinked in surprise. Sun slowly held them forward, his arms shaking as he did. He panted and looked forward through the brilliant glow of his now two blades, staring right into Overlloyd's eyes. The light cast him in an aura of light not unlike that of the shadows the Emperor had first appeared in. Sun's lips, framed by the glowing gold, curled into a smile.

"You give me far, far too much leeway, Emperor…" Sun panted, "My connection to my sword will only be lost when I let it be lost!" Sun's eyes flared up with that fiery determination, "My ability will be your downfall, Emperor! You've made me realize something by saying that I must look inside myself!"

"Quiet," Overlloyd spat. He shot forward, bringing that single sword down. Sun brought his own two blades together and caught it on them, this time feeling his body beg to go down. He held himself -no, forced himself- to remain standing, using this chance to look even closer at the Emperor he so hated.

"Kinetic Overload uses the energy my own body produces as I move to ignite my light for all to see!" Sun declared, his confidence having returned, "I have looked inward now, Emperor! I've realized something about my ability I never have before!"

Suddenly, Sun's massive robes flared out. Light began to spill out from under them, casting a deep shadow behind Sun. Overlloyd called upon his Shadow Control ability to try to turn that shadow into a blade and send it right into Sun's back. With a static burst of sound, the blade was stopped. A ribbon of light, the same that Sun's sword would trace in the air, had stopped it. The ribbon had emerged from under Sun's robes.

Sun grinned. The ribbon burst out with energy, exploding its force into Sun's back. Sun used that moment to slice his blades apart and drive his head into Overlloyd's chest. The action threw Overlloyd backwards, giving the Emperor enough time to draw out another blade. As he did, he was treated to the sight of Sun with more and more ribbons of light beginning to emerge from under his robe, each one tracing shapes in the air as they slithered out towards Overlloyd.

"If I use the energy in my own body to light up my path," Sun declared, "Then I need not rely upon my blades to defeat you!"

Suddenly, those ribbons shot right through the air at Overlloyd. Overlloyd snarled and spun his staff, expecting to slice them apart. The ribbons, however, went right through the blades. Four of them moved to get right into Overlloyd's face, right before they ignited along their length with explosions. Overlloyd gasped in pain as his body was thrown backwards, rolling across the ground before he could get back up.

Sun, just as Overlloyd had, gave him no time to recover. Instead, he sent more ribbons forward, each one snaking around to him. Remembering what had happened with Sun's shadow, Overlloyd called upon his ability on his own shadow, turning it into a shield he willed to protect him. The light ribbons were struck by it was forced to stop in the air. That moment, however, broke Overlloyd's sight line, giving Sun the chance to run forward and leap into the air. Both of his light swords were sent straight down towards Overlloyd, who caught them on his sword. That moment let one ribbon slip by the shield and hit his chest, the burst sending him even further down the hallway.

"What ails you, Emperor?!" Sun shouted as he pressed his attack, "Do you no longer have the strength to stand up to my light?"

"**Interesting…"** The Overlord spoke up, "**We finally pushed him hard enough to be willing to meet us as equals."**

"And that meeting is soon to end," Overlloyd snarled, "Permanently."

With all the light that Sun's ribbons were casting, more distinct shadows were on the ground. Overlloyd took the moment he had to see them and willed his ability on them, causing them to shoot up like string and ensnare all the ribbons Sun had in the air. Overlloyd then raced forward, ready to drive his two blades into Sun. When he was close to Sun, Sun swung his blades in an X motion, causing two ribbons of light to be painted just as he always had. This action forced Overlloyd to take the brunt of the burst head on.

When Overlloyd managed to shake his head enough to see, the sight that greeted him was a bright one. Sun's robes were billowing out, and ribbons had spilled out of his. Sun had his swords at his hips, pointed up towards the roof. All around him, the ribbons had webbed up. The entire hallway had been filled with an intricate weave of light, covering almost every inch it could. Sun raised his sword up to one ribbon that was above him like a thread, grinning triumphantly at Overlloyd.

"No longer are we the ones trapped by your darkness, Emperor," Sun declared, "Now, it is you that will be trapped by my light!"

In a symbolic gesture, Sun sliced his blade through the ribbon. At that moment, all of the ribbons in the room ignited at once. Overlloyd had a second to react just before his entire world was a complete white. His body was rocketed by the force of explosions from all sides, eliminating all shadows that remained in the room. The burst broke apart the bars of the other cells, and left scorch marks on the wall of Dark Matter keeping in the prisoners. Sun stood in the center of it all, the explosions rocketing around him, but never touching him.

When the light cleared, the entire room was scorched black enough to hide the distinctive glow of Dark Matter. Overlloyd fell to his knees. His body was burning from all sides. Smoke was rising from his carapace all over him. His blades fell to the the ground, then began to bubble. They turned into Dark Matter, which then moved to be absorbed into his body. Sun, seeing this, nodded his head in understanding at the damaged man.

"So you bound your weapon to the foul substance you keep within your own body, then?" Sun grimaced, "Truly a horrifying way to maintain your power."

Overlloyd's body was burning for the first time in a long time. He shook his head, getting his thoughts back. To Sun's surprise, Overlloyd stood back on his feet. He panted for a few moments, staring Sun down. Sun had inflicted actual, real damage on him. How much he would need to see. His body, however, was still moveable. He looked into Sun's eyes with a true and genuine hatred that seemed to seep from him like a miasma. The aura of rage Overlloyd gave off would have made a lesser man flee.

"For once, you have shown me power that can truly give me pause," Overlloyd growled, "I admit you for that, Sun. I will give you my respect, if nothing else," Overlloyd's pupiless, purple eyes glowed brightly as his hate filled, dark aura flared around him, "And for that reason, I will-"

"My Emperor!" Kozu's voice suddenly rang from the walls, startling the two, "I have news for you!"

"... General Kozu," Overlloyd spoke the words with a calming hiss, "For what reason do you give to interrupt my duel?"

"Sir, more intruders have entered the palace," General Kozu informed them, "They somehow were not spotted by a single one of my men. They are heading your way."

"How close are they?" Overlloyd growled back. From behind Sun, he heard the distinctive sound of the door to the wing of cells beginning to open up.

"Vermillion!" An all-too familiar voice sounded, "March!"

Sun turned around, ribbons of light beginning to soar out from under his robes like whips. From the entrance to the wing, several Vermillion warriors began to pour down the hallway, going right for Sun. Without thinking, Sun directed the ribbons to go right around the Vermillion, igniting them a moment later and blasting the snakes apart. The snakes went flying everywhere, a few of them landing in front of him from the force of the blast. Sun growled and turned his head back to Overlloyd, a determined look retaking his features.

"Is this another one of your tricks, Emperor?!" Sun declared, "This will not be enough to stop me!"

"Those things belong to nothing I have under my armies," Overlloyd shook his head, "Yet I would like to see how this unfolds."

Sun, annoyed that the Emperor was ignoring him, turned his attention back to the Vermillion. More warriors were marching down the hallway in rows of three. Sun continued to send out his newly acquired ribbons towards them, blowing apart each wave of snakes. More and more snakes were sent in every direction, and soon enough there were no warriors left. Sun sighed, ready to refocus, when he heard hissing from behind him. His eyes widened as he saw that the warriors he assumed were down had reformed, and now were attacking him. His attention turning away, however, gave a chance for another one to reform and grab onto his back.

With the distance too close and the shock too great, Sun was unable to overcome the new enemy. The Vermillion reformed and swarmed him, until a total of twelve warriors were around him and grabbing at him. Sun was forced down onto the floor, two Vermillion standing on top of him and holding him down. One Vermillion took the halves of his sword, causing Sun to shout in anger and attempt to fight back. One Vermillion leaned down and sunk his fangs into Sun's neck. Sun thrashed as the pain of it overcame him, his eyes began to roll into his head, and he was left passed out on the floor.

The Vermillion dragged Sun up to his feet, then threw him so both him and his now useless broken wooden hilt had landed at the feet of Overlloyd. Overlloyd watched as two figures appeared behind the Vermillion, who flattened their bodies to the wall to make way for them. As soon as Overlloyd was close enough to make out their faces, he was unable to hide the interest that covered his face.

"Krux and Acronix," Overlloyd nodded his head, "It seems that I did not need to send my Stone Warriors for you after all."

Suddenly, a rush of panic went through the trapped group inside the cell. Lloyd and Harumi moved to get as close to the wall of Dark Matter separating them from the hallway, listening in. The other three did the same, leaning in as close as they could to try to get a good listen as to what was happening.

"So… you do know of us," Acronix's younger and cocky voice came first.

"Indeed," Overlloyd responded coldly, "You should be dead."

"Forgive us for our failure to do that," Krux replied back sarcastically, "The two of us have far more time before we must meet that fate."

"And, do tell me," Overlloyd narrowed his gaze at them, "What is perhaps stopping me from accelerating that fate to right now?"

"The Time Twins?!" Lloyd turned to Harumi in the darkness, "Why are they here?!"

"I… I don't know… " Harumi stood up in full, "We, we have to get out of here!"

Suddenly, the cell began to rumble. Lloyd looked around the cell and illuminated his hand with green power. As he did, he saw the horrifying sight of the walls shrinking. The five of them were forced into a space not much larger than a closet. As each of them tried to get away from it, the walls erupted tendrils that shot up and wrapped around them, dragging them against the wall. Both Lloyd and Haraumi gasped out in pain as they felt this, while Lulloyd and Mage struggled. Monty was left the only one standing.

"If you attempt to leave that cell, ghost," Overlloyd momentarily turned his attention to the wall they were trapped behind, "I will kill them all, right in front of you. You will remain there, no matter what happens. Do you understand me?" Monty said nothing, which Overlloyd took to mean he agreed.

"If I may," Acronix raised his hand, "I would advise you to kill them now. They're quite a troublesome bunch, especially for like-minded individuals like us."

"You may not conusel me," Overlloyd growled, "Tell me, what business do you have with me?"

The Twins nodded to each other, then waved their hands. The Vermillion they had with them moved behind them and formed up into rows of three like a squad behind their commander. The Twins suddenly got down on one knee, bowing in respect to the force in front of them. Overlloyd raised his eyebrow as the Vermillion behind did the same.

"We've come to pledge ourselves to you, great Emperor," Krux spoke firmly, "And to teach you the secret to something that will change the way your power is forever held."

"W-Wait!" Lloyd shouted, "You can't trust them! You can't- MMPH!" The tendril around his neck shot around his mouth, silencing him.

"What secret?" Overlloyd asked. Acronix couldn't help but grin.

"The secret… to traveling universes," Acronix stated dramatically.

Lloyd felt his body rise up in panic, no doubt shared with the other. The Twins they'd been preparing to search for had revealed themselves. Whatever they were doing here, it wasn't going to be for a good reason. They were here for something deadly, dangerous even. Harumi in particular knew that whatever they were promising wouldn't be true. They had some plan going here. All of them tried to struggle out of their bonds, but none of them could.

"That is… an interesting offer," Overlloyd nodded his head, "Tell me, would you be willing to exchange that secret for your allegiance to me?"

"Of course, Emperor," Krux responded, "We will be happy to disclose it to you right now."

"Not… here," Overlloyd paused in thought, "Come. Follow me. We will see what it is you can offer me elsewhere."

Krux and Acronix both nodded, rising up from their bow as they did. Overlloyd gave them one more glance before he turned his back to them, holding his staff as he did. Slowly, he began to guide them away from the trapped travelers, letting them hear the march of the Vermillion as the Twins followed after them. Lloyd screamed out in protest, trying to get free yet finding himself trapped. Harumi did the same, yet her body was already weak. Mage and Lulloyd had no other such success, and Monty was unwilling to move lest he risk their lives. The Twins soon were gone, leaving them behind yet again for some unseen plan.

* * *

As he guided the two men and their Vermillion, one thought was constant in his mind: Overlloyd did not trust the Time Twins.

Perhaps it was the fact that the Twins had arrived so conveniently right when he needed them most. Perhaps it was the fact he'd dealt with them before, and knew what their antics involved. Or perhaps it was simple that the two looked to be con men, willing to stab the backs of all those that weren't each other.

"Follow," Overlloyd led them to the large disc that acted as the palace elevator, "I will take you to a place we can discuss your terms in detail."

The Twins gave no objections to that, instead just ushering their Vermillion to follow. Overlloyd slowly moved to activate it, causing them to rise up high towards the top of the palace. He took this time to look more closely at the Twins, trying to see what they were thinking. Acronix just grinned at him while Krux bowed his head rather respectfully.

Overlloyd decided not to say anything, instead guiding them until they had reached the room he wished for. They arrived at the third floor to the top of the palace, putting them at floor… roughly 104, if Overlloyd was counting correctly. The floor was smaller since the palace grew to a point at the top. The room was circular, with a set of double doors being the only feature present.

"Come," Overlloyd ordered, "Leave your troops outside. You need only those you hold closest."

Acronix waved over three of the Vermillion, "These three are the replacements for our… currently on-leave generals. They need to observe the conversation for their hive mind. Do you mind that?"

Overlloyd said nothing. He opened the doors to reveal a rather warm looking conference room. The main feature was a set of two chairs on one side of a large table with a much larger chair on the other. A small fireplace was to their right, burning with purple flames. The other side had a tray of drinks on it. Overlloyd made no such offer to them, taking his seat on the large chair. The Twins sat in the two opposite of him, with the three Vermillion standing behind them with unwavering gazes.

"Now then," Overlloyd placed his four arms in front of him, "Tell me the secret of traveling universes."

"Being rather forward, are we?" Acronix smirked, looking around the room, "You have a very consistent palace. Very minimalist. I can appreciate that choice of design."

"My palace is connected to me," Overlloyd raised up a spear from the floor to prove his point, "Know that if you say something wrong, then I will end you. You are alive now only for the reason that I wish to know what you do. There is nothing more beyond that."

Krux and Acronix nodded. Slowly, Acronix reached into his armor and pulled out something. It was a pocket watch, and one that he moved to dangle from his hand. Krux did the same, revealing they both had the same watch and displaying it together.

"There are two ingredients to this power, as we have discovered," Krux began, "The first is one that we can give to you… the power of Time." Overlloyd perked up.

"The universes all flow to the same march of Time," Acronix continued, swinging his watch, "Those that attempt to play with it are often met with a horrible fate. We, however, are strong enough to do so. And we can create a machine to do so."

"What is the other ingredient?" Overlloyd asked impatiently.

"The other… is a link to one that has the power of the creator of this world," Krux continued, "It need not be that you have it yourself. So long as you have something like that, you can truly puncture a hole to leave your world."

"Enough with your silly speech," Overlloyd growled, "Explain yourselves clearly, or I will torment the information out of you instead."

The two Twins looked at each other, then shared a sigh. They put their watches away and put their hands in their laps. They mirrored each other, even if one was far older than the other.

"We can provide you with the tools to create something that you need to leave this world and conquer even more," Krux explained directly, "We simply need for you to be willing to provide the resources needed for it."

"Would the machine that I destroyed when you arrived have anything to do with your request?"

"Yes, actually," Acronix frowned, "That's exactly it! You were rude in destroying it so suddenly without knowing what it did!"

"I am familiar with it," Overlloyd stated casually, "And I will not tolerate intruders, no matter what gifts they claim to bring." At his statement, both Twins shared a look.

"All we would need is access to someone that has the power of the First… oh, what is it here?" Acronix fumbled, "The First… Weapon Master?"

"Yes," Overlloyd affirmed, "A man of great legacy and power. One that brought the power of weapons into our hands."

"With your resources, we could build the machine again and give you the power to travel other worlds," Krux leaned forward, "You clearly are a man of power, respect, and knowledge. If you were to gain more of that, brats like the one that dared challenge you would be nothing anymore. You would have absolute power. And we will give it to you."

"Truly," Overlloyd nodded.

"All you need to do is let us build our machine!" Acornix leaned in eagerly, "It won't be of much cost to you. You'll be able to use your vast powers and find yourself in places to challenge your power and grow it. Far beyond what you can do now!"

_**Do you trust these two?**_ The Overlord asked inside of their head.

_Of course not,_ Overlloyd sighed, _But I will at least entertain them to see if they are what I remember them to be._

"I know of you," Overlloyd frowned, "I know of your kind. You are ones to worm your way into the graces of those that have power and then rip it from them when their backs are turned. If you think that I am believing in you for a moment, you are truly delusional. Your words will be remembered, just like the scrap of your former Iron Doom that lay with the wastes my empire has produced."

At that, the two Twins looked at each other with a far more concrete expression. Neither of them had said the name of their machine yet. With him saying he'd met them before, that was all they truly needed to begin to sit up in their seats. The action made Overlloyd raise an eyebrow.

"Now then," Overlloyd nodded his head, "Perhaps it is time that we get to the betrayal that you intend to pull on me."

Acronix blinked, but his shocked gaze turned into a rather chipper smile. At that moment, two of the Vermillion opened their mouths to reveal a colored glow in them. Acornix reached around to yank out the Forward Blade from one, while Krux reached out and took hold of the Slow-mo blade with the other. The two Twins grinned and each fired a beam of time straight at Overlloyd.

Overlloyd closed his eyes, then shot open. The shadows of the table shot up with hands to knock the table up in the air and catch the two blasts. Overlloyd rocked back on his seat and flipped over the back of the chair, drawing his full staff out of his body as he did. The table crashed to the ground as the Twins readied another strike, heading right at him. Acronix smirked and activated his blade on himself, disappearing in time.

Just as Overlloyd dodged the blast of blue, Acronix appeared behind him and struck his back with the blade. Undaunted, Overlloyd twisted his body around and cracked Acronix in the chest with the flat end of his blade. The action sent Acronix to the floor, where said floor erupted into chains to bind him down, blade and all. Krux attempted to fire another strike, yet Overlloyd dodged again as he hit the ground and swept Krux's feet out from under him. Krux went down and soon was chained up like his brother. One more swing carved the two Vermillion that had produced the blades apart.

"So," Overlloyd turned to Acronix, "That is how you were able to get past my palace guards."

"What can I say?" Acronix, oddly, was grinning, "It's always good to have a _forward_-thinking plan."

From behind him, Overlloyd heard someone straining. In his haste to dispatch the two, he'd forgotten about the third Vermillion that had entered. The third warrior was jerking as Overlloyd saw snakes beginning to fall away from their face. This revealed the face of one that he knew well. Morro's face showed his body straining hard as the snakes on his body forced him to raise up his hands. Before Overlloyd could react, he let out a cry of pain as two massive bursts of green power were sent right into Overlloyd's body.

Without any form of protection, Overlloyd took the power that was a pure antithesis to him. Both Overlloyd and Overlord screamed together as the power coursed through them and burned each part of them it could touch. Overlloyd dropped his staff and it dissolved back into Dark Matter. Morro shouted with him as his body was forced to put out a continual beam of power, focused right onto him. The Twins didn't stop until Overlloyd had fallen to his knees and then the floor.

"Hubris," Krux stood up from the Dark Matter chains of the floor dissolving, "Can take many forms."

"Let's go, brother," Acronix laughed, "We have something from the past to find."

"Indeed," Krux nodded. Morro, who had gone limp after firing, gave another long blast of power into Overlloyd just to make him jerk about on the floor even more. Overlloyd was left limp on the floor as the two cut up Vermillion reformed and grabbed one of Morro's arms each.

"Vermillion!" Acronix threw the doors open and laughed, "It's time for us to rise!"

* * *

"We have to get out of here!" Lloyd shouted. The sound that came out was more of a muffled groan.

"I know!" Harumi shouted back. Her reply was similarly muted. Monty remained standing stoically, refusing to move in case of causing one of them to meet some deadly fate.

Each of their minds was racing with confusion. The Twins had somehow arrived here, and now they were here in the palace for… for some reason. After everything they'd learned about Overlloyd, this was almost too much information. Why were the Twins here? What was their goal? When had they gotten here?! After so long of not seen them, the group needed to figure out what was going on with the Twins!

Once more, Lloyd tried to give a tug on the bonds. They had to get out of here. It didn't matter if they had to go through that… that dark Lloyd to get to them. They couldn't risk this, they couldn't risk what could happen if the Twins achieved their goal. They couldn't be playing catch up anymore, they needed to stop them once and for all!

"Prisoners!" Overlloyd's voice ringing out around them caused all of them to tense up. Lloyd looked up at the ceiling, trying to see in the darkness.

"The Twins… they have fled from my watch and are running wild in my palace," Overlloyd explained, his voice sounding strained, "Know that I would never ask this unless the situation was dire. Are you committed to stopping the Twins?"

For a long few moments, the room was silent. None of them knew quite what that question meant. Lloyd wasn't sure what was happening. The Twins had escaped from Overlloyd? How? Despite the confusion in the room, Lloyd nodded his head as best he could.

"Then I will make you a deal," Overlloyd panted out, "Ally with me to stop them, and I will let you free."

Suddenly, the Dark Matter binding the four let go, letting them all slump to the floor. Lloyd coughed out as he rubbed his throat, while Harumi stumbled a bit in her sickly state. Mage and Lulloyd looked around, trying to see where Monty was. The wall of Dark Matter that closed them off from the hallway slowly lowered, allowing light to filter in to the cell. Mage, seeing he was standing halfway in Monty, blushed and stepped back.

"Why?" Monty asked for them all, 'Why not stop them yourself?"

"Because," Overlloyd responded, "I fear what they may be after. I've dealt with them before… and I don't know if my Hands can deal with them."

The five shared a long look with each other. If Overlloyd, the man that had enslaved Ninjago, worried about their power, then something was wrong. That thought was what worried them as they all moved to step out of the cell.

"Wait a minute," Mage asked what they all thought, "Why can't you do it?"

"They…" Overlloyd sound as though he was swallowing his pride, "They tricked me. Sun's attacks coupled with their trickery has left my body weak. I would never ask this of you if I was unable to follow. It is taking all my strength just to speak with you. Do you accept my call?"

The group took the chance to look at each other. Slowly, they all nodded, and Lloyd gave their agreement. As soon as they did, the voice commanded them.

"Go to the center of this floor, I will have General Kozu take you to your weapons," Overlloyd groaned out, "From there you will be guided by him after the Twins. I believe I know where they are going. I have sent two of my Hand to deal with them and slow them down. Hopefully, they can buy you that time…. Go!"

Lloyd shared a look with each of them. Harumi and Lulloyd looked nervous and confused, unsure of if they should truly trust him. Since losing the SoS, Monty had remained with a rather neutral expression, though he had his fists clenched. Of all of them, Mage had the hardest look. This was their chance to attack the Twins, and to finally bring them to their knees.

"Alright," Lloyd looked forward, "Let's head out, team."

* * *

"Are you certain this is the way to go?" Acronix asked, panting a bit at how hard they'd been running.

"The elevator stopped working after we hit the bottom floor," Krux growled, "We'll just have to keep finding our way down this way!"

The two had found a secret stairwell, hidden in the entryway of the palace. The two of them, the captured and disguised Morro, and their eleven other Vermillion raced their way down said stairs and into the darkness. When they had reached the first floor, it had led to a massive tunnel that looked like it would reach far and away into the ground. Both of them gave a nod to each other as they led the charge down into the tunnels.

"Soon," Acronix laughed, "We'll be free of this place! Free at last!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, brother," Krux shook his head, "If this pays off, we'll be more set than ever. Until then, we must be cautious."

Eventually, the tunnel led to a massive room. The room had a large gate that stretched high up into the ceiling, which likely almost would hit the surface above it with how high it was. The room looked to have been carved out by hand, with the wall being some sort of blue stone that had the banners of the Emperor's reign on them Standing in front of the large gate, however, were two figures that made the Twins stop in their tracks.

"Are these them?" Cryptor asked, his newly rebuilt suit shining with his new laser-cannon arm.

"Looks so," Morro flipped his scarves back, "The Emperor says they're not allowed to pass this point."

"Move aside," Krux declared, "Or we will strike."

"Emperor's orders," Cryptor charged up his cannon, "And even if we didn't have them… I'm going to have fun testing out this new upgrade on my new target practice."


	46. Chapter 46

General Kozu growled as he led the group along through the palace. Lloyd had fallen behind Monty, who seemed the most eager to arrive at their destination. Harumi looked at the red Stone Warrior with distrust, while Lulloyd was more confused the more he spent looking at him. Mage was similarly looking at Kozu, yet his look was one of awe and shock as he tried to take in a man that looked like a walking detailed statue.

"How much further?" Monty demanded.

"Your impatience will not help us get there faster," General Kozu growled back at him, "The Emperor has commanded me to guide you. I will do as I am ordered."

"It… it feels weird being escorted by the guy that imprisoned me," Lulloyd pointed out. Kozu, while still walking forward, turned his head back to look Lulloyd right in the eye.

"The Emperor is the one that commands my actions," Kozu narrowed his gaze, "I hold no emotions for those that I meet on the battlefield. So long as my Emperor commands it, I will fight alongside even the most dangerous of foe."

"Uh… okay?" Lulloyd muttered as Kozu turned back around, "I didn't mean to be rude."

Kozu said nothing, instead leading them to a room with a large lock made of Dark Matter. Kozu reached two of his hands inside, moving the parts around until there was a large click. As that click sounded, the door began to open. Kozu pointed one of his arms inside.

The room was a massive treasure room filled with gold, with large displays and pedestals devoted to certain things. Lloyd recognized some of them as artifacts from his time, such as the Fangblades and a teapot that gave him a strange sense of deja vu. Kozu barked at them to keep moving deeper into the room. Soon, it turned into a large room of nothing but weapons, with blades and swords and guns and all manner of things. Kozu directed their attention specifically to a large box in the middle.

"Your weapons are there," Kozu informed them, "The strange beast that the one you called Lulloyd rode is in pieces in the next room. We collected all of them following the attack"

"I'll uh, just go take care of that then," Lulloyd waved his hand awkwardly, then quickly darted into the next room to go and rebuild his dragon.

The group quickly descended on the crate. Monty opened it first to find his gun bag, which filled him with enough emotion to make his frown slightly rise. He opened it up and quickly donned the simple dark red side cape, his feeling of nakedness evaporating as he did. He quickly loaded his armor down with the guns that had previously been there, before loading two shotguns on his back. In doing so, he tossed a box of ammo to Lloyd, who, after placing his two katanas on his back, placed it on his belt. Mage didn't need weapons, but instead Kozu finally pulled the vengestone cuffs off him, letting him gasp in relief as he was able to finally use his elements again. Lulloyd soon returned from the next room with his mechdragon brick back on his back before retrieving his curved sword as well.

"Harumi," Kozu spoke the girl's name, "I have something to give to you courtesy of the Emperor himself."

Harumi, confused, nervously made her way over to Kozu. He opened his palm to reveal none other than the black chip that Harumi had taken away from her. Instantly, she snatched it from him, holding it to her chest and slipping it back into the pocket inside of her uniform. Her eyes trailed up to Kozu with a mixture of shock and restrained gratitude.

"The Emperor says that Borg has determined that it has a purpose," Kozu told her, "When you see the Emperor, he will tell you what the device does."

"Device?" Harumi asked, putting her hand over where it lay inside of her suit, "I… I'll, ask him when I get the chance."

"Do so," Kozu bowed his head, "We have no time to waste here. Get what you need, then we must hurry."

"Wait a minute," Lloyd looked up, "Sun. Where is Sun? We didn't see him."

"I was sent to collect him after the Twins went with the Emperor," Kozu bowed his head, "But… he was not there. The Emperor left him unconscious in front of your cell. Yet when I checked, he was gone."

"Gone?" Lloyd's eyes widened, "Wait, but it sounds like the Vermillion did something to him! Are you sure?!"

"He is likely searching for his parents, which he will not find," Kozu growled, "He has likely said that the one named Wu and Misako are here. That is a lie. The Emperor keeps them in a remote part of Ninjago. If he has gone looking for them, he will be of no help to us."

"We can't worry about him right now," Harumi stepped forward, clutching her uniform, "We found the Twins. The E-… we agreed to help the Emperor. We have to go and stop them first."

"Here," Monty reached his hand up, showing the shards of the Realm Crystal that Overlloyd had taken from them, "Take yours. I'll hang on to the extra ones"

Each of them quickly took one, putting them back into the secure places on their clothes. Monty slid the two extra shards he had into his armor. Once they had all recovered something lost to them, Kozu turned back towards the entrance. Lloyd looked down for a moment, thinking on what Kozu said, but ultimately raised his head and nodded to the group, then Kozu.

"We go now!" Kozu declared, "For the glory of the Emperor! We will fight these trespassers!"

"For the sake of Ninjago," Lloyd assured everyone. Each of them gave a small nod, "Lead the way, Kozu."

* * *

"Before we fight," Morro turned his necklace into his twin chained knives, "Why exactly did you decide to come here in the first place?"

Krux drew the Slow-mo blade, while Acronix took hold of the Forward blade. Cryptor charged up his massive new arm cannon, while Morro grinned and spun the knives in hand. The Twins ordered the Vermillion behind them to remain there as they readied for battle.

"We are the Masters of Time," Acronix declared eagerly, "We were able to sense something odd about this palace from the moment we felt it. Now that your foolish Emperor has confirmed our hunch, it's time for us to give you a bit of payback."

"You're here on nothing more than a hunch?" Cryptor laughed evilly, "Then I suppose it is only fitting that you should fall before us like broken clockwork."

"Was that a time pun?" Acronix blinked, "...Brother, I need to write that one down!"

"Do not go giving him anymore puns!" Krux drew his blade back, "I can barely stand his sense of humor as is!"

Sensing that Krux was about to attack, Cryptor fired his cannon. The blast of purple laser that came out grew into a large pulse that struck the ground near where Krux stood, causing a massive part of the ground to char and sizzle with the impact. When Cryptor turned his head to look, however, Krux was running forward with his blade pointed towards the laser. Cryptor let out a 'tssk' before raising his other carm, causing a massive blade that looked to be made of purple energy extended out from his wrist.

"Begin data analysis on targeted weapon!" Cryptor declared. At once, his red eye zeroed in on the blue time blade that Krux held. Krux held his other hand out, causing one of the Vermillion waiting behind them to pull their red blade from their back and throw it out to him. Krux caught the sword just in time to send both sword and time blade into Cryptor's raised blade. The purple blade crackled and fizzled with energy as Krux pushed against it.

Morro, grinning at the chance, flung one of the knives he had towards Krux, hoping to activate his ability on him. Instead, Acronix appeared in front of the blade with a flash of green and knocked the knife aside. The knife went flying away in the opposite direction, causing Morro to swing the chain and arc the knife back around. Acronix closed in on him, readying another time blade charge. Morro, sensing this, let go of the hand holding the other knife and instead reached up and grabbed hold of his scarf. The chain that was swinging around he caught in one hand, while the other threw the scarf out and caused it to click as the internal components made it stiffen up. The scarf wrapped Acronix's time blade, causing Acronix to lose focus as it was yanked out of his hand and then retracted back for Morro to grab hold of.

"Sword!" Acronix shouted. Another Vermillion stepped forward to try to throw his sword at Acronix. Morro made a risky move of closing in on Acronix. The action paid off as Morro forced him to guard against the time blade. Morro flung his chained knives together like a bola. The chain wrapped around the Vermillion's torso and caused him to fall forward, sword as well. Morro then gathered up wind in his feet to blast up into the air, kicking Acronix in the face as he did. Acronix snarled as he got to his feet, right as Morro landed by the Vermillion to yank his chains back and blast back towards him as the others tried to retaliate.

"Get yourself together, brother!" Krux shouted as he and Cryptor traded blows.

"Yeah, yeah…" Acronix readied his fists, "I give this boy credit for removing my blade from me, but not for much else!"

Morro laughed as he tried to bring his knives down on top of Acronix's shoulders. Acronix, waiting until the last moment, instead bobbed out of the way and delivered a jab to Morro's chest. Morro stumbled backwards on his feet, giving Acronix time to rush in and wind up a fist to send right into Morro's jawline. Morro's head jerked to the side at the impact, yet when Acronix went to end it with an uppercut, Morro caught it on his forearm and just grinned at him.

"Nice moves," Morro grinned, "Bet you learned how to brawl from a master, didn't ya?"

"Nope," Acronix started to grin, "I learned on the battlefield."

"That's nice to know," Morro laughed, "But that can't compare to what you can learn from a true teacher!"

Morro suddenly turned his chains back into the necklace that he clipped back around his neck. Holding the time blade like brass knuckles, Morro rushed forward and swung at Acronix. Acronix, sensing Morro's technique, went on the defensive and struggled to take blows on his forearms. Morro rushed him over and over again, simply using his own experience to put Acronix on the backfoot.

"What's the matter?" Morro taunted, "You should know how to fight without your brother!"

Krux managed to strike his sword against Cryptor's armor, only to hear it bounce off. Cryptor let out a cackle and raised up that cannon arm, ready to blast Krux with it. Krux, at point blank range, thrust his slow blade up and struck the cannon arm with it. The internal components were slowed down just enough for him to grab the cannon with both arms and direct it up towards the ceiling. When the slowed effect wore off, the cannon fired up towards the ceiling and blasted a chunk of the rocks above them, raining down dust on them. In the moment, Krux thrust one of his elbows back to strike Cryptor's chin. The pain of hitting solid metal with an elbow caused Krux to shout in pain, much to Cryptor's mirth. He used his other hand to grab Krux's neck and throw him back.

While at first this action seemed to mean Krux was down, instead he turned to see Morro about to break Acronix's guard. Krux made eye contact with Acronix just before firing the slow blade to use up the last current charge, causing Morro's body to slow down mid-punch. Acronix, not one to waste his chance, slid around the strike and threw his hand out towards Morro. Krux canceled the effect and Acronix's hand swiped the forward blade right back from Morro in the process. In the momentary lapse in processing this caused Morro, Acronix turned the blade to the flat and struck Morro right in the lower back. Morro let out a grunt of pain and stumbled a step forward.

"Hrmm… what are you thinking, brother?" Acronix asked, moving to stand beside Krux.

"I'm thinking… we hit them with that new move I was talking about!" Acronix grinned madly.

"That one?" Krux looked down at the slow blade, "We need my blade recharge for that to happen."

"Then let's buy us some _time_ for that!" Acronix laughed. All three other combatants shared a look of shared annoyance at the joke.

"Is he always like this?" Cryptor asked. In the corner of his screen, the phrase _Data Analysis Complete_ pulled up, along with information on the state of the blue time blade. The readout that it gave him was more than enough to make the man under the armor a very happy one, "A battle shouldn't have time for puns."

"Indeed…" Krux smirked, "Brother, switch!"

Much to Cryptor's surprise, Acronix blinked forward in time to appear right in front of his face, while Krux ran right at Morro and weaved by the scarf that came at him. Cryptor reacted far slower than Morro did, causing him to take the strike of the time blade right to the face. This time, the impact actually did hurt Borg underneath, making him shake his head as he began to raise his cannon arm to blast Acronix.

Acronix did the same as his brother had, blasting his remaining charge right into the cannon. The shot fired nearly instantly as a result, soaring back to strike the wall near where the Vermillion stood. Acronix held the charge right on the cannon, using up the full energy he had left in it before he was forced to dodge Cryptor's wrist blade. Cryptor looked down at the green blade, his Data Acquisition already beginning to run on it.

"So that blade causes an acceleration of time on an object, I presume?" Cryptor raised the cannon up to point at Acronix, "I'm made of an alloy five times more durable than even platinum! If your goal is to make me rust, you're a rather foolish fighter!"

Cryptor went to charge up another blast to send at Acronix. The cannon, however, failed to respond. Acronix, laughing, held his hand out. With Morro occupied, another Vermillion took up the sword his comrade had dropped and threw it to Acronix. When Acronix caught it, he swung it down until it struck a gap in the armor between Cryptor's arm and cannon.

"You may not rust," Acronix grinned, "But I've found that electrical components can be easily susceptible to degradation, given enough use!"

Cryptor, angered by this change in events, hit a button with his hand to cause the cannon portion to slide down and off the arm, revealing it to just be an attachment that fitted over his hand. Instead, he extended a second wrist-blade of the same purple color from said hand, the time blade having thankfully only struck the cannon itself. With his anger now substantially higher, Cryptor shouted and swung them both at Acronix, who caught both of them on his own two weapons and gave Cryptor that same predatory grin he normally did.

Several feet away, Krux had managed to close in on Morro and swing his own sword down to try to hit Morro. Morro unfurled his scarf, ready to pull the same trick he had to disarm the other brother. Krux, unwilling to even entertain that idea again, pushed his time blade forward to guide Morro's actions. As Morro readied his scarf to steal the blade, Krux let the blade charge up before instead thrusting his sword forward. Morro's scarf wrapped around the sword instead. When Morro yanked it back, Krux held on and let the momentum carry him right into Morro. With the time blade, he backhanded Morro, causing him to let go of the scarf and fall to the ground. Krux readied to close in and strike again.

Morro, rolling on the ground, threw one knife at Krux to try to cut him. Krux dodged the attack and threw a kick out to hit Morro and make him roll again. Morro managed to get up to all four, taking another kick from Krux before he saw his chain was on the ground by Krux's leg. Thinking fast, Morro gave the chain a hard crack like a whip, unbalancing Krux and letting Morro shove him down.

Morro took the chance to get back up to his feet. In doing so, he was forced to dodge out of the way as Cryptor let loose a red laser from his eye that missed Acronix. Morro growled and reached out with wind, blasting Krux as he went to get up himself. Krux went onto his back, groaning out in pain. Morro, finally catching his break, finally was able to send a knife out and slice Krux's left side. Instantly, Krux felt his side go numb, causing him to wobble slightly as he got up to his feet. While not painful, his side felt as though he'd somehow put it to sleep.

"Now you're under the effects of my ability," Morro laughed, "Don't worry, it won't hurt. All I need to do is cut you in a little more special place and we can end this fight a bit more peacefully."

Krux growled, leveling his time blade at Morro. Acronix took another slice from Cryptor and was forced to dodge a jet-boosted kick. Both brothers began to slowly back up in each other's directions. Just as they were about to go fully back to back, both blades gave a pulse of light as their charges were fully restored. In that instant, both of them smirked.

"I hope whatever Emperor you serve is a forgiving one," Krux began.

"Because he's about to have his forward guard destroyed!" Acronix finished, "Your time is up!"

Cryptor and Morro both readied themselves for what was about to happen. Acronix held up the forward blade, then blasted both himself and Krux with all of the energy stored inside of it. The effect was that, for the two of them, their time was completely accelerated. As the two blinked out of existence, both Morro and Cryptor began to wait for their attack.

Just then, the two heard a loud swish of air behind them, followed by both of them feeling something tapping their bodies. In an instant, the two turned around to see what was there. In doing so, both of them heard the sound of swords slicing through the air. The swords came at them so fast that both of them had no time to react to it. Over and over the sword swipes came, so quick that it was near impossible for them to have any reaction time. When Morro's head was snapped over to see, he saw the Vermillion warriors standing firm, cheering on someone. Cheering in slow motion.

The Twins flashed by like lights, striking the two warriors they'd poured the full energy of the slow blade into. Morro's robes were ripped apart, his scarves torn open and the metal components inside going flying away in slowed time. Cryptor's armor was shredded bit by bit, revealing Borg's body underneath and his face when the eye was shattered and the hood fully cleaved open and off his head. Both of them were left utterly defenseless as the Twins shredded them both with their time.

Finally, Acronix and Krux appeared behind them in front of the large gate. As soon as they did, the effects wore off on all of them. Instantly, a now mostly-revealed Borg and beaten Morro fell to their knees and then collapsed onto the floor. The Vermillion fully cheered on their two masters, who both looked back with a wide grin and subdued smile.

"Now then!" Acronix smirked, "Shall we?"

"Of course," Krux waved the Vermillion forward, "Ensure they don't follow us."

The Vermillion soldiers marched forward, stepping around the two fallen warriors. The warrior that was a disguised Morro, however, began to twitch as he stood in between Morro and Borg. Against his will, green power was once more called upon to blast both of the two fallen men. Both of them were already knocked out, only giving one more grunt of pain. Krux nodded approvingly and, in response, two Vermillion tossed the failed guardians away from the gate.

"Now then," Krux sighed as he looked up at the gate, "We must figure out how to get this thing open."

"Oh, I'm sure we can find a way," Acronix raised up his recharging time blade with a smirk.

* * *

At the top of the dark palace, Overlloyd forced a hand up to grab the edge of the table in front of him. His body was still searing with pain, pain that refused to go away. The attack the Twins had forced on him had hit his very core, the very substance that his body was made out of. Just dragging himself up to cling to the table hurt him in a way that he refused to admit.

"**This mess is your doing,"** The Overlord spoke up. Overlloyd growled.

"You didn't seem to notice it either," Overlloyd spat, "You're just as aware of everything as I am."

"**I was willing to go along with your plan,"** The Overlord replied back, "**And now look where it's gotten us."**

Overlloyd dragged himself up a bit more, clinging even more to the table. He could see the dark matter puddle on the floor that he'd bound his weapon to. Binding his weapon to such a thing was an action he'd taken as early as he could. Having that matter infused into his body was an easy trick to pull with the combined powers that he and the Overlord shared. Unlike with what he'd done with Sun's wooden hilt, that object couldn't be destroyed. Thus, the only thing he had to worry about was having his staff taken from him, and that was something few were willing to risk with pure, concentrated corrupting Dark Matter at hand.

"**They responded to you after you said the name,"** The Overlord mused, helping to pull their shared body up a bit more, "**We know their objective."**

"It's worthless," Overlloyd growled back, "That thing broke down years ago."

"**Even so,"** The Overlord hissed out, "**A weapon, even a broken one, can be reforged in the right hands."**

"And that," Overlloyd set his jaw, "Is why I refuse to let them have it!"

With a large shout of effort, Overlloyd dragged himself to sit up on his knees. His body heaved as he did, forcing him to take a moment to pause. In doing so, he held one hand out towards the Dark Matter puddle. He focused hard, driving his determination onwards with the anger that he felt inside of him. The puddle slowly moved across the floor, willed to climb up his body and then wrap around his hand. With another burst of effort, the matter shaped into his massive double-bladed staff, which he planted into the floor and used to stand up with.

"My Emperor," General Kozu spoke up through the walls, "I have lost contact with the boy and the inventor. I have also received word from my scouts that the first gate has been opened."

"Then we must assume they are as dangerous as I thought," Overlloyd leaned heavily on his staff for support, "Delay them, Kozu… leave the group you are guiding and summon as many men as you can. They must not get past the second gate."

"Yes, my Emperor," Kozu responded respectfully, "Will you be joining the battle soon?"

"**As soon as our body is able to fight,"** The Overlord snarled happily, "**We will be there to lead the charge to their deaths."**

* * *

Kozu turned and finished guiding the group down the stairwell to the fifth floor of the palace. Several floors up, the elevator had been forcibly deactivated to help stop the advance of the Twins. Unfortunately, this meant that the group was forced to hurry along after Kozu as he led them to a stairwell and down the building as quickly as he could get them to move. As Lloyd recalled, the Stone Army had limitless energy.

"Stop," Kozu declared, forcing them all to freeze, "My Emperor has summoned me. I must go ahead of you. My fellow Hands have fallen."

"Fellow Hands?" Lulloyd asked, "Wait, do you mean, Morro and Borg and those skeletons?"

"Yes," Kozu confirmed, "Kruncha and Nuckal are currently on mission elsewhere in the city. The others you mentioned have fallen. I must take another path so I may arrive ahead of them."

"Secret path?" Mage blinked, "Wait, if there's another way, why aren't we using that?"

"Do you remember how you entered the palace, Harumi?" Kozu asked. Seeing Harumi's suddenly sickened expression, he turned away from her, "I am able to travel through the walls of the palace with some of my men. We will get ahead of you and corner them at the second gate," Kozu turned back, "Follow these stairs to the bottom of the palace. There will be a passage opened by the Twins there. The tunnel will lead you after your prey."

Before the group could say anything, Kozu let out a cry and leapt into the wall. The Dark Matter acted like gel, letting him in and then shifting back to appear as it had before. The group, unable to follow him, turned back to the stairs they were already running down.

"Monty!" Lloyd turned, "Can you follow him?"

"I can't track someone inside of walls," Monty scoffed, "I'm stuck with you guys."

"Then we don't have anytime to lose," Harumi pointed to the stairs, "We need to go, now!"

"Here!" Mage's eyes began to glow white, "I might have an element just for that!"

"Wait a minute," Monty raised his hand to stop him, "We need to know something first. Overlloyd!"

There was a delay before Overlloyd's voice came from the walls, "What is it you want? You should be pursuing them without delay."

"What are the Twins after?" Lloyd asked, sensing what Monty was getting at. Monty just sighed.

"I cannot tell you that," Overlloyd responded back.

"Why?" Lulloyd asked, feeling awkward at talking to walls, "It would, maybe help us out if we knew what they were here for."

"That information is nothing that you must know," Overlloyd responded back harshly, "Go! Now! Do as Kozu ordered!"

"I agree we need to get moving," Harumi shook her head, "But…" She swallowed some of her fear, "We've been pursuing these Twins for months. We need to know what they're after!"

"**Silence!"** The Overlord shouted at them, loud enough to make Harumi have to cover her ears, "**Your freedom is not dependent on what they are after! The only thing that you must worry about is stopping them! Do not forget that your lives are hanging on by MY thread!"**

The loud noise and terror almost made Harumi panic. Lloyd, Mage and Lulloyd had to uncover their ears. Monty, the only one not affected, looked up at the ceiling with a hard gaze. Lloyd looked around to the rest of them, nodding nervously as he did. It was clear what they needed to do now.

"Mage," Lloyd turned to the boy. Mage, nodding solemnly, focused and called on the element of speed. The element enveloped the group and soon sent them rocketing off down the stairs, soaring as quickly as they could to their destination.

* * *

"There's _another_ gate?!" Acronix admonished, "Now that's just annoying!"

The brothers stood in another, much smaller chamber. This gate was far more scaled to their height, yet showed no sign of how to open it. The gate was similar in design to the other one, yet had no lock on it or anything to show how it would open. The cave was getting deeper into the earth, yet seemed to be winding around on itself to go down in almost a spiral pattern into the earth. The Dark Matter of the palace had long since been left behind, leaving them purely in rocky underground.

"Annoying, but something we must deal with," Krux hissed, rubbing his side as feeling began to come back to it, "It seems that it is true that people in this world have abilities based on their weapons they use."

"Any ability they can throw at us is worthless when it comes to time!" Acronix held up his time blade, "Do you think this one opens in the same way the other did?"

Krux nodded his head, waving one of the Vermillion over. The Vermillion raised up the necklace that they'd confiscated from Morro after searching the two for some way to open it. The first gate had opened when the necklace was placed against it, as though some sort of sensor had been in place. The Vermillion moved up to the gate, making Acronix grin.

"This Emperor must be a really sentimental guy," Acronix mocked, "Giving the key to one of his most hidden secrets to one of his underlings! That's such a rookie move!"

"...Not sentimental enough," Krux growled as the necklace did nothing to the door, "It seems the Emperor has at least some sense about him."

"That," The deep voice of the Stone Army came from behind the Twins, "Is because there is not enough power in that necklace to respond to the gate."

The Twins, surrounded by their Vermillion escort, spun around to see General Kozu standing behind them, flanked by five Stone Warriors. Kozu held two large butterfly swords and had a drum summoned in his hands. The Twins looked at the drum in confusion, yet they did not dare to lower their guard. Kozu took a step forward, glaring darkly at the two Twins.

"If you thought using your trickery to seal the tunnel before the first gate was enough to stop us," Kozu growled, "Then you underestimate the power of the Stone Army."

"Let me guess," Krux narrowed his eyes, "You slipped through right after we set the tunnel to collapse?"

"The means by which we are here matters not," Kozu growled, "You have trespassed on the Emperor's sacred palace grounds and dared to injure him. As his right Hand, it is my duty to send you to the afterlife for your crimes."

"Really, now?" Acronix looked towards his men, "We have two indestructible armies here, so I think it's just a matter of the two of us against the one of you."

"I carry the strength of a hundred men," Kozu declared, "And you will fall to the march of my War Drum!"

"Vermillion!" Krux shouted, "Form up!" The Vermillion all obeyed, moving to form two solid lines of 5 in front of the Twins.

"_HAU!_" Kozu shouted, causing the five Warriors he had to do the same, "_PAKARI!_" The Warriors all held their weapons aloft, "_VOILTAK!_" The Warriors let out a battle cry and raced forward towards the Vermillion. Kozu, to aid his followers, began to rap his sticks against his drum.

The Stone Warriors blinked out of existence for the Vermillion and Time Twins. The action caused the Vermillion to look around in confusion right before another rap of the drum brought them back, now right in the Vermillion's faces. The Vermillion rapidly moved to defend themselves with their blades, which resulted in two of them being cleaved down where they stood. The snakes began to reform slowly, while another rap of the drum made the warriors holding back the attackers lose track of their opponent's movements, resulting in two more being cut down.

"What?!" Acronix shook his head, "Brother, are you seeing this too?!"

"I am!" Krux declared, "It looks like someone wishes to pit their own power against that of time!"

"None will stand against my War Drum!" Kozu shouted back, beating the drum again. The Vermillion on the front line fell as their attackers were forced to go in and out of reality. The second line stepped up and took them on, giving time for the first to slither under the feet of the Stone Warriors, dragging their armor out around the sides of the attacking line. As they clashed, the first line reformed behind the Stone Warriors, hissing as they moved to stab them from behind.

Instead, the indestructible army turned to see the Vermillion with their blades struck into their backs. Kozu let out another cry, causing the Stone Warriors to push the Vermillion as far back as they could. Using the drumbeat to give them time, the Warriors moved to form a circle between the two lines of Vermillion. Kozu shouted another order, making the Stone Warriors shout as they moved to brandish their weapons. The Warriors, moving in a circle, struck at the two lins back and forth, using each other to guard their backs and press against the two lines of snakes.

Acronix flashed forward with the forward blade, knocking into Kozu's arm and sending his rhythm off beat. The action caused the Stone Army, aided by the drumbeat that made the Vermillion continually lose track of them, to be forced between the Vermillion that began to strike back at them. Kozu tried to send out another beat, yet Acronix grabbed his arm with one hand and pulled it away. Kozu swung down with his large black swords at Acronix, making him leap away and looked Kozu up and down.

"It looks like your ability has something to do with your drum there, doesn't it?" Acronix laughed, "That's far too obvious of a trigger!"

"It is something you will not laugh at soon!" Kozu declared. He went to send another beat, yet his hands moved slower than he wished. He looked down to see them covered in a blue glow. Krux was standing on Kozu's other side, the time blade's effects poured onto him. It would take several seconds just to get a single sound off.

"Let's take this one down, brother!" Acronix grinned.

"Indeed," Krux affirmed.

Together, the two brothers launched into battle. With his two swords unaffected, Kozu roared out and engaged them. The two brothers traded off sides, each taking one of his swords as they used their time blades as weapons. Acronix blinked forward in and out of time to strike, while Krux dodged normally and blasted Kozu's hands continually to ensure the slow effect was still up. Kozu's strength meant taking his blows head on was dangerous, leading them to move fast and strike when they could.

Yet no matter what their time blades did, Kozu's armor seemed to be impenetrable. The Twins continued to strike, with Acronix going down to his last charge. The brothers nodded, then blasted Kozu with the last charge of the slow blade and both the Twins with the forward blade. Just as they had done with Borg and Morro, they slowed Kozu's ability to retaliate as they struck him over and over again with their weapons. When they finished, they landed on each side of Kozu, time blades held out behind them.

Kozu, however, had survived with seemingly no damage. The Twins turned around and saw Kozu bringing down his two swords at them, forcing them to jump away. They gave each other a look of annoyance, seeing that the rumors of the Stone Army being invincible were true. Kozu gave a long growl and held his drum sticks high in triumph.

"Your puny attacks cannot hurt me!" Kozu declared, "We will triumph this day!"

The Twins readied themselves. Kozu's drumbeat began to bring him blinking in and out of their vision, forcing them on the offensive. Kozu ran for each of them, putting his full strength towards them and forcing them both to dodge and run. They darted around the chamber, avoiding Kozu's attacks while the Stone Army continued to break apart and watch the Vermillion reform. While the Vermillion stayed up, the Stone Army took no damage from their strikes.

"You have failed!" Kozu shouted as he chased the Twins, "You will be dispatched, as all those who face the power of the Emperor were! Without your tricks, you're nothing more than a puny insect to be crushed by our might! Fall before the Stone Army!"

Kozu smashed a sword into the ground hard enough to crack it in front of Acronix. Krux leapt away and raised his time blade, looking around for something to use. He'd read about these things in the museum. These were the Stone Army, warriors created from Dark Matter and used to fight the First Spinjitzu Master, indestructible to all weapons turned against them. They were built to defeat one man, the only one who had been able to drive them back...

"Brother!" Krux grinned, "Line him up for me!"

Acrnoix gave his brother a puzzled look, only to see Krux's eyes dart to the gate. Acronix, unsure of what his brother planned but willing to go along with it, moved to draw Kozu's attention with a strike to Kozu's arm. Kozu, just as he wished, turned to face Acronix and growled at him, readying his drum.

Without looking to see what Krux was doing, Acronix complied and forced himself to engage Kozu. Each time that Kozu used his drum to make himself disappear, Acronix backed away and readied for a strike when Kozu reappeared. A lesser fighter would have fallen long ago, and it took all of his concentration not to actually lose track of him. He forced his eyes to follow Kozu, forced himself to keep Kozu in his head, and more importantly, to slowly guide the Stone Warrior along the path he needed.

Kozu, however, seemed to refuse to do that. Instead, he forced Acronix to dance to his rhythm of combat. When Acronix guided him, Kozu forced him back. When Acronix dodged, Kozu readied another blow. Acronix had long since given up on attacking back, knowing that until his blade recharged to give him space, it was worthless to attack. Their battle was framed by the Vermillion and Stone Warriors still slashing and carving into each other, neither side willing to fall in the honor of those they served.

Finally, Kozu managed to strike Acronix with a strike that sent him onto the ground. Acronix, looking around, crawled away until Kozu had a blade pointed at him. Acronix lay on the ground, growling at the Stone General that stood above him. Kozu snarled and looked down at him as he did, a victorious pose of their test of strength.

"You have lost," Kozu declared, "When I finish you, I will take your brother. If he can see you now, he should ready himself to meet the same fate.

"I don't think I need to," Kruxdeclared, "You're the one that's lost, General!"

Kozu turned to see Krux standing at the entrance to the chamber, holding a single Vermillion warrior in his hands. Both he and Kozu made a perfect line that ended at the gate across the room. Kozu turned to face Krux, giving Acronix just enough time to roll away before the Vermillion began to charge up green power in his hands.

Before Kozu could guard himself, a massive beam of green power was sent right into him. Kozu shouted as the force pushed him off his feet, sending him across the room and smashing right through both lines of Vermillion and his own men. Kozu shouted as his body was slammed right into the gate, the green power being burned into him. He let out another massive shout as the gate reacted to his presence touching it, opening it apart and sending him into the right side of the now opened gate.

The Vermillion, now down as they were, gave Krux the perfect chance to aim their captive Morro's green energy beams at the remaining Stone Warriors. Just as it worked on Kozu, the Stone Warriors were sent down onto their knees and drained of their strength. Once it was over, the Vermillion all reformed, hissing and shouting in victory.

"Ugh…" Acronix shook his head as he stood up, "How did you figure that one out, brother?"

"The legends said that they were made to combat the First Spinjitzu Master," Krux patted the limp shoulders of their captive Morro, "I figured the power would likely still work in this place"

"Did we lose any Vermillion?" Acronix turned, counting the Vermillion before sighing, "Good, we will need all of them if this is what we seek."

The two brothers had the Vermillion form up with them, along with their controlled Morro. They looked down the dark hallway that would lead them to the place they sought. Both brothers gave each other a nod as they looked to the tunnel, ready to claim what it was they sought. With a single command, they disappeared into the tunnel, the Vermillion following after them.

* * *

With one more massive push, Mage managed to blast away the rocks in front of him. The group had soared all the way down the palace stairs to the entrance to the tunnel, only to find it completely collapsed. It seemed that the Dark Matter of the palace didn't travel that far down into the ground under them. The tunnel, however, seemed fully collapsed and, with how tightly packed the dirt under the palace was, Mage had been forced to first dig out a large portion of it with earth before they were able to make enough space to guide it behind them. Monty's wind had helped and, combined with the blasting power of Lloyd and Harumi, they'd been able to make somewhat steady progress. It still, however, was a significant slow down, which only put the pressure on them to hurry to their destination even faster.

"How far ahead of us are they?!" Lloyd gasped out as they ran down the tunnel. Mage, too exhausted after using so much of his ability to get them through, had agreed to save his elements for when they arrived at the Twins.

For a few moments, Overlloyd did not respond to them. At first, Lloyd thought they were simply far too deep into the palace to be able to hear him. Instead, as they entered a chamber with a large gate hanging open, with the unconscious bodies of Morro and Borg against the wall nearby, the Dark Matter that pulsed in the high ceiling spoke out to them.

"They have managed to bypass the second gate," Overlloyd told them with a voice that had begun to have worry creep into it, "...If what I fear is true, then nothing stands between them and the secret that I guard."

"We need to hurry," Harumi gulped at them. Quickly, they all began to rush through the opened gate and deeper into the tunnel. As they ran, a shared throb of worry echoed through them. The Twins were determined, seemingly more than ever, to get to their goal. They'd managed to get past the Hands that they'd had issues with just stacking up to, even if they'd barely defeated them to get to this point. As they ran, a feeling of dread was looming over them.

"When we get there," Monty spoke up, "I'll lead off with some shots, then you guys back me up. Whatever they want, we need to stand between them and it."

"Harumi and I will draw the attention of those Vermillion they were with," Lloyd affirmed, having recognized the hissing when inside of that cell, "You and Mage can keep on him. Lulloyd, build your dragon into something to help stop them from using their time blades, they have to have them."

"Roger," Lulloyd told them, "Whatever it takes, we have to stop them."

"Whatever it takes," Harumi echoed.

The group, all those living out of breath, came into a second and smaller chamber. The Stone Army lay around them, groaning in pain as they did. General Kozu in particular lay against one of the opened two doors to the second gate, barely able to keep his eyes open. The group rushed past the fallen warriors to make their way up to Kozu, who blearily focused on them and raised a weak hand down the tunnel behind him.

"Go…" Kozu groaned out, "They are masters of trickery. I believe I know how they were able… to wound my Emperor…" Kozu summoned his rage enough to sit up more, "They have one that can produce the power that banishes darkness, the only thing that my men have to fear. He is disguised as one of their drones, yet he has the face of one of you."

"One of us…" Lloyd blinked, "...He means Morro!"

"Right," Monty growled, "They've been using him as a battery this entire time. Looks like they managed to hold onto him."

"Yes… he shares the face of one of the Hand," Kozu growled, "Go… now! You must take up the Hand's duty and defend the Emperor's goals. If they reach what they seek, then all is lost."

"Do you know what's down there?" Harumi asked as they began to shuffle past him.

"I do not," Kozu closed his eyes, "But you shall see, soon enough… the Emperor's greatest secret."

All of them collectively understood they had no time to lose. They quickly began to continue racing down the tunnel. Harumi, having kept track of where they were mentally, figured they were still roughly underneath the palace with the constant right turns the tunnel was making, perhaps on the grounds around it. The tunnel had wound on long and deep through the ground and now, it was coming to its end. The air around them became cool, signalling something up ahead. Further ahead was a blue light, one that seemed to shine from an opening. They all raced even further down until they were able to see what it opened out.

Blue flames burned on the wall of a chamber that was carved out by hand. Large stone pillars rose up in a roughly rectangular chamber that was several stories tall, signally to them why the tunnels had led so far underground. The chamber was mainly empty for the most part as they entered. Standing roughly halfway across the chamber's length were the Time Twins, surrounded by the Vermillion soldiers that they had brought with them. The sight of those they'd strived to take down, however, was nothing compared to what they saw across the chamber.

"No…" Lloyd shook his head, "No. Not now!"

"So that's how this all makes sense," Harumi whispered breathlessly.

Standing firm and imposing at the other end of the chamber, the object of desire the Time Twins had fought past the Emperor's forces to obtain, was an object that was encased in a massive sticky web of Dark Matter. Standing there, with a large crack across its chest, was an Iron Doom.


	47. Chapter 47

The Iron Doom stood firm in the large chamber, its lower body completely encased in Dark Matter. Stands of the black gel reached up and grabbed onto other areas, like a web that had become stuck to the machine. The Iron Doom looked the same as it always had, even down to the four blades that seemed to be still inserted into the device. The only thing that stood out was a massive crack that ran down most of the length of the large circular dial on the beast's front.

"How…" Lulloyd asked, "I… I don't get it. How is this thing here?"

"Because," Overlloyd's voice sounded from behind them, "It is mine."

Overlloyd appeared in the tunnel behind them. He was walking with his massive staff being used as a crutch as he did. Just looking at him, the others could tell he was in pain. Despite this, he forced himself to walk forward with an elegant stride, not letting on even in the slightest that his body wished to do anything else. The Emperor had finally made his way into the fight.

"What do you mean, that's yours?" Mage asked in shock, "How?"

"You asked to know how both Sun and I existed, yes?" Overlloyd's staff began to pulse with dark power, "There is your answer."

Overlloyd starred forward at the machine, the thing he'd been fighting to keep hidden. Hidden under his palace, where only he knew of its existence. A relic of a time that had never come to pass… and time that was still fighting to one day claim him as well. For a moment, all he could do was close his eyes, and remember.

* * *

_The Time Vortex pulsed with its distorted glow from around the Iron Doom. Sitting at the controls of the Iron Doom was Lloyd Garmadon, wearing the helmet that he believed used to belong to Blunck. The machine swirled through the Time Vortex with him as its guide, a fierce look of determination on his face. _

_He remembered the look of his team. Kai and Nya had tried to go in his place, yet he'd refused them. His team had treated him like a child. They refused to take him as a Sensei seriously. The Twins had beat them at every turn. He'd taken their place and followed the Twins back in time. He'd defeated them both. He'd proven himself. _

_Part of him knew he should return the Iron Doom to its own time. He shouldn't mess with time. He shouldn't do something drastic. Yet now that he had the power in his hands, he had to try. There was one man that time had forsaken. One man that Ninjago had dealt the worst hand it could. That man was someone Lloyd held dear to his feart. And it was a man that he, with the Iron Doom, could save. _

_With a flash, the Iron Doom landed at the base of the Mountain of a Million steps. Lloyd shut the machine down and tossed the helmet into the cockpit. The Iron Doom had been able to connect his mind to the Hive Mind to read the date that this happened. The control panel had put in the date for him, and the lights blinked without him knowing what to do. He didn't know fully how it worked, but he had landed at the base of the mountain. _

_The sun was already up in the sky. Seeing that made Lloyd's eyes widen. He'd landed too close to the actual moment! If he'd already landed, he knew he only got one chance. He was already pushing time too much here. He shouldn't b e here. He knew he shouldn't. But just like with the Iron Doom itself, he couldn't stop now that he was here. His body moved forward, even if his mind would beg him not to. _

_When he rounded the top of the steps, his eyes widened. A boy was exiting the gates of the Monastery. He was a young boy with a bowl cut of brown hair. He was heading towards the bushes to look for a katana that had been thrown over the wall. Lloyd's panic rose as he saw the boy readying himself to reach down and take hold of it. If that boy touched that katana, it was all over. _

"_NO!" Lloyd shouted. He ran as fast as he could. He didn't have time to change course. He reached out with both hands, slamming them right into the boy and knocking him aside. There was a hiss from the bushes, then a snarl. Lloyd felt sharp pain in his left hand. He let off a burst of green power at the bushes and collapsed to the ground. A green serpent slithered away. _

_As the boy groaned out from the impact, Lloyd looked down at his hand. There were two small purple marks there. Two marks that flared angrily as he stared at it. It took his mind a moment to realize what this was. His head suddenly felt dizzy. He clutched his wrist, feeling something pulsing from it. Something painful. Something that burned through him like fire. A venom injected into the being of the one person that could never handle it. _

"_Mister…?" The boy slowly sat up, seeing Lloyd clutching his hand, "Did… did that snake bite you?"_

"_Y-Yeah…" Lloyd shook his hand, "..Don't worry about it. Are you hurt?" _

"_No… thank you for helping me, though," The boy smiled, "My name is Garmadon. What's yours?"_

_Lloyd felt his hand throbbing. He couldn't stay here. He had to get out of here, now. He turned back and gave Garmadon a warm smile. _

"_Don't worry about my name," Lloyd smiled to him, "You've been saved from your destiny. Go inside now, and watch for that snake again, okay?" _

"_Okay…" Garmadon stated in confusion. Unsure what to do, he began to make his way back into the Monastery to look for his father. As soon as he was out of sight, Lloyd ran. He ran, and ran, and he ran. He had to get back to the iron Doom. He'd messed up. He'd messed up horribly. As his hand throbbed with the venom of the Devourer inside him, he knew he could only do one thing. He had to go back. He had to get Wu for help. He had to save himself. _

* * *

"...The Devourer," Harumi turned to Overlloyd, "You… You went back in time to save your father from the Devourer… and you were the one that it bit."

"And in doing so," Overlloyd darkened his gaze, "I turned my own existence into a paradox. The energies of the Iron Doom sustained my existence for as long as they could. By the time I had landed in Ninjago, the machine was so damaged I dared not try to remove the blades to try to fix myself. I held on for as long as I could… as the venom coursed through me."

"That's why you went to the Overlord," Lloyd's mind flashed with understanding, "You… you needed a body to sustain yourself, didn't you?"

"**With him already having the venom inside of him,"** The Overlord replied with a grin, "**It was easy to accept his proposal."**

"But, what about Morro?" Lulloyd spoke up, "I thought, Morro was from the past."

"Once I was fused, I risked one more trip to save him," Overlloyd looked down at his hand, "Of all of those in Ninjago, I saved the one that then needed it most. The machine broke down when we returned, and it was here that I hid it away from the world." The crack across the Iron Doom's dial shone in the low light at his words.

"You created an alternate timeline," Harumi gasped, "And by fusing with the Overlord, you made yourself a part of it. That's how both you and Sun exist."

"All the more reason we need to stop the Time Twins," Monty drew a shotgun from his back, "We need to move in now, while they're distracted."

"It is likely they are figuring out how to remove the Dark Matter," Overlloyd mused, "They have not noticed you yet. I will attack them, and when I signal for you, finish them."

"And why should we take orders from you?" Monty asked.

"A surprise is only such," Overlloyd hefted his staff up, "If you distract them first."

With that, Overlloyd suddenly let out a snarl as his back began to pulse. Two large wings, much like that of the Overlord dragon's own, burst out from his body and moved up to flap and carry him into the chamber. He hovered above the Time Twins, staring at them with a harsh glare as he moved to heft his staff over his head and focus. Dark power filled his hands and blasted down towards the Twins, readying to incinerate them. At the last second, Krux turned and blasted the strike with the slow blade, causing it to substantially slow down and let both Twins and Vermillion scatter.

"It is not a wise idea to pry into the secrets of others," Overlloyd snarled down at them, "Especially to those that hold the power to crush you."

"Ah, if it isn't the Emperor!" Acronix, unfazed by the surprise, stood up and laughed up at him, "Did you take enough time to lick your wounds?"

"Longer than you should have allowed me to," Overlloyd held a wide eyed, rage filled glare at them, "You have taken it upon yourselves to hurt the members of my Hand and attempt to steal yourselves away from my world. You truly have no semblance of wisdom inside your heads."

"Perhaps you should save those sentiments until the battle is won!" Krux declared, "For we now have the power that you so foolishly cast aside!"

"That machine?" Overlloyd stared at it, "That broke years ago. If that is what you seek, you will have no such luck with it."

"It looks like an older model, but you know what they say," Acronix raised up the forward blade, "It just needs a little jump start!"

"Then let that machine be your graves," Overlloyd declared, hefting his staff at them, "Along with your last glimpse of hope."

"Morro!" Krux shouted, "Now!"

Both Twins slid the time blades into their belts, raising their hands up to form Rhotatae discs. At the same time, Morro's body was hefted up by the snakes and forced to expel green power from his hands. The power struck both the discs the Twins fired, right before the Twins feinted opposite directions to avoid Overlloyd's counter attack of dark blasts. Overlloyd managed to turn his staff to the side and knock the discs away, yet the Twins guided them to move in and attack him from behind. While Overlloyd dispatched one, the other hit his back and transferred a blast of green power into him to make his body burn in pain. His wings momentarily jerked in the air.

"**Do not let them hit us with that power again,"** The Overlord hissed to his partner, "**Our body can't take more of that."**

"If you think I'm trying to," Overlloyd growled, "Then perhaps you should take over."

"**Force them into the light,"** The Overlord hissed to him, "**I can control their shadows from there." **

Around the room, blue torches on the wall cast small semicircles of light. Overlloyd turned his body down and soared forward, his wings carrying him as he split his staff into the two smaller ones he'd display before. He traded blows with both Twins as he flew overhead, leading them both to roll backwards. Sensing the threat the younger one posed, Overlloyd did a massive roll in the air and slammed into the ground in front of Acronix, letting out a draconic growl before launching forward and sending both of his weapons into Acronix.

To counter this, Acronix tried to once more use the forward blade. Before he could, Overlloyd fused his staff back together into its full form and knocked the forward blade in Acronix's grasp. Acronix stumbled backwards, right towards where Overlloyd wanted him. As Krux tried to raise the slow blade at him, Overlloyd struck the ground under him with his staff. A crack traveled through the ground before Krux leapt away from a large blast of dark power that geysered up from the rocks.

"Alright, brother!" Acronix laughed, "Let's test our creativity!"

"I am getting to my limit with your speech!" Krux declared. Much to Overlloyd's shock, Acronix then leapt backwards willingly, right into his own shadow. Overlloyd raised his hand, ready to strangle Acronix with it.

Acronix, however, wasn't paying attention to that. Instead, he turned around and punched the pillar that was holding up the wall. The pillar turned blue, then it burst apart into bricks. Acronix watched as a variety of cylinders, plates and bricks came pouring down just for him, letting him then turn to Overlloyd with a wild grin on his face.

"Brick this!" Acronix kicked a 2x2 plate right into Overlloyd's face. Overlloyd, out of pure surprise, batted it away. That moment let Acronix turn and begin to rapidly throw bricks towards the middle of the room, along with his brother who had done the same to another pillar. Soon, the two had a large pile of bricks in the middle of the room, just begging to be built.

"We need to go in," Lulloyd spoke up seeing this, standing up to try to hurry after them. As he tried to, Lloyd reached out and gripped his shoulder.

"..We'd… we'd just get in Overlloyd's way," Lloyd muttered nervously, "We have to trust him right now. I… I mean, he is part Overlord." Harumi looked down sharply..

"You all can stay here," Monty hissed, "I'm going in." Before the group could stop him, the ghost had turned invisible and was already gone. Lloyd wanted to call out to stop him, but he couldn't.

"I can do that!" Mage began to summon his element to turn them invisible. Harumi, however, shook her head.

"We can't be reckless," Harumi gulped, "Wait for a better opening. We can't let them get away… this is our chance."

Overlloyd attempted to turn Acronix's shadow into a weapon, yet Acronix wasn't having it. Instead, he and his brother build up a massive stairwell up to the Iron Doom, complete with railing on either side and large arches to boot. The Vermillion began to run up the stairs towards the Iron Doom's viewport before it was even finished. Overlloyd scoffed at this, turning to blast power at the Twins' creation. Acronix hit the blast with the forward blade, causing it to blink past the stairs and appear on the other side, crashing into the wall of the chamber and sizzling on impact.

Undaunted, Overlloyd turned to keep pressing his attack. Krux took this chance to fire two small balls of slowed time energy into the air, then be given a boost from his brother so he landed with his feet in one. Overlloyd took the bait, flying for Krux and swinging his staff at him. Krux waited for the last minute to cancel the effect, causing him to fall down and avoid the strike and land in one underneath him to slow down again. Overlloyd snarled and cracked his wings to turn around, but Acronix leapt into the air, off his brother's hands, blinked forward in time with his time blade and struck Overlloyd. Overlloyd responded by nearly impaling Acronix, who leapt away and onto the ground. Krux landed with him, making Overlloyd hover in the air and stare at them.

"What is it you hope to accomplish with this?" Overlloyd asked, "This machine is long since defunct. It will serve you nothing."

"That's what you think!" Acronix declared, "Don't throw your _arm_ out trying to beat us."

This time, Krux didn't make a move to correct his brother, which made Overlloyd turn in confusion. The left arm of the Iron Doom slowly began to pull, trying to free itself from the Dark Matter. Bits of Vermillion Armor were stacked up in the cockpit, with one slumped back into a chair. Overlloyd reached out with his hand, calling on the Dark Matter to hold the arm tighter. Before he could take control, Acronix was on him and slashing at him. Overlloyd's already weak concentration was snapped as he was forced to take them on.

_**Why aren't you using your allies?**_ The Overlord asked in Overlloyd's head, _**They could help right about now.**_

_I sense the presence of one already,_ Overlloyd responded, _I think he will be of help._

Two massive bangs went off, followed by Acronix and Krux dodging as little holes appeared by them from the guns going on. Monty, remaining invisible, slid the shotguns onto his back and drew pistols. He let them loose at the Twins, who once more dodged around at the bullets they could see coming but couldn't track the location of.

"Another one of your powers, Emperor?" Krux spat, "As if you did not have enough already!"

"My power is one that grows with defeat," Overlloyd lied, "You will suffer for it."

Monty stopped firing and drew the SoS, readying to go in and slice at the Twins. Overlloyd hid this by calling upon the Twins' shadows, rising up to follow where he heard Monty's sword to be swinging. With this guise, the Twins dodged their own shadows, unaware of someone being there to attack them. Monty worked to attack the Twins while Overlloyd hid it with shadows.

With a loud screech, the arm of the Iron Doom freed itself. Overlloyd let out a 'tssk' as he saw the arm reach back and grab a sword. With so few snakes, the machine could only manage to move one limb, and slowly at that. The action, however, was one that Overlloyd couldn't ignore.

The Twins seemed like they couldn't either. They both nodded and moved to their staircase, running up it and using the last charge in the forward blade to blink up it faster. Monty raced forward and smashed a wind-fueled strike into the structure, causing it to rumble and then begin to break.

The Twins, however, managed to get into the cockpit just in time. They both dove inside the cockpit and landed hard, scattering the bits of Vermillion armor their discarded snakes had left behind. Without hesitation, they both stood up and nodded to each other as they took the controls.

"Now then," Acornix looked down to the cracked time dial, "Let's see what this baby can do!"

Both Twins moved and blasted the large dial with a combination of their powers. The dial didn't respond, but the time blades lodged weakly inside did with a faint, tickling glow. Seeing they still had power inside of them, the two nodded and wrenched out the dull forward and slow blades inside, replacing them with their own. As soon as they did, the other two blades began to glow.

"Broken or not!" Acronix smirked, "The glory of the time blades is they just need to recharge! It looks like you depleted them pretty good with whatever you were pulling!"

Overlloyd turned, ready to try to fly up and attack the two. As he tried to do so, the arm that had grabbed the sword came swinging down. When Overlloyd went to dodge, Krux yanked the slow blade out of the time dial and blasted Overlloyd with it. In his haste, his world was slowed down. Krux set the blade back in the Iron Doom and hit a button, causing the Time Matrix to start to spark up. The crack in it began to glow as the sword arm came down.

Without a choice as the slow effect wore off, Overlloyd gripped his staff with all four arms and held it up. With his full strength as both Overlloyd and Overlord, he caught the blade. The hidden group looked on with slight awe as Overlloyd managed to take the full force of the Iron Doom's arm being pressed into him. He huffed hard as he did, yet he managed to stand firm and strain back against it. For a few moments, it appeared that he was struggling. That was before he suddenly opened his eyes and looked back to the entrance.

"Now!" Overlloyd spat, "I have them where you can strike!"

Without another word, Mage shot forward using the element of speed, appearing under Overlloyd and focusing. With a blast of fire, he shot straight up in the air, turning his arm metal and swinging it as he did. The force of impact knocked the massive sword of the Iron Doom back, causing the machine to screech for a moment. Mage did a backflip, falling back to the ground. With a swift application of gravity, his body came to rest on the chamber floor.

Together, Lloyd and Harumi charged up balls of green and unleashed them in a beam. Overlloyd, freed of his blade lock, held his staff forward and joined his power with theirs. The combined mixture of green and dark blasted the viewport of the Iron Doom, throwing the Twins out of their seats. Harumi charged up dual Rhotatae discs and sent them flying forward, striking the Twins again before they could get up. Lulloyd drew his sword and brick, ready to deploy. Monty and the SoS appeared floating in the air beside Overlloyd, not turning to even look at him as they did.

By reflex, the Iron Doom swung its blade down at them again. Overlloyd and Monty dodged out of the way. Before either of them could do anything, though, Mage had jumped into the air with gravity and then slammed down on the Iron Doom's wrist. With a fierce snarl, Mage went running straight up the Iron Doom's arm, applying metal to magnetize himself to it even as the arm reared back. When Mage reached the torso, he rubbed his hands together and charged up a spark, pressing his palms down and frying the shoulder of the Iron Doom. The snakes inside let out a massive roaring hiss of pain. Just before Mage could go further, one of the panels opened up on the armor, letting a few snakes reach up and bite Mage's foot. Mage turned to blast them with concentrated electricity, rearing his head back to spit acid at them. Before he could, though, the Iron Doom cracked its arm, jolting Mage's focus and sending him back down to the ground. Mage looked up just in time to see the Iron Doom's arm about to slice him. Overlloyd, however, reached out for the shadow the arm cast. A massive piston of shadow struck up and knocked into the arm, slowing it down enough for Mage to leap backwards and out of the way. Overlloyd let out a small hiss of exertion as he did.

"Hold that arm still," Overlloyd snarled. Monty turned to look at him, then nodded. Lulloyd raced forward and struck the floor, churning up bricks that he rapidly built into what looked like a massive cane. Looping it around the Iron Doom's arm, he slammed the other end into the floor to attach it. Monty reached out with wind to create a vortex around the upper arm of the Iron Doom, As he did, Overlloyd reached out.

The room rumbled. Overlloyd's body shook as the ground cracked and split open. Then, massive pillars of Dark Matter shot up. The pillars reached up and wrapped around the arm like tentacles, grabbing it and yanking it towards the ground. The Iron Doom fought back, the Vermillion inside unwilling to give. Over raised one hand and opened his palm, thrusting his arm forward. More Dark Matter erupted from the floor and grabbed on, then yanked the arm back towards the rest of the Dark Matter encasing the Iron Doom. Like dragging an insect back to its web, the Dark Matter ensnared the arm again.

"This city… this place, is my Empire," Overlloyd's purple, pupiless eyes flared up as he spat, "The ground you walk upon is my essence. If you thought I would ever let you leave… you are mistaken."

"Krux! Acronix!" Lloyd shouted up at the Iron Doom, "We've come to take you down! You have to answer to us now!" Lloyd drew a katana and pointed it up towards them, "This game you're playing ends now!"

Both Twins slowly grasped the control console, pulling themselves up and slowly, gently, looking over the lip. As they saw what was there, their hazy vision coming together, Acronix was the first one to frown. Yet it was his brother whose face was not one of anger, but of pure, livid, fury. Krux planted his palms against the console and gripped hte controls tightly as he forced himself up, his breath failing him for a few moments.

"No…" Krux spat, "No… no, they are not here. Surely, my vision plays tricks on me? After all we have done, they wouldn't be after us. Not… now!"

"I'm never letting you leave!" Mage shouted, his voice suddenly filled with livid anger himself, "I haven't paid back my promise to you yet! I'll pay you back for every ounce of pain you caused my friends!"

For a moment, Krux snarled. He looked ready to snap, to scream and shout with an emotion unlike any other. Acronix got up beside him. He looked over to Krux. The older twin had his eyes fixated on not Mage, not Over, but Lloyd. Lloyd, Harumi and Lulloyd. As he saw them, his teeth ground together, his eyebrows twitched and spasmed. And then, with a small cackle, he threw his head back and howled in laughter.

"Fate truly hates us!" Krux laughed, almost uncontrollably, "HAHA! HAHA! They made it out! The heroes always make it out! We have to fight and scarpe by for all we want, but they always find a way! Isn't that right, brother?!" Krux's eyes were wild with a crazed tremble, "Isn't that right?1 Each of you! There was no way for you to get out! We figured out how you traveled! We figured it out! THERE'S NO WAY! NO WAY! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO, NO! WAY!"

Monty landed in front of the group, tossing his shotguns to Lloyd to reload. Lulloyd stood in a readied pose, his face filled with confusion at Krux's reaction. Harumi fired several of her discs up at the Twins, who ducked under the cockpit again. Lloyd continued to hold his katana up at the Twins, but his face became unsure. The only one that seemed unfazed by it was Mage. his left hand sparking with various elements.

"After all this time…" Krux hissed, his eyes hidden in shadow, "After all of our work. After all of the planning and effort, they still remain. We felt this place's time. We knew that he had done something to it. We planned this for weeks. Longer than anything we should have had to! And now, we fight our way to what should be ours, our right, and you show up?! AND NOW YOU SHOW UP?!"

"Easy there, brother…" Acronix had lost his characteristic smile, "We may not know how they escaped… but we can prevent them from coming after us simply in another way."

Overlloyd hovered in the wair, weighing his option. The Twins were close enough to their plugged-in Time Blades to draw them and fight. It would be too much to fight them again. Not in his weakened state. Even now, he could barely move his wings. So, instead, he reached out and controlled the Dark Matter the Iron Doom was encased in.

Slowly, the substance began to contract. Like what he'd done to the group that now stood around him in the cells, he began to crush the Iron Doom. With his control over the powers of the Overlord and the will of Lloyd fueling him, Overlloyd closed all four of his fists. His staff melted back into his body as the Dark Matter caused the Iron Doom to creak. Vermillion began to slither around the Iron Doom in shock, attempting to find a safe haven. Even as the cockpit creaked around them, neither of the Twins were paying attention.

"I am finished…" Krux hissed, "I am finished with them! I'm finished! I'M FINISHED I'M FINISHED I! AM! FINISHED! IF THEY WANT TO FOLLOW US, WE'LL GO FARTHER THAN ANY OF THEM CAN EVER GO!"

Krux slammed his hand down on the console in front of him. Until now, the group hadn't been keeping track of Morro. That was when the floor of the Iron Doom opened, spitting up Morro, still strung up with snakes. The Vermillion armor he wore fell away, revealing him in the deepstone green armor that the group had seen him in Monty's world in. Krux thrust one hand back, causing the Vermilion to rise up and bite his body wherever they could. Morro opened his mouth in a wordless scream. His body convulsed as green power was made to, once more, leak violently from his body.

As Overlloyd focused on crushing them where they stood, Lloyd knew he had to make his move. They couldn't leave Morro behind! With a massive spin of Airjitzu, Lloyd shot up the air and towards an exposed part of the Iron Doom. Monty and Mage both came up with him, Mage going straight for the cockpit. Just as all three were about to reach it, however, Acronix turned his head forward and pointed his hand at them. Green power from Morro went sent coursing straight down into the trapped arm of the Iron Doom, burning at the Dark Matter that held it. Monty had just enough time to grab Mage and blast away as the arm came swinging towards him, the air rushing around the sword with its. Lloyd was thrown off, caught by Harumi throwing a Rhotate disc his way. Mage and Monty landed back on the ground, with Mage looking up at the Iron Doom in shocked surprise.

The cockpit of the Iron Doom was glowing. Glowing so bright green was spilling out. Overlloyd spat and tried to force the Dark Matter to crush faster. Yet Krux seemed to keep pushing him. Soon, that silent scream became a loud one that echoed through the entire chamber, making each of them wince as they heard the sound of their kin in pain. The entire Iron Doom began to glow with green power, melting away the Dark Matter. Overlloyd, enraged, reached out and tried to hold the Iron Doom down more.

"We have to hold him!" Lloyd shouted, leaping into the air and spinning into Spinjitzu. As he did, Acronix raised his hand up and sent a slice at him. The Iron Doom responded by using its other arm to pull up the other sword from it's back, slicing it right towards Lloyd. Mage reached up with metal, catching it and giving Monty time to blast into the air and shove Lloyd back down. The sword sliced down into the ground, cleaving a massive gash into it in the process.

"More!" Krux shouted, "MORE! Drain every last drop of power from him! Leave him with nothing! Give this machine everything you possibly can!"

With a loud shout, Overlloyd gave one last attempt to crush the Iron Doom. Instead, the Dark Matter burned apart, collapsing around it to fully free the beast. Overlloyd, exhausted, dropped to the ground, landing on all fours, wings retreating into his body. He wasn't done yet, however.. He called upon his Shadow Control power, moving to will the beast's shadow to become his to command. As it did, the shadow began to turn into spears that would undoubtedly destroy what little chance the Twins had of victory. Krux turned from the viewport to see this, but stayed the course. The shadow began to rise up as Overlloyd pushed his body to its limits, ready to fully take down the beast before it charged up.

With a blast of light, the Iron Doom's time dial began to spin again. The machine lurched forward, ripping free of the remaining Dark Matter netting as it did. The massive tail, its metal glowing with green power, went to swipe across the floor straight towards Overlloyd. In the moment, Overlloyd saw the tail coming at him, knowing what it would mean if it connected. His perception enhanced as he tried to turn and ready his staff.

Instead, with a flash of speed and a body turned to metal, Mage appeared right in front of Overlloyd, taking a wide stance. When the tail struck him, Mage shouted in sheer exertion as he dug in and used both metal and earth to enhance his strength and stop the blow. Overlloyd remained stunned for a few moments at the display, yet said nothing. He reached out, using the shadow that that tail cast to ensnare it and pull it away from Mage. Mage let go as the shadows moved to whip the tail back into place. Once more, Overlloyd slid forward on all fours in exhaustion.

The action, however, was one that gave the Twins inside the cockpit the chance to direct all snakes from the arms into the head. The head slowly rotated upwards, the red eye charging up using Morro as a battery. The eye fired in rapid succession. A hole was blasted straight up into the ceiling, blasting apart a hole in it. Each time it fired only made the hole larger and larger, raining down chunks of rock on them. Mage raced over to the others just as Lloyd and Harumi threw their hands up and created a large shield over them. Mage used his power to divert the rocks above them in turn. Overlloyd, seeing them coming down, shut his eyes tightly and focused. His shadow reached up and grabbed him, yanking him backwards to throw him to the opposite wall.

When the rubble finally cleared, there was a hole that led all the way to the surface. A faint gray light from the clouded skies shone down into the chamber, right onto the Iron Doom. Lloyd and Harumi dropped the shield, leaving Mage to slump forward as his body took the toll of the attacks on him.

"Is… is everyone okay?" Lulloyd asked nervously. Slowly, each of them responded. Monty was the only one who didn't, who was standing looking at his shotguns that had been crushed to bits by the falling rocks. When he turned to look at Lloyd, Lloyd muttered an apology for not catching them in time.

"Where's Overlloyd?" Monty asked as he stared up at the Iron Doom.

From across the chamber, a few rocks stirred. Overlloyd blasted the rocks apart with dark power, heaving his body up from the rubble and coughing as he did. He clung his way to the rocks as he snarled.

"They should know their place," Overlloyd spat.

"Now then," Acronix rubbed his hands together, "Let's bring in the cavalry, shall we?"

From the hole above, a figure emerged. Then another. Then another still. The figures were twisted, cobbled together from items one would find off the street. Signs, trash cans, car parts, and other things that looked rusted and worn from use. Yet it wasn't that which made the onlookers terrified. It was the fact that what was inside of those figures, were Vermillion. The Iron Doom moved to sheath one sword at a time, then raise its hands up with palms opened wide.

"Have I ever mentioned before that I love breeding?" Acronix patted the Iron Doom, "Especially when you can _forward_ to the good part!" Krux just groaned at his brother's horrible pun.

"To us, Vermillion!" Krux shouted, "To your Iron Doom!" At once, the figures moved to fall straight down the hole. They fell and fell, then smashed into the open palms and sent what they were using for a body into pieces. The snakes that hit the palm, however, slithered into the Iron Doom through the wrists to fill the machine.

"This… this is directly under my palace grounds…" Overlloyd spat, "How did they… get them into my palace?"

"The Vermillion are… adaptable!" Acronix laughed, "I thank you for sending your general to defeat us, though. Defeating aimless Stone Warriors is easier when they have no orders," Acronix rubbed his neck, "Who knew being able to connect to that Hive Mind was useful after all?"

"I've… never seen it rain snakes," Lulloyd muttered, "And, I don't think I want to ever again."

Monty, who was still carrying his gun bag, reached inside for a weapon. Mage went flying past Monty in a flash, and a weight suddenly ws gone from the bag. Mage went flying into the air using gravity, brandishing the previously stored Aevum and swinging it around his body as he prepared to cleave through the Iron Doom's arms. Lloyd quickly spun into Airjitzu and took the chance to follow him, pushing his cyclondo to the absolute limit until he was just out of reach of the arms. Mage turned and formed a whip out of the moisture in the air to grab Lloyd and throw him up so they could both land on the arms of the Iron Doom. The two went back to back, Lloyd facing the viewport and Mage the Vermillion.

Rather than waste time with words, Lloyd held out his two swords and ran towards the Twins, while Mage readied to slice apart the wrists of the Iron Doom. The Twins responded by growling and making the Iron Doom bend its arms downwards, sending both of them sliding and gripping onto the jagged metal for support. Mage tried to get up, yet snakes from the machine moved up to try to bite at him. He swiped Aevum at them, yet no matter what he did they kept coming. Lloyd saw the grip he had begin to fill up with snakes clamoring to attack him. A bite from them caused him to drop his swords, sending them clattering to the floor below.

Overlloyd, pushing himself once more, opened now tattered wings and soared up beside the Iron Doom, forming his staff to send down against the Iron Doom's head. The machine bellowed as the snakes it had in it began to react in pain once more. The Twins, however, were more concerned with Lloyd and Mage. The snakes responded to them by changing tactics, instead slamming their bodies on the metal that they were holding onto. The metal that Lloyd held onto was pried off and separated, sending Lloyd falling down towards the ground. Harumi fired several Rhotatae discs, angling them to hit Lloyd and held slow his fall. Monty reached up with his wind to then guide Lloyd back down to the ground. Mage let go of the Iron Doom in turn, moving to hover in the air like Overlloyd and try to attack that way.

The last of the snakes stopped falling from above. Mage moving to bring Aevum down on the Iron Doom's wrist, slicing through most of it and causing it to start to fall off. Snakes, however, had accumulated enough to rapidly move and restitch the wrist back on, much to his anger. He turned towards the Twins, holding Aevum in both hands and looking them in the eye.

"You…" Krux spat as he saw the boy, "Of all of them… you're the one that deserves to die the most painful death."

"This sword belongs to someone that you hurt," Mage growled, "And I need to repay you for all that you've done. I already took down one of your generals. I'll take you down too."

Overlloyd moved to hover beside Mage, saying nothing but letting his eyes instead carry the sentiment. Krux and Acronix looked to them both for a few moments, deciding on the best course of action. Lloyd, Monty, Harumi and Lloyd all stood at the base of the Iron Doom, planning their path to get them up inside of the machine again.

Just then, the machine's time dial started to spin. A sickening crackle sounded from the machine, a sound that wasn't like anything it'd made before. The Time Matrix spun at uneven cycles, causing the crack to blur and marr the normally pristine machine. Krux and Acronix, however, were grinning like madmen as they heard the machine they loved so much reacting to them. The Time Blades had finally recharged.

"Now, brother!" Acronix smirked. Krux nodded his head to his brother, then pressed a button. All at once, the screeching the machine emanated became near unbearable. Energy began to spill out from cracks like bloo from a wound. Around the Iron Doom, blue lines appeared that were unmistakable for anything other than them attempting to flee.

"Not again!" Mage shouted, flying forward to try to strike the Time Matrix. When his sword connected with it, however, the reaction was a blast that sent him flying backwards hard enough to leave a massive gash into the ground. While the others moved to check on him, Overlloyd heard something from both sides. The Iron Doom crushed him between its fists before his tired body could react. Slowly, the fists of the Iron Doom were pushed apart as Overlloyd pushed his arms out, spitting in rage and calling upon everything he could to hold them open. He let out a shout of nothing more than pure hatred as he forced the fists apart.

Just then, the Iron Doom fired another blast from its eye, sending Overlloyd into the ground just as it had Mage. The screeching from the Time Matrix finally hit its peak and then leveled off, turning into a harsh and unsettling humming. The telltale blue streaks up into the sky formed as the Iron Doom began to lift up into the air to escape from the world.

Thinking fast, Lulloyd moved and threw his mechdragon brick out onto the ground. The dragon unfolded, letting Lloyd and Harumi carry Mage over and up onto the thing. Monty shot up into the air using wind after the Iron Doom, while the mechdragon roared and followed up after the Twins. The hole the Twins had blasted open was just wide enough for them to fit through, and more importantly for them to rise up from and towards a hole in the sky.

In the dark skies of the Emperor's Ninjago City, the clouds were split open by a strange, swirling blue hole that led to a blackened void. The travelers had seen this hole many times before. This time, however, the hole the Twins were rising into was different. Normally, the hole was a rather elegant circle, like washed pushed away by a container. This, however, was a jagged scar that looked to be ripped into the sky itself. Just like Monty's portal, it was one that didn't look to be on the clouds themselves, but rather gashed into the space around them instead. The hole was letting out a hum the same as that of the Iron Doom, and one that looked far worse than before.

The mechdragon went after the Iron Doom, exiting the hole in the palace grounds just after the Iron Doom. The dark tower of the Palace loomed over them all, but even it was no longer threatening as the idea of the Twins leaving again was. Lulloyd turned the controls and began to fire off his weapons, sending missiles and lasers right into the Iron Doom's chest. The machine creaked, yet remained firm. In turn, the Twins fired back their own fire from the eye, firing fast enough to blast the side of the Mechdragon.

The hole grew in size. The scar across the sky, the gateway to the void itself, was trembling and pulsing. Slowly, a wind began to creep through the city. A wind that was colder and more chilling than even the Emperor's Darkness. The wind swirled around in all directions, racing through every street, every single area that it could. And the wind all was being gathered around the palace, sucked into the hole the Iron Doom was raised in. As the Iron Doom rose, the massive crack in its chest glowed even harder, energy spilling out of it.

"W-What's with this wind?!" Lulloyd shouted, "I can't… keep us steady!" A massive gust of wind struck the Mechdragon, throwing it around in the air and sending them hurtling towards the palace grounds. To save himself the trouble of losing pieces, Lulloyd waited until they had nearly hit the ground, then turned the dragon back into a brick. Lulloyd grabbed the brick and readied for impact. Harumi fired several Rhotatae discs at them, narrowly catching Lloyd and Lulloyd to help guide them down to the ground. She herself grabbed Mage and did the same, landing with her disc exploding and sending her painfully into the rocks.

Monty was still flying straight for the Iron Doom as it went up into the sky. The air around the portal, however, was a violent storm. The winds buffeted the Iron Doom, which stopped in the air roughly fifty feet above the palace grounds. Monty tried to push his powers to keep himself going, yet the winds overcame him and forced him to retreat back. He drew pistols and fired off shots at the Iron Doom, yet nothing connected meaningfully.

"Brother!" Acronix shouted, "We've stopped!"

"Curse this broken machine!" Krux turned to Morro, "Give us every ounce of power in his body!"

The snakes connected to Morro complied, draining even more of his power from him. Morro had not the power to scream at this point, and instead was forced to endure as the machine continued to pour more power into the Time Matrix. The violent humming only grew inside of the rift above them, causing the massive gash in the sky to only grow larger and stretch even further across the sky. The air around it seemed to tremble and shake in a way none had seen before.

Around the city, the citizens hid. Something felt wrong. They had seen the evil and darkness of the Emperor, but this did not feel like him. As the crack in the sky grew, and a storm seemed to encompass the city with no rain to wash away their fear, those that could hide, hid. Only the dimensional travelers, on the grounds of the palace as they were, could hold on enough to look up towards the sky.

"What… what is that…?" Lulloyd asked, looking up at it, "That… that looks like the void!"

"I don't know…" Harumi gulped, "But… but I think you're right."

A loud noise tore through the air, even above the winds. From the hole that led to the former hiding place of the Iron Doom, Overlloyd, wings beating powerfully, emerged. His wings were all but seared apart, yet he pushed his body to the limit. He landed on the other side of the large hole the group stood by. Monty lowered down to join his friends. Once he touched down, Overlloyd fell down to one knee and gripped the floor.

"**Something is wrong,"** The Overlord growled, "**Don't you feel that? That wind. That wind isn't like anything we've felt before. That damaged Iron Doom is doing something!" **

Overlloyd looked up. The Iron Doom seemed to be at the center of the storm. The crack was spinning faster, light spilling out in all directions like a gushing hose. The more the crack glowed, the more the wind blew. Even he could barely stay upright.

"I refuse…" Overlloyd spat as he forced a gasping gaze towards the Iron Doom, "I refuse to let you take away all of the work I've put into my world, Twins!"

Overlloyd focused, focused on his own body. He felt hazy. Dizzy. His mind was swimming. Even now, looking at the Iron Doom, he couldn't help it. Help but feel the memories bubbling up to the surface. Memories that consumed him as he readied himself to fire his darkness at the Iron Doom and bring the machine down with all he had left.

* * *

"_**For what reason have you come to me?"**_ _The Overlord's ball pulsed angrily in the air, _"_**Why did you seek me out?"**_

_Lloyd huffed. His body felt sick. Sick and wrong. The Iron Doom was perched on the beach behind him. This world was wrong. Everything had gone wrong. The world was twisted and so, so wrong. He was twisted, and the world was right. _

"_I need… I need a body to remain… in Ninjago…" Lloyd gripped his chest, a pain flaring through him, "I don't… belong in this world. It's trying to erase me. The Iron Doom protected me but… but I don't have long left." _

"_**And why?"**_ _The Overlord asked, _"_**Would I do that with the one that holds the power meant to one day be my equal?"**_

_Lloyd stared at the ball of power in the air. The Overlord could possess people and transform their bodies. If he allowed the Overlord to fully envelop his body, then he could gain a presence in this world. If he didn't, time would catch up to him and erase him. He was a paradox. He needed something to stop that paradox from being erased. _

"_Because I need to live," Lloyd groaned out in pain, "And I already carry something you need to help the process along." _

_Lloyd raised his recently snake-bitten hand. The two marks were angry, and had begun to web out around his hand and down his arm with angry black veins. The Overlord's ball stared at it, or at least Lloyd assumed he did. Lloyd held it up for as long as he could before he was forced to lower it out of the pain it gave him. _

"_We… we were both left behind by destiny," Lloyd informed him, "We were both meant to be erased." _

_The Overlord remained silent for a few minutes. Then, he began to laugh. His laugh was piercing, dark and howling. Lloyd stared him down, not taking his gaze off of him. The Overlord kept laughing, laughing and laughing until his voice went hoarse. _

"_**Tell me your story then, boy,"**_ _The Overlord pulsed, _"_**Let us see how destiny has abandoned you as well."**_

* * *

From behind Overlloyd, the doors to the palace opened.

Overlloyd turned his head at the sight, looking to see someone standing there. Sun. The boy that had disappeared had finally arrived, his body heaving and his sword fully ignited. He looked exhausted, having dragged his body all the way down from the prison floor. The knight of Ninjago City had finally arrived.

Sun took the chance to look around the area. He saw the ones he'd come to save, staring up at a massive machine suspended in the air over a tear in the sky that unnerved him to the core. He saw the air around the massive gash whirling around like a hurricane, kicking up dust and bits of trash from the city into it. He looked to see the Emperor, laying on the ground in a weakened state. As he laid eyes on his Emperor, his sword glowed even brighter.

"Sun…" Overlloyd put power into his voice to speak to him, "I would never ask you this otherwise. Those men seek to destroy the home that you claim to protect. Go, Sun! Take them down, your new ability should-"

Sun raised his head with a grin. He raced forward right towards the Emperor, sprinting across the palace grounds as ribbons of light emerged from under his cloak, aimed right at Overlloyd. Overlloyd, in this state, had no way of putting up a defense in time, meaning his body that was pushed to the breaking point was then struck with the explosions of light right onto him. When the light cleared, he was laying on his back, with Sun having his foot planted firmly on Overlloyd's torso, hefting his blade to point at Overlloyd's throat.

"I… I have won…" Sun declared, "I have taken this chance to stop your plan and bring your reign to an end. I have bested you, Emperor. You will no longer be a power that can stand over me!" Sun raised his sword high, "I have won!"

"**You… You fool!" **The Overlord spat at Sun, "**Your idiotic pride will not serve you here! Those Twins have wronged us, now is not the time to-"** Sun sent a punch into Overlloyd's face, causing the Overlord to stop talking.

"Silence," Sun growled, "I have won. Your reign is over!"

From up above. Another blast of light from the crack caused the Iron Doom to shine. Sun shielded his eyes as he saw the rift in the sky fully tear cracks across the city's darkened clouds. The Iron Doom's crack glow was blinding as the Twins both gave each other a look of victory.

"Finally! This machine works!" Acronix laughed, "Goodbye, ninja!"

Lloyd stood up in full, trying to ready something… anything at the Iron Doom. Yet the rift in the sky pulsed hard and caused the winds around them to stir up and churn the group with their might. It took all they had not to be wrenched up from the ground. Monty drew the SoS, trying to look into it to see what would happen next. As he saw only his own face, he cursed and sheathed the thing again.

The Iron Doom began to rise up. Yet right now, that was not what Lloyd could focus on. The crack in the sky had grown to nearly the size of the city itself. It was shining its pure darkness, its nothingness, right down into them. The wind was encompassing all of the city and spreading beyond. It was unlike anything they'd felt before. Anything they knew of. Somehow, he knew that this jump was unlike any other.

In the confusion, Overlloyd gave the last of his strength to thrust Sun off of his body. Sun went falling straight down into the hole into the chamber underground, landing in a head near the now split open Dark Matter seal. Overlloyd slumped to the ground as his eyes trained on the sight of the Iron Doom rising up.

"NOOOOO!" Lloyd shouted, but not even Harumi could hear him now. The Iron Doom gave one more pulse. One more laugh came from Krux and Acronix, who shot up into the sky. And just like that, just like every other time, the Iron Doom was gone. With one last pulse, the Iron Doom had left this world yet again. Mage looked up towards the sight, his eyes shining with a pain in them to rival Lloyd's own.

Lloyd's regret only was able to swallow him for a few seconds. Whenever this happened, the hole the Iron Doom ascended into would vanish. This time, however, the crack in the sky didn't go away. Instead, the winds around it stilled for a moment. A second of calm. Then the winds churned up harder, as though the crack had somehow exhaled more power into the winds. The crack that had grown to encompass the city only continued to grow and shroud the world is darkness.

"Why isn't it going away?!" Lulloyd shouted, "Doesn't, doesn't it normally do that!?"

"Something's wrong!" Lloyd shouted back, turning to Mage, "Mage, are you okay?!"

Mage was fully standing now, his eyes transfixed on the mark in the sky. As they all watched, the cracks only grew. They grew further and further, with the winds getting worse and worse. Buildings in the distance had their glass ripped apart. Cars in the streets started to lift from the ground. People fled in terror as they saw their normally darkened skies begin ripped open in a way none of them had ever seen.

Lloyd's eye watched as something was drawn up into the sky. A piece of billboard or something similar. It raised up towards the crack in the sky, right for all to see. The second that it touched the void, it vanished. More pieces began to fly up, each of them vanishing the moment they touched the crack. Vanishing… like they had suddenly stopped existing.

"W-What the?!" Lulloyd shouted in terror, "Where'd they go?! What is that?!"

"If that's… if that's the void…" Harumi shook her head, "Then… then that means…" Slowly, the words that Fennwick had spoken to them came to her mind. Words spoken long ago, but filling her mind in that moment:

_Imagine that the outside is the void. If you came to this world, you must have come through it. the more pressure you place upon the world. And if you place too much pressure, then the very fabric of that world would be undone, permanently._

"The Twins ripped a hole in the barrier…" Harumi turned to the group, "This universe is coming apart!"

"What?!" Lloyd shouted. A violent gust of wind in the distance caused a building to begin to topple. That building, however, didn't fall. Instead, the winds began to pull it up into the sky. They all watched as it touched the crack in the sky, and vanished.

"Dareth's!" Harumi pointed across the palace grounds, "We need to get to Dareth's!"

The group had no way of arguing. Even Monty was left speechless as they watched the winds pull things up into the crack and then fade away. The world itself seemed to warp and bend around the void that was drawing objects into it. The five turned and ran towards Dareth's home, the building left standing in the palace grounds they had first emerged from. Mage weakly called on speed to hurry them closer.

The group threw the doors open to the warehouse. The second they did, the roof itself creaked and then, with a massive wrench, was ripped away. Lloyd looked up with pure horror in his eyes as the roof, along with chunks of buildings, were drawn into the void above them. Just like everything else, they vanished the moment they touched them. Swallowed into nothingness.

"GO! GO!" Lloyd shouted to them. The distance through the warehouse had never looked so long before. More buildings were being ripped away. People in the streets screamed for their lives as they ran, hiding under whatever remained on the ground. Lloyd's eyes fixed on a certain ship in the distance had its invisibility ripped away, then was sucked straight up until it touched the void. Like everything else, it vanished. Pure dread filled Lloyd as his body thrummed with pure adrenaline. The world itself was well and truly, ending.

Monty summoned his chi and flung it at the nearest wall, opening the portal, Lloyd turned to look at the carnage outside, just as the walls to the warehouse began to creak. He leapt inside, unwilling to watch what was happening. Harumi helped to pull Mage inside.

Lulloyd was about to go inside, but stopped as he saw Monty standing at the edge of hte portal. Monty's gaze was being drawn back across the palace grounds. To where he'd seen Sun fall, and Overlloyd lay limp.

"Monty," Lulloyd froze, "What is it? We have to go, NOW!"

"..." Monty shook his head, "I'm going back for him."

"What?!" Lulloyd looked up at the terror above them, "You can't!"

"Go," Monty drew the SoS, "I'll be right behind you."

Lulloyd gave Monty one more look, then nervously nodded his head in a sign of trust. He leapt into the portal, leaving the collapsing world. Monty gave a sigh, then summoned his wind and blasted away from the portal as fast as he could off towards the hole.

On the ground by the hole, staring up at the rift consuming his world, was Overlloyd. He couldn't move his body. He could only look up. Look up and watch as his city was ripped apart. Pieces of his empire, sucked away and banished from this world. He could only watch as all he'd made was ripped away. He slowly closed his eyes, unable to watch more. He could feel nothing, only a crushing guilt at his own failure. He inhaled for a moment, then gripped the ground with his hand.

"Forgive me, Overlord," Overlloyd whispered, "I wasn't able to rewrite our destiny after all." The winds were starting to make him feel weightless. Soon, he too would be drawn there. Soon, it would be his end. As he lay there, his mind began to drift, and a memory surfaced once more.

* * *

"_**Once we begin," **__The Overlord informed him, _"_**You will no longer be Lloyd. You've already been infected with my darkness. We will become something new. Something powerful." **_

_Lloyd felt the evil thoughts flare in his mind, "I don't care. I'm willing to give up my power if it means that I have a place to live. This world abandoned me. Let us make it burn… together." _

"_**Very well,"**_ _The Overlord laughed, _"_**Let us rewrite destiny, together."**_

_The Overlord's form struck Lloyd's body, then disappeared. Suddenly, the pain he felt from the bite flared. It flared and flared and flared even more. Lloyd let out a scream as the pain overwhelmed his body. Green power gathered in his hands, then blasted out from his palms. He continued to scream as his body snapped and cracked. His mind felt as though it was expanding, pressing in new ways he never thought possible. He fell to his knees and then to his hands as well, gripping the sand of the Dark Island's beach. He writhed in it as his body continued to blast out his power, blasting away the sand around them. _

_His skin turned black. The image of what his father had become was in the forefront of his mind. His torso shaped and grew until two growths on its sides became new arms. His head twisted back and forth as his skin was transformed into a carapace. His ninja robes burned up as more green power burst out from his hands. With another scream, Lloyd threw his head back, his hands sparking for a few moments before the green power turned pink, then purple. Two columns of dark power erupted towards the sky as the fusion came to its head. _

_Then, darkness. Lloyd fell to the ground. His body felt tired. Yet it also felt alive. The pain that he'd felt since arriving back in his time was gone. All the pain was gone. He looked around. His normal sight was now overlayed with thermal colors. He blinked his eyes, causing it to go back to his normal sight. He looked down at the ground. He was in a crater nearly ten feet into the ground. Water from the ocean was steadily trickling in from one side. From that water, a pool had formed. He looked down to see the face that he now had. To see the glowing purple eyes of the Overlord where his had once been. _

"_**We are now one," **__The Overlord spoke through his lips, _"_**I… we are now free to return to Ninjago. What say you, Lloyd?" **_

_Lloyd raised his hand to his face. He stared at himself for a long time, taking in the sight. Then, a sound. He laughed. He got to his feet, looking at his full body. He laughed. He laughed just like the Overlord did hearing his story. He laughed, and he laughed, and he laughed again. His laughter as he looked to the skies of the Dark Island. His laughter seemed to carry all the way to Ninjago, the land that had once housed him and soon, would be his. _

* * *

Overlloyd's eyes opened as he heard something beside him. Monty stood there, looking down the hole to the chamber where Sun lay. He could see the knight there, laying limp, completely motionless far out of reach. Monty held up his hand and blasted away a violent gust of wind that was coming his way. He looked up at the sky, seeing the void crack growing still. Overlloyd could only weakly stare at Monty as the ghost looked down to no doubt rescue the trapped knight below.

Monty looked into the gaze of the SoS. He willed for the sword to show him the future. There was nothing there. Monty's face filled with anger. The sword refused him visions. It refused him to see his fate in trying to save Sunt.

Overlloyd sighed, closing his eyes in full. He couldn't bring himself to listen to what the Overlord was saying. For now, he simply shut his eyes, ready for when the winds dragged him up to his fate…

A hand grabbed Overlloyd's arm. He looked up to see Monty there, looking back towards Dareth's warehouse. He had sheathed the SoS, and was looking forward towards the warehouse with his portal active. Monty turned and forced a strange blue crystal into Overlloyd's hand. The walls began to rip up into the sky. Monty looked down to the dark figure, his words firm.

"Sorry to interupt your dying," Monty growled, "But we need you."

With a burst of wind, Monty accelerated the two straight for Monty's portal. Monty pushed them faster than he normally ever would, hurtling them across the grounds and into the warehouse at record speed. The two figures shot into the portal, the crystal shard glowing to let Overlloyd into it. The portal shut just as the wall it was on went up into the sky, only to disappear along with it. Overlloyd was dragged away from his own world, disappearing into the void that was consuming all he had ever known.

Slowly, a boy rose up from the ground. Sun rubbed his head as he pushed himself upright. As he did, he turned his head up towards the sky, framed through the hole in the ground. He had seen Monty appear and consider saving him, only to drag away his rival instead. He should have felt anger. Rage. Sorrow. There was no feeling that Sun could spare, however. Instead, he looked up as he watched the void grow larger in the sky. He watched as his world was erased. Somehow, he knew what was happening. His eyes showed nothing in them, just the reflection of destruction that was consuming all it touched.

Slowly, Sun let go of his broken sword handle. The two halves clattered to the ground, the light in them fading out. Sun gave one last look up to the sky above him, then he kneeled. He placed his hands on his thighs, then he took a single breath. On his lips was not the smile of regret, or an expression of rage. Instead, it was a resignation to the fate he had brought upon himself. Slowly, he closed his eyes.

The crack in the sky grew one last time. The barrier fully broke. The winds stopped. The void rushed in. Sun let go of his last breath.

In an instant to last eternity, Sun was no more.

In an instant to last eternity, his universe ceased to exist.


	48. Chapter 48

With a small flash, a portal opened up against a wall. It was a portal that the group had used before, yet different. Unlike the smooth boundary the portal normally had, the portal was jagged and uneven, like cracks splintered out on glass. The darkness inside was more wild and unrestrained, swirling and writhing in various spots to make looking inside more of a word truly becoming of the word 'void.' It made a horrible crackle as it remained there, one end stable and the other connected to a dying world.

A figure emerged. Lloyd Garmadon, the Green Ninja, stumbled forward out of the portal. His eyes were wide and his breath ragged, and a glance down showed his hands shaking. That wild fear made his breath heave, his body feel weak. Everything about him, felt lit up in true horror. He fell to his knees, planting his hands on the floor, not bothering to look around. He could hear his heart pounding. He could feel the terror that was making it beat.

A loud noise caused him to jerk up and turn around. One noise reminded him he wasn't supposed to be alone. He desperately glanced towards the portal, willing the others had come with him. For a moment, it seemed the void wasn't all there was, a violent portal and a writhing darkness.

Instead, with a flash, one by one his friends emerged. Harumi fell to the ground as soon as the portal all but spat her out, her eyes wild and his hands digging into the carpet. Lulloyd stumbled out and nearly ripped over Harumi, doing a flip over her to remain upright. He nervously adjusted his hairpiece as he looked towards the portal, his eyes wide with disbelief. Mage emerged far more gracefully, but that grace didn't show on his face. He was stunned, stunned to the point of trying to catch up to what was happening. All the while, Lloyd starred.

The portal began to crackle louder. The four scrambled away from it, each looking on at it in confusion. Lloyd's eyes flashed to the last thing he'd seen: the world, surrounded by destruction, wind ripping apart everything… a world that the portal was connected to. The normally pristine border of the portal began to crackle shut. It began to sinch closed. He felt relieved, seeing that it was going to seal away that strange sight inside. His mind, however, knew that Monty was still there. He hadn't come out yet.

Just as the portal gave another crackle and slammed shut out on itself, two figures came flying out of it. They both went rocketing across the room and into a sofa, crashing into it as the portal fully shut behind them. There were no words for a moment. The portal gave one last jerk, and then it sealed shut. And with it, a feeling of warmth seemed to radiate from it. Like a relief from having to stare at what lay beyond.

Monty slowly stood up, brushing himself off despite having no body to brush. In one hand, he held onto the SoS. In the other hand, he held onto the arm of the one he'd brought with him. The four rushed over to check on their ghostly friend, a confused and nervous look in their eye. As they saw the hand of the one that he was holding onto, however, they instantly backed away.

"What…?" Overlloyd groaned as he forced his body to stand up, "What… what has happened?"

Monty looked around. He'd opened a portal at complete random. The room they were in was one he hadn't seen before. It was a large apartment with a step down living room, filled with trophies and massive screens showing scrolling lines of text. The entire room was various shades of nugget to dark brown, all of which came together to show the room styled to one individual. A small window near the front door, a few feet away from them, showed a glimpse out into a world with lights flying back every second.

"Where are we?" Monty demanded, his voice as neutral as ever.

"H-Home…" Harumi stepped forward, "You… you opened a portal… y-you brought me home."

"Then this is Dareth's place, right?" Lloyd asked. Harumi gave a small nod.

With a loud clank of metal, Overlloyd planted his staff into the ground. The group, sans Monty, instantly leapt away from him as they watched the dark being grip his staff with all four arms and cling to it fiercely. He gave a painful growl as he forced himself up onto his knees. Just that action alone made his body burn as though filled with thousands of needles, all pointed at him. Lloyd and Harumi took several steps back as Overlloyd struggled to get onto his feet.

"**The Dark Matter…"** The Overlord's voice, one of distress, rose from his lips, "**I cannot feel it. This… what has happened?"**

"I can't feel… anything…" Overlloyd huffed out in pain, "I… I don't know what's happening…." He gave a hard inhale, "I can't feel it. The matter, our empire it… it is gone."

"That's because we're not in your world anymore," Monty declared plainly, "Because your world is gone now."

Overlloyd looked over towards Monty. As his mind began to catch up with what had happened to him, so too did his anger. As he laid eyes burning with purple flames on Monty, Overlloyd forced himself to fully stand up. A dark aura began to flare around him, an aura that seeped down to the very core of all those that looked on it. Harumi's eyes widened, and with a gasp and summoned two balls of power in her hands, training them on Overlloyd. Lloyd found his own arms nearly drawn up in the same position as the feeling of the Overlord's malice came down on them. The room itself seemed to lose color as Overlloyd's rage built at the sight of Monty.

"You…" Overlloyd spat, "You dragged me away from my own death. You…" He clutched his side in pain, "You refused my own demise. I had accepted that was the last I would ever see of my empire… and you…" Overlloyd hissed out, "You denied me. On what… on what grounds have you done this?!"

"Because you were able to stand up to the Twins," Monty stated firmly, "It was between you and Sun. I chose you."

Upon hearing that name, Overlloyd's eyes flashed to a last glimpse he'd had of Sun, the boy collapsed in the chamber that all of his had started in. He'd seen Sun just as Monty dragged him to his feet, a split second before being pulled away. Hearing that name caused Overlloyd to grip his fists, a well of rage filling every ounce of his body.

"**AND WHO YOU WERE TO MAKE THAT DECISION?!"** The Overlord shouted. With his upper arms, he sent two massive blasts of shadow at Monty. Monty dodged just in time to send the beams blasting fully out the front wall and cleaving massive holes into the apartment's wall. The beams stretched all the way into the hovercars flying around outside, nearly destroying two in the process. As the cars swerved and jerked out of the way, Overlloyd raised his hands for another strike. As he tried to, he let out a hard cough as purple blood spilled out from his lips and splattered onto the carpet below. Overlloyd planted his staff into the floor to remain standing.

The sound of feet rustling behind Harumi caused her to turn her head. She looked to see two people had rushed from the hallway, doors flung open from where they'd rushed. They were both people that caused Harumi's heart to freeze seeing them, and made the others look interested.

"What was that?!" Dareth asked, looking around the room frantically.

"I don't…" Carnelian began, flipping her hair back to see the group, "...Wait, Harumi?!"

"Carn…" Harumi whispered. She looked back to Overlloyd clinging so desperately to his staff, then over to Carnelian. A weak and tense smile built up onto her lips, one that only continued to grow as tears began to well up in her eyes. She took one step forward towards Carnelian, then her leg gave out as she dropped hard to the ground.

"Harumi!" Lloyd and Lulloyd shouted in unison. Mage rushed over and used gravity to gently help rotate Harumi around and lay her on her front. Her eyes had rolled into her head, her entire body having passed out. Lloyd and Lulloyd both took her shoulders and helped to sit her upright, just in time for Carnelian to race forward and shove both of them on their asses and grab Harumi up in her arms princess-style.

"Dareth!" Carnelian turned, "Get us a compress!" Dareth was already in the kitchen, throwing out both a hot pack to be warmed up and a cold pack for her head. Carnelian rushed Harumi quickly over into the door she'd burst out of, which, when closed, showed Harumi's name on it. Dareth came instantly rushing after her with medicine, the packs and towels in hand.

"We're gonna make sure she's okay!" Dareth declared, "You all can make yourselves…" His voice trailed off as he saw the massive holes in his apartment and the dark figure clinging to a massive weapon, "...Uh, actually I'm just, gonna be in here." Before they could respond, he slammed the door shut to care for his adopted godchild.

While the three Lloyds were left stunned at the sudden turn of events all at once, all three turned back to see Overlloyd struggling to stand again. This time, his body refused him, causing him to fall to the ground, his staff melting into Dark Matter. He weakly raised his hand up, causing the black liquid to slowly drift into his palm and diffuse into it. When it was all retrieved, Overlloyd fully collapsed.

"**Our body has taken too much,"** The Overlord declared, "**We hadn't fully recovered from that first attack from the Twins before all of this. Sun's attack has left us-"**

"We share the same body, I know exactly what's wrong with me," Overlloyd gasped out, "Just… just… just give it some time," Overlloyd weakly drew his arms in, "We shall heal soon enough."

"Soon… enough?" Lulloyd blinked, "Wait a minute, do you… regenerate?"

"**Slowly…"** The Overlord hissed back, "**They aren't as bright as I thought."**

"We gave them no indication that we were hurt in the first place," Overlloyd groaned, "But yes, they all seem rather one track."

"So you're going to be like that for a little while now, right?" Monty sighed, "Great, now we all need to talk about what the hell just happened."

What happened, that was something that took Lloyd a long time to process. From the look on both Mage and Lulloyd's faces, they were having the same issue. Lloyd nervously looked around and slowly drifted over towards one of the couches. As soon as he put his hand on it, his legs went weak and he fell down onto the seat. He slumped down into it, his hands shaking as he gripped one of the armrests. Mage did the same next to him, though instead of shaking, he instead was looking around with a blank expression. Lulloyd sat down in a large recliner, quickly fumbling with the handle so as not to lean back.

"W...We all saw that, right?" Lulloyd started them off, "The… the Twins. They… they did something to the Iron Doom."

"Harumi said something about, about what Fennwick said," Lloyd turned to Lulloyd, "About, about puncturing holes in the universe and… and what happens when you do."

"The sky…" Mage muttered out, "The sky didn't look right. The… the hole the Iron Doom goes through, it didn't close and… and that was when it all started."

"Stop beating around the bush," Monty growled, "We all know what happened."

Overlloyd slowly dragged himself over to the wall that the portal had come from. The four watched him as he slumped against it, panting as he ran a hand along it. His face looked inquisitive for a few moments, as though trying to see if he could open the portal himself and make his way back where he came.

"...Ghost," Overlloyd clutched his side, "Open the portal."

"Why?" Monty raised his eyebrow.

"Just do it!" Overlloyd spat, clutching his chest with one arm again. Monty gave him a long, almost pathetic, look before nodding his head. Slowly, the distinct golden glow of his chi formed around him, which he then directed off into the wall. The dragon formed and then burst into the wall. Unlike before, however, nothing happened. Both Monty and Overlloyd looked at the wall, waiting for something to happen.

"...It's not opening," Monty narrowed his gaze, "I was able to just think of the place to go. It isn't working."

"Then… then clearly your power is not working as it should," Overlloyd hissed low, "Try again."

"It won't work," Monty told him again. Overlloyd raised his eyes, that dark aura beginning to well up around him as malice drifted from his eyes to Monty.

"...It really won't," Lloyd spoke up, drawing Overlloyd's attention, "If… if what Fennwick said was true, then the Time Twins ripped a hole between your world and… and the void. The thing we travel through to go from world to world. The void is just… nothing. I… I think that… that when the Twins charged up that Iron Doom with all of Morro's power it… it…"

Lloyd didn't want to say it. None of them wanted to say it. It was clear exactly what had happened. The hole that opened up to the void had started to suck the world into it. They'd each seen things touch the hole the Twins left and then completely vanish. The destruction around them hadn't just been for some sort of show. It'd been real, a real thing that meant something horrible. Something that explained why Monty couldn't open a portal.

"T-Then that means…" Lulloyd gulped, "S-Sun was still there."

While it wasn't just Sun, that name was enough to speak for everyone that they'd met. If the world had been drawn into the void, then that meant it was gone. Sun had been left behind after he attacked Overlloyd and stopped him from helping bring down the Iron Doom. That meant that Sun had been sucked into the void as well.

"**You…"** The Overlord's voice growled out, "**Ghost. You stayed behind. We saw you, you looked for Sun before you grabbed us. You **_**chose**_ **to bring us instead of him. On what grounds did you make that choice?"**

That line was enough to make all eyes turn to Monty. Monty's normal apathetic frown slowly turned into an angry one. The slight shift was subtle, but enough to show that the question was something Monty didn't want to answer.

"Why?" Overlloyd asked Monty, his voice wavering as he spoke, "Sun was the obvious choice. He shares your light, your courage… he would have accepted your quest. Yet you took me instead, against my own will," Overlloyd gripped his fists, "Why?"

"The universe was collapsing," Monty shook his head, "He was down there, you were there. I wasn't going to risk myself for some weirdo with a sword."

"Monty!" Mage gasped out, standing up, "You can't say that! Not… not after…" Mage gripped his chest, "Not after Sun…"

Lulloyd turned his head to Monty, ready to snap at him. His bluntness wasn't helping. For a moment, he considered talking, until he saw Monty's hand. The ghost's hand was shaking. It was subtle, barely enough for anyone other than him to see. Despite that stoic expression, their undead friend was scared. Lulloyd slowly shrank back, deciding not to push Monty. Not right now. If Monty broke down, it would mean a lot more than another one of them scared.

Overlloyd slowly closed his eyes, looking down at the ground. For a few moments, silence filled the apartment. Then, steadily, Overlloyd began to chuckle. The sound was dull and hollow, yet somehow piercing with how it struck right down into the hearts of those that heard it. It was a sound of despair, mingled with mirth to dilute the feeling to make it tolerable to the soul. The chuckle turned into a small giggle, and then into a full laugh. A laugh that mingled together the voices of both Overlloyd and the Overlord together. Both beings in that damaged body laughed together until they were all but howling together.

"I see… I see!" Overlloyd laughed out, bringing a hand up to clutch his face to show only his eye, "You were too afraid to save Sun, so you grabbed me instead!" He continued to laugh through his words, "You chose my life because it was simply more _convenient _for you!" Overlloyd threw his head back with a another howl of laughter, "My life means as little to you as the choice of cape you seem to desperate to cling to!"

While the sound that came from Overlloyd was almost maddening, it carried with a strange sense of hurt and misery that made Lloyd reach up and claw at his chest. It was a sound that all but paralyzed him as he heard it. Overlloyd had been beaten by the Twins, lost his empire and everything that he'd ever built for. In that laugh, Lloyd could hear the sound of a man reeling with anguish over loss that he couldn't even comprehend. It was a horrible sound.

Slowly, Overlloyd began to stand up again. The action was so unexpected that Lloyd found himself tensing up as he did. Monty watched the former Emperor stagger upright and once more from his staff to make a walking stick with. He slowly forced one leg forward, stumbling into a step and leaning almost all his weight on the staff to remain upright. Each step he took looked almost… pathetic. Despite it, Overlloyd kept forcing himself to go forward.

"I am leaving," Overlloyd growled, "I don't belong here."

"What?!" Suddenly, Lloyd found it in him to stand up, "You can't!"

"I can," Overlloyd chuckled, "It isn't as though I have anything to keep me here."

"B-But…" Mage suddenly stepped forward, attempting to stop him. Monty, however, raised a pistol. The action made Mage take a step back. Monty looked to Mage, then Lulloyd and finally Lloyd. He spun the pistol twice, then slid it back into his armor.

Overlloyd said nothing to them, just staggered forward and towards the door framed by the two gaping holes he'd already blasted into it. He gave one look back towards the four of them, then threw the door open. The blast of wind that came with it nearly threw him back onto the ground, yet he refused to allow it. Slowly, his back began to turn liquid and ripple in place. With a twist of agony on his face, two black dragon wings sprouted out from Overlloyd's shoulder blades. The action was accompanied by sickening snaps and cracks that made Lloyd feel sick. Those newly formed wings slowly began to twitch, making Overlloyd grimace again. Then, with a single motion, he ran forward and off into the open air the hovercars flew in. A few moments later, they saw a black dot flying off into the distance.

"Monty…" Lulloyd paced towards the ghost, "Why… why did you let him go?"

"He's… he's fused with the ultimate evil of all Ninjago," Lloyd shook his head, a bit of worry creeping into his voice, "We can't just let him go free!"

"Because he won't hurt anyone," Monty sighed, "I know what it looks like when someone is going to hurt people. If we kept him here, we'd just piss him off until he snapped and actually did try to hurt someone. He knows he has to come back."

"But… what?" Mage cocked his head, "He… he threw us in a dungeon and talked about torturing us, and he like, enslaved everyone in his world! He's a bad guy! We can't let bad guys just, run around!"

"If it helps," Monty slowly fished a small blinking disc from his belt, "When we got here I shoved a tracking device on him… I have one on all of you, actually," He hit the blinking dial, causing it to change color and for Lloyd to hear a beeping from his shoulder. He pulled the fabric aside to see a tiny little disc stuck to the inside of his clothes that was blinking the same color.

"That's…. A little better," Lulloyd admitted, "Uh… can you, tell us next time you do?"

"Defeats the whole purpose," Monty sighed, "Point is, he's too injured to do anything. He'll come back after he's had time to heal and calm down. I do this with bounties all the time."

"Then… then what do we do?" Mage asked with worried eyes.

"Right now…" Lloyd raised his head, "Right now we need to make sure Harumi is okay, then we… we need to talk about what to do. The Twins pulled one over on us. We need to see the extent of the damage."

"Damage?" Lulloyd looked down, "...T-There isn't anything left."

That was enough for Lloyd to fully go silent. He had no other words for what Lulloyd had said, and Monty wasn't going to say anything. Slowly, the four sat back down, taking their time to think, to feel, and to dwell upon what had just happened. To dwell on the fact their mission had just become even more deadly than it ever had before.

* * *

Slowly, Harumi opened her eyes. She was laying in a green and pink bed, with a large and fluffy comforter that made her body feel warm and comfy. She had three large matching green pillows behind her head, as well as a large wet cloth on her forehead. She groaned out and gently lifted herself upright, planting her hands behind her and shaking herself a little to regain her bearings on the situation.

"Harumi?" A familiar voice drew Harumi's attention towards a girl sitting beside her. Harumi looked to see the fiery yellow and red hair of Carnelian, dressed in a tight orange tube top and matching set of pants, the fabric of which her hands were clinging to tightly. As Harumi made eye contact with her, her body began to shake.

"Carn-" That was as far as Harumi got before Carnelian had launched herself onto the bed and thrown Harumi's head back into the sheets with a hard kiss. Harumi's eyes slowly closed as her arms came up to wrap around Carnelian's back, drawing her harder into that kiss. Both girls shared their passionate moment together, with Carnelian clinging to her on top of the sheets while Harumi trembled beneath them.

Slowly, Carnelian pulled her face back, panting a little as she looked down at Harumi. Harumi shared a soft smile with her, just as tears began to prick at her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, right before Carnelian's hand had come down and smacked her hard enough to make Harumi's head smack the pillow.

"Where have you been…?" Harumi turned her head back up to see Carnelian trembling above her, "I-It's been almost four months, Harumi… where… where did you go…? How… how could you go and just leave me a note?!"

Harumi felt a sudden well of hurt inside of her gut as she found her voice could only muster a small, "I...I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" Carnelian shook her head, "N-Nah, that's not good enough right now. You can't… can't just leave for months like that and say sorry. You know how hard it's been for me and Ren to keep the others from freaking out over this? Do you know how much we've all been worrying?! Right after all that happened, you… you just. You just!"

Harumi shook a little more, "I-I'm sorry, Carn. I didn't know I would be gone that long."

"...You're such an idiot," Carnelian strained out, "I know what those Twins did to Olive was… was…" She gasped a bit and sniffed, "W-Wasn't worth you leaving me like that. They… the team found out about Olive, Harumi. I couldn't keep it a secret. Ren told them and… and just. We've all been worried that you're going to get hurt like she did and..."

Harumi slowly sat all the way up, staring deeply into Carnelian's eyes. She wasn't sure what she could say to pacify her lover. The events that had happened… the fighting, the chase, it had all just seemed to fly by. Everything had just come so fast that she'd been thinking of nothing but the Twins, Twins, and even more of the Twins. When she'd first left… leaving had felt like the right decision to make.

"I won't… I won't leave you again," Harumi whispered, "Not without telling you first. I… I'm not sure how long I'll be here. Carn I… I…" Her hands began to tremble, "I messed up…"

Seeing Harumi begin to quiver, Carnelian switched her mindset from angry to comforting, reaching out and taking hold of Harumi's hands in her own. She gently began to rub them back and forth as Harumi continued to tremble. Carnelian slowly scooted forward to bring them a little closer together as Harumi's words started to quake.

"I-It's been so much, Carn," Harumi sputtered out, "I-I went to this world that was like t-this one but in the past, a-and then I met this annoying ghost a-and I spent all this time, time with Lloyd and we talked and I-I felt better b-but then the Twins came a-and they stranded us there f-for months…. A-and then we went to this world like an anime a-and I met a boy and w-we just stayed inside and gave orders until he went and nearly stopped them and we went… went to…"

"Shhhh…" Carnelian gently pulled Harumi's head into her shoulder and began to rub her back, "Hey, you know I can't understand you when you're talking this fast. Cool your jets." She hugged Harumi a bit more, "So much for, being mad at you. Heh. You're staying long enough to tell me everything that's happened to you, got it? I don't care how long, I want every detail."

Harumi gently nodded her head, slowly inhaling before slowly spilling everything. As she clung to Carnelian, the yellow haired girl just held onto her and let her talk. She let Harumi cry and sputter her way through sentences, barely manage to get out words and then have to go back and retell entire chunks of it all. It made little sense to Carnelian, but that wasn't the point. The point was Harumi was hurting, and she needed someone to listen to her. She held onto Harumi until she finally had stopped talking.

"Wow…" Carnelian gave a nervous smile, "All I can say is… that was pretty rough," She scratched Harumi's back, "Are you... good?"

Harumi gave a tiny nod. Slowly, she moved to pull back from Carnelian, rubbing her neck from the strain of having it bent forward that long. Carn just gently wiped her shoulder a bit, ignoring any stains on it and instead just leaning forward to give Harumi's tear-stained cheek a kiss. The action made Harumi's face go a bright red, much to Carn's amusement.

"I've missed doing that," Carnelian sighed, "I've missed you in general, Harumi. I just… I need to know you're okay from now on. Please?"

"I-It's been a really long time…" Harumi nodded again, "I, I will. I don't know, what's going to happen. Stuff, isn't good right now. But, I'll be okay. I promise. Just… just don't, judge me for acting weird right now, okay? I'm dealing with all of them and…"

"Tell you what, I'm gonna get you some snacks," Carnelian informed her, cutting off her ramble, "You keep your cute butt in that bed until I get back. Got it?"

Harumi's blush refused to go down, which made Carnelian roll her eyes playfully. She went to open the door to the room, only to be greeted with the face of Lloyd. Lloyd sheepishly smiled apologetically at her and gently scooted out of the way, letting her pass. Before she fully went by him, Carnelian looked back to check Harumi laying down before moving and taking a threatening step at Lloyd.

"Just to be clear," Carnelian hissed at him, "She's staying here for the night. I don't care what sort of big thing that's going down out there. She's exhausted and needs someone to take care of her. Since you all sure aren't," She growled a bit at that last statement, "I will. If you're going to talk to her, then don't make her more upset than she already is. Got it?!"

"Y-Yeah," Lloyd nodded his head, "Totally… totally got it," He gulped a little, "I just, wanted to check on her, alright? I'll be in and out."

"Mhm," Carnelian gave him a long look, then disappeared down the hallway. Lloyd watched her go before slowly slipping into the room. Harumi sat up for a minute, looking at him in confusion before her face softened into a little smile.

"Lloyd," Harumi looked down, "Hey. I uhm… I normally don't pass out like that. I, I was so riled up from everything, seeing my family again just kinda… kinda…"

"You're fine, Harumi," Lloyd smiled to her, "I'm just glad to see you're okay."

"Not really okay but… I'm getting there," Harumi told him, "... Lloyd, you know… you know what happened back there, right?"

"Yeah… Lulloyd and Mage have been trying not to think about it," Lloyd told Harumi, "It's a lot to take in, you know?"

"Too much," Harumi whispered, "The Time Twins beat us… again."

Lloyd lowered his head. There wasn't any room to debate that. Even now, they'd already won again. It was a repeat, each time they got close they were thrown back. First, it was being trapped, then Mage had given into his anger and allowed them to get away, and now they let the Twins have everything they needed. Something that they couldn't allow. Something that was under no circumstances allowable.

"...Lloyd…" Harumi whispered, "That Iron Doom had Time Blades in it. If… if they were able to recharge Overlloyd's empty ones with the ones they had then… then that means…"

"Let's not think about that," Lloyd cut her off, feeling a pit of dread welling up inside of him, "We need to just worry about ourselves right now, okay?"

Harumi looked down, nervously nodding her head. She moved to grip the sheets for a minute, a clear line of fear curling her hands up. Lloyd couldn't offer her any advice, nor anything to really make her feel better. Right now, he had to sit back and let her relax like this, and let her feel herself. He looked aside, his own words stopped.

"Did… Carnelian scare you?" Harumi asked, "She means well. She uhm, she's just protective of me. She was the one that got to see… everything that happened that day. She's worried about me a lot after all that."

"It's alright," Lloyd smiled, "I'm just glad you have someone like that to worry about you."

"...I think you all do now," Harumi whispered with a small smile, "...Kinda feels like I've made a team outside of my normal team, you know?"

Lloyd nodded his head. In a way, it did feel like that. By now, he trusted Lulloyd, Harumi and even Monty with his life just as he would his friends back home. Mage was included in that, but being a kid Lloyd felt it more his job to protect his life if it came to that. In a strange way, this entire adventure had brought forward with it a strange new feeling of comradery.

"I think we'd need a sixth member to be a team," Lloyd chuckled, "It always seems to work out that way with my teams."

"Not always," Harumi waved her hand, "I have a _lot_ more than just six in my team."

"Exactly how many?" Lloyd asked.

"Let's see…" Harumi paused, "Myself, Carnelian, Ren, Mizuko, Raiden, Forte, Souma, Karlon, Tynda, Somnan, Viperia, Umbra, Fang, Yuka… that's fifteen… wait, no sixteen, if you count… Olive." Harumi's tone fell as she was once more dragged down into the depressing reality that had befallen them.

"...Oh," Lloyd sat up, "Remember what Kozu said? Overlloyd figured out something about that chip Olive gave you. You need to talk to him about that."

"I… would rather just keep it as a memento than talk with him again," Harumi shuddered, "He's… wrong, Lloyd. Everything about him is wrong. I don't get how you could ever, I mean how he could ever even fall that far. Didn't he know going back in time would mess everything up?"

"I don't think he was thinking about the consequences," Lloyd gripped his fist, "I know what it's like to want my dad back. I've had nights where I think about what would have happened if he was never bitten. It's… not that far out there to think that there is a me out there that would try to act on it."

"But the Overlord!" Harumi protested, sitting up in full, putting her hand on the embroidered hole on her uniform, "Of every being to go to, why him?1 I know what the venom did to grandpa, but I don't get it! Even he never willingly went to the Overlord!"

"I don't think it's smart to really ask that question," Lloyd admitted, "It's not really for us to ask, you know? That was his choice and, we're just here to see what the outcome was."

Harumi had to relent to that, simply because she had nothing else to say. In truth, she was pulling at strings to find something to keep her mind off of what had just happened. Seeing Overlloyd come with them was perhaps the most startling thing that could have happened. If Monty was going to bring anyone… why hadn't he decided to bring Sun? That question was on her mind, and she was certain it was on Lloyd's mind.

"Alright, out!" Carnelian's voice came from the door, "I need to spend some time alone with her right now," The girl tapped her foot, "And if you don't leave I'll tell you exactly what I'm going to be doing with her."

Harumi's eyes went wide, but Carnelian was grinning knowing it was no doubt getting Harumi's mind racing. Lloyd, admitting that it wasn't the smartest idea to stick around, drifted up from where he sat and made his way over towards the door. Carnelian smirked and let him pass, and soon Lloyd had drifted back out towards the main room.

When he arrived, Lulloyd and Mage were in the kitchen, finding food for themselves. As soon as they both turned to see Lloyd, a look of shame filled Lulloyd's eyes, while Mage waved his hand to Lloyd.

"Hey!" Mage beamed, "Dareth said we could eat what we wanted! What even is all this stuff?!" He began holding up things.

"Uh, well those are potato chips," Lloyd pointed to the bag Mage held up, "Those are crackers," He pointed to the individual containers in the other hand, "And right now Lulloyd is holding a soda." Lulloyd gently twisted the can he held to indicate what Lloyd was talking about.

'I've never seen these before…" Mage whispered, opening the bag up by turning a fingertip to metal and swiping the top of the bag with it, "They don't smell like crops!"

"They're processed," Lulloyd informed him, "You uh, you know how you take raw metal and turn it into swords? Think of this as like… you take normal crops and then turn them into this stuff. It lets you make a lot more food."

"Well it's delicious!" Mage was already tossing chips into his mouth -totally not cheating by using the slightest bit of gravity to push them into his lips- as he answered.

Lloyd found himself rather hungry, which made sense. The last meal they'd eaten had been sometime on the Bounty, and Overlloyd hadn't exactly been that into supplying them food while in his captivity. Lloyd dove into the kitchen, and soon the three of them were leaning against the countertops and eating away at some freshly made sandwiches. Thankfully, the future hadn't devolved into just flavored mush just yet.

"So… what exactly are we going to do?" Lulloyd asked through a bite.

"We need to find the Twins and stop them!" Mage frowned, "We got too busy with all the stuff last time! We gotta try harder!"

"It's not going to be that easy," Lloyd looked down, "That Iron Doom they had, it had all the Time Blades inside of it. That means that the machine can do more than just travel universes… now it can travel in time."

"Time?" Lulloyd looked sickened, "I… I know they kept going on about being the Masters of Time but… I mean you said they did but, I never really… I thought the Iron Doom was sorta, just a symbol of power, like my dad's shark."

"No, it isn't," Lloyd informed him, "But the big thing right now is that we have no idea where they are… and they could easily be in the past or future too."

"But, there was that giant crack on that big dial, right?" Mage asked, "Isn't that something they'd need to fix first?"

"True," Lloyd nodded, "The Twins wouldn't just freely travel in time. They were really specific about doing it only with one single plan in mind. They wouldn't risk themselves right now without having a reason to."

"Are… you sure about that?" Lulloyd asked.

"To be honest?" Lloyd gulped, "I have no idea."

There was another silence that went around the table at that thought. Right now, there was nothing but uncertainty. The Twins were out there, and could be anywhere now. They could be in any point in time right now, and they'd never know. They were flying blind, and had no way of quite knowing what was going to happen yet.

From the corner of the room, there was a small buzzing. Lloyd turned to see a small black dot on a side table, which he retrieved to discover was a small comm. Pulling the one that he already had in his ear out, Lloyd slowly pressed the button on the other side.

"Carnelian!" Ren's voice came from the other end, "How many times must I tell you not to take out your comms!"

"Ren," Lloyd spoke up, "This is Lloyd."

There was a rather long pause on the other line before Ren spoke up, "Lloyd, as in… the one that I met months ago?"

"Yeah," Lloyd smiled awkwardly, "We're back, but we don't know for how long."

"Does that mean Harumi is with you?!" Ren's voice suddenly picked up in urgency, "Is she there?!"

"She's with Carnelian, we're here at Dareth's house," Lloyd explained, "You can head over if you want."

"I'm already on my way," Ren informed him, "I need you to pass on a message for Carnelian for when I arrive."

"Sure," Lloyd replied, "What is it?"

"Tell here there is a strange Serpentine here that's asking for an audience with Harumi," Ren informed Lloyd, "And that he's waiting to talk to her friends."

"What's so odd about that?" Lloyd asked. Ren's next words froze him solid.

"He says that he's here on business of someone named Krux and Acronix," Ren replied firmly, "And that you'd do well not to ignore that."

* * *

Gently, Harumi moved to sit the small hovercar down. Lloyd had, at first, found it a bit odd that Harumi knew how to use these things, until he was sharply reminded by Carnelian that Harumi was, in fact, four years older than him and learned how to drive years ago. The car was rather large, allowing for many of the group to tag along. For fear of this being a trap, Monty and Lulloyd were currently back at Dareth's apartment, guarding their escape from this world.

Slowly, a number of figures emerged out into the massive park that Lloyd had first entered this world from. Lloyd, Mage, Harumi, Ren and Carnelian each emerged. Waiting for them at the entrance to the park were two others, both of whom immediately moved to hug Harumi on sight.

"HARUMI!" Mizuko shouted, wrapping her arms around Harumi tightly, "Are you okay?! Are you hurt?! You were gone for so long, what happened?!"

"Seriously!" Forte spoke up, "You can't just leave us like that! That's not cool!"

"G-Girls!" Harumi gasped out, "I-I'm fine, I'm really fine! It's okay!"

Both Forte and Mizuko stepped back. Mizuko crossed her arms but had a smile of relief on her face, while Forte held up a keytar and gave Harumi a knowing smile. Ren and Carnelian joined the other two, making four sets of eyes that were all looking at Harumi with a mixture of relief and worry.

"Where's this guy you wanted us to meet?" Lloyd spoke up, breaking the moment.

"In the park," Ren gestured, "By the statue."

"Alright," Lloyd nodded, "I'll go talk to him. You all know what to do?"

The others nodded. After what had happened last time, none of them were willing to take even the slightest chance in trusting this newcomer. Lloyd moved to begin walking forward down the path, while the others quickly dispersed through the area. Thanks to Forte's warnings, the entire park was currently abandoned. If this meeting was going to get violent, then Lloyd wouldn't have to worry about anyone else being hurt.

As the others got into position, Lloyd looked towards the statue of the First Rhotatae Master in the park. As he approached it, he could see there was indeed a Serpentine waiting for him beneath it. In fact, there was not one, but two. Lloyd looked at them incredibly suspiciously as he approached, making sure to have his twin swords on his back showing. He walked forward with confidence, even if right now he had nothing to give him that feeling.

Once he got closer, now Lloyd was able to see this Serpentine was like none he'd ever seen before. The Snake looked like a General class, with a massive tail instead of legs. Instead of having one of the five distinctive colors, however, the Serpentine was a deep navy blue with a light shade of blue for the stripe of scales that went down the middle of his body. At first it looked like he had flaps like a Hypnobrai on either side of his head, but on closer inspection that was apart of a large crown that went from the top of his head down to the base of his neck. His neck looked like stacks of square scales on top of one another, and on top of his flattened head he had beautiful markings of both gold, blue, and small accents of green inside of them. He wore a beautiful white robe that also had blue, brown and small traces of green markings inside of them, tied together with a belt at the center. On his shoulders, he wore copper armor that was shaped like two snake heads opening up over the shoulders, though it was thinner than armor tended to look. On his left arm, he wore a massive golden band around his wrist.

Standing next to this strange Serpentine was one that Lloyd knew well, though was shocked to see he did. He was a Hypnobrai, a second-in-command class. He stood with a large golden weapon of a serrated blade that curved upwards attached to a parallel hilt. He wore a similar band as the strange Serpentine, but on his right arm instead. Seeing him was enough to bring back memories for Lloyd, memories that he never thought he would need to remember.

"You wanted to speak to me?" Lloyd called out as he walked up to the strange Serpentine.

"I did," The Serpentine slithered forward. He leaned back and picked up a rather large staff, one that was rather tall with an elegantly straight blade at the top, with a small scroll that was wrapped around the top. He planted the staff in the ground in front of him, letting Lloyd take it in, "Do you know what this scroll is?"

"No," Lloyd stood across the gap of the small paved clearing for the statue, "I've never seen it before."

The Serpentine frowned, "Then, you should take the time to learn it." He let the scroll unfurl. There were strange symbols written all over it, but Lloyd was unable to make sense of what they said. For now, he wasn't focused on it.

"You said you came here on business with the Time Twins," Lloyd frowned, "I want to know why that is."

"Bite your tongue!" The Hypnobrai spat, stepping forward behind the Serpentine, "You should know that talking to him like that is-"

"Now now, Skales," The Serpentine shook his head, "He doesn't know who we are. We're here to introduce ourselves, after all."

Skales, so Lloyd's feeling was right. Standing beside this Serpentine was Skales, but not as Lloyd knew him now. This was Skales when Lloyd had first met him, before he'd ascended to the level of General. The fact he still had legs was something that was taking Lloyd a long while to adjust to.

"Then tell me who you are," Lloyd shook his head, "Since you needed to talk to me so badly."

The Serpentine nodded his head, "Very well," He slithered forward, the light from the buildings towering around him shining down on his scales. He raised his head, letting his eyes shine. He almost seemed to glisten in the light, a regal and refined sight.

"My name is Ophiod, Crown Prince of the Serpentine, prodigy of Arcturus and wielder of the ancient magicks," He raised his staff up and pointed it at Lloyd, "I am here to deliver a message, one that you should take great heed of."

Ophiod paused, then his eyes shone, "Abandon your quest to stop the Time Twins. Return home to your own world now, and they will have mercy upon the wrongdoings you have committed against them. Relay this message to your allies, so they may be spared as well."

Lloyd was taken completely aback by the declaration. He looked on at the two in complete and utter confusion, unsure of what to even say. Ophiod lowered his staff and planted it into the ground again, glaring deeply at Lloyd. Skales did the same, stepping forward and pointing his blade towards Lloyd. A moment later, Ophiod moved his hand to make Skales lower the weapon.

"That's... quite a message," Lloyd thought quickly on what to say, "Why are the Time Twins offering us mercy?"

"They have ascended to a power beyond anything that you could comprehend," Ophiod answered him, "They no longer have reason to deal with the likes of you. The only reason they now care for you is if you try to interfere with them."

Lloyd was wracking his brain. Ophiod? That name sounded too familiar. It didn't sound right. This was a Serpentine, but not one he'd ever seen before. He was here on business from none other than the Time Twins, which was something his mind was harping on. As soon as he realized that, he moved to draw his blades from his back, spinning them both and pointing them at Ophiod.

"You're like me, aren't you?" Lloyd shook his head, "You've traveled in universes."

"I have," Ophiod didn't seem phased by the show of hostility, "And it is a luxury that I am not soon to forget. I repeat again. Abandon your quest."

"You're working with the Time Twins," Lloyd charged his blades with his power, "And that's enough to tell me I can't trust you."

As soon as Lloyd's swords began to glow green, the others leapt out of their hiding spaces. Harumi and Carnelian came from around the statue behind Ophiod, both charging up Rhotatae to fire at a moment's notice. With a large and flourished rift, Forte leapt out with Mage on Ophiod's right. Ren emerged on their left with a simple calm step, hands behind her back, with Mizuko beside her drawing up water from the grass behind them. The group had completely surrounded Ophiod.

"Whoever you are," Harumi frowned, "I think you should surrender! We have even more of us coming!" It was a lie, but a hard one to dispute.

Ophiod took one long look around, seeing what each of them were doing and seemingly thinking. After a moment, he picked up his staff and gestured to Skales. The two went back to back, pointing their weapons out at the group. The stance they took was trained, refined and practiced. They molded to each other perfectly, surveying their enemies. Ophiod turned ot Skales, then gave a small nod of his head.

"I did not come unprepared to fight," Ophiod grip the staff he carried, the tips of the scroll beginning to burn orange as he did, "If you will not abandon your quest, even after such hardship… then I will make you submit."


	49. Chapter 49

"Skales!" Ophiod shouted, "Now!"

Ophiod lifted his tail up, bunching it up between the space between their backs. With a swift strike, he pushed both himself and Skales away from each other. The two Serpentine stopped and slid to face one another, putting their backs to their enemies. Mage quickly tried to move to ready an elemental strike, but Ophiod bunched up his tail and struck the ground to send him soaring back towards Skales. Skales went running right at him, jumping into the air just before the two crossed paths.

"By the might of the Serpentine!" Ophiod grabbed Skales' arm.

"For the strength that we carry!" Skales shouted, mirroring the motion.

"By the force of our wills combined!" Ophiod threw his other arm out.

"Turn our drive into rotation's strike!" Skales mirrored Ophiod.

"NINJA-GO!" The two Serpentine suddenly disappeared as a massive tornado formed around them. The unmistakable glow of Spinjitzu soared around them as the two Serpentine formed the tornado together, rapidly spinning around with one another with motions in perfect harmony. The light of their tornado cast a deep blue and copper glow across the clearing, growing in strength as their Spinjitzu grew in size. Their tornado grew until it was almost double the height of Lloyd, and large enough to surpass anything that Lloyd had seen performed before.

"What the heck is that?!" Forte shouted. She moved to strike her hand down on her keytar, causing the sound to translate into massive sound waves she pointed directly into the tornado. The waves struck the tornado and were dissipated by the force of the winds.

"That's… that's Spinjitzu!" Lloyd took several steps back, "But, how?! I've never seen two people make a tornado like that before!"

Ophiod and Skales' Spinjitzu only continued to grow. The massive light that the two gave off was enough to almost blind the onlookers. The sound of it was enough to wipe away even their own breaths. Lloyd shielded his eyes, gathering himself for battle. He drew his swords, running right for the tornado.

"You're not the only ones who can, apparently, do Spinjitzu!" Lloyd shouted, bringing his swords to his chest, "NINJA-GO!"

Lloyd twisted into Spinjitzu, his tornado rockting right across the gap towards the much larger one. Lloyd struck the tornado hard with his own, causing a sizzling of energy to form at the point they met. Lloyd felt a massive power pressing against him, leaving him barely able to press back against them. The power that he felt coming from them was unlike anything that he had ever felt before. The larger tornado bore down on him, almost as though the light it gave off was threatening to swallow him whole. Lloyd felt a raw rush of panic, biting his lip and then shouting as he pushed even harder against them.

Suddenly, Lloyd felt a moment of clarity. The swirl of Spinjitzu faded, causing him to momentarily just see a world of green and orange around him. He looked forwards, seeing Ophiod and Skales. The two were holding arms together, Skales' head pressed against Ophiod's chest. Ophiod slowly looked up, his eyes opening to see Lloyd. The moment that he did, his face turned into a shocked scowl.

"What are you doing?!" Ophiod shouted, "You're actions will cause the both of us to burn up! Begone!"

Lloyd was about to open his mouth to speak, but Ophiod just shut his eyes and gripped Skales harder. Suddenly, the normal sight of Spinjitzu was around him again. This time, the force that pressed on Lloyd was even more powerful, almost like some massive punch thrown right against his entire body. His struck the ground and slid away, gasping out in pain as he did.

"What the…?" Lloyd looked down, "Did… did I just… connect Spinjitzu with them?"

"Lloyd, DOWN NOW!" Harumi shouted through his comm. Lloyd flipped around to see the massive tornado was still coming towards them, having to shield his eyes again. Over his head, several Rhotatae discs went flying through the air, swallowed up by the encroaching tornado. Lloyd felt something snag his shirt, dragging him back. When he landed, he saw the glow of a Rhotatae disc fade, with Forte nearby having her arms extended with a nervous smile.

"Alright, girls!" Harumi shouted back over the comms, "Mizuko, let's do this!"

Suddenly, Mizuko went flying into the air, water pillars having shot her up into the air from a nearby pond. Ren shot forward as well into the clearing, calling upon the power of form to turn herself into a massive hawk that went flying into the air. The Spinjitzu tornado the two Serpentine had created continue to grow in size, forcing her to fly up above it. Once she was above it, she turned back into her regular form, reaching her arm out grab the top of the fountain's decoration behind the two snakes and swung around it. Lloyd blinked as he saw her land behind the fountain to yank a panel open from the side, grabbing a valve inside and turning it as hard as she could.

All around the tornado, small openings in the ground began to shoot up into the air. Mizuko landed on the ground and held both her hands up, willing those small streams to turn into pillars. Just as the tornado shot out towards her, she raised three large pillars of water in front of her. The Spinjitzu struck it, causing Mizuko's eyes to bulge as she felt the sudden strain it put on her. She groaned hard, her hands trembling as she attempted to hold it back.

With a burst of light, a large pillar of flame shot out from Carnelian's hands to strike the other side of the tornado. Carnelian nodded to Mizuko, who dug in and gave one hard shout as she forced the water to slash the tornado like whips and throw it backwards. She raised more pillars up from the holes, creating a circular cage of water around the tornado to trap it. Carnelian rubbed her hands together and shot a pillar of flame into the water, creating a massive steam screen around them.

"Good work, girls," Harumi emerged into battle by Carnelian's side, "Since Raiden isn't here… Mage!"

Without even hearing her, Mage shot out a burst of lightning that struck the water, causing the area inside to become electrified. Harumi looked through the smoke to where Mage stood, a small growl on his lips as he blasted the water with lightning. Between him, Mizuko's water cage, and Carnelian's fire, the tornado was subjected to their full might.

With a little stutter, Ophiod and Skales slid to a stop, both of them panting as they looked out towards the group. At once, the water and lightning went away, giving way to the sight of Mizuko, Ren, Carnelian and Harumi all holding Rhotatae discs, fully charged, at them. Mage stood by Mizuko, rubbing his hands together to form sparks in them as a warning. Lloyd stumbled to his feet and gave Harumi a nod before walking forward towards them.

"I don't know why you would work with the Time Twins," Lloyd shook his head, "Or, how they managed to recruit you so fast, but they're our enemy. They've destroyed an entire world. Why are you working with them?"

"That is a question that we have to answer for ourselves," Ophiod straightened his back, "If you believe I don't know who I am working with, you are wrong."

"If you know they're evil, then you shouldn't do this!" Mage shouted at him, "They've done nothing but hurt people! We… we just saw them hurt too many people! How can you stand to work for them?!"

"As I said," Ophiod raised his strange staff up into the air, "You must answer that for your-"

With a tssk, Mage shot his hands forward, blasting Ophiod with lightning. Rather than dodge, however, Ophiod held one hand forward. A strange orange aura surrounded his body as he began to chant something that Lloyd had never heard. As soon as the lightning struck him, Ophiod's body remained rigid as he continued to chant. The lightning went up his arm and into his head, causing the sides of his head to gain brilliant blue frills to them that crackled with lightning. The accents on his body went neon blue. When Mage finally stopped, Ophiod stood as a Serpentine that appeared to have absorbed the element into his body.

"That was the wrong move," Ophiod focused, "_Vah!_"

All at once, the four girls present fired discs at him, attempting to blast him off his feet. Just before they connected, the lightning that he had absorbed suddenly began to glow. In a massive burst, a wave of lightning shot out from his body to throw everyone facing him back. Lloyd, Harumi, her friends and Mage all were thrown down and given a shock as the burst of power went through and past them. The wave faded as it began to reach the edge of the treeline, but the action was enough to give them all a different sort of shock.

"W-What…" Lloyd twitched as he sat up, "What was that?"

"I suppose this world doesn't have Vipers anymore," Ophiod sighed, "Your elemental attacks won't work on me. Our bodies naturally absorb elemental energy."

"Viper…?" Harumi rubbed her head, "What?"

"I have heard this word," Ren stood up despite the pain she was in, "In the museums. They are said to be the ancestors for the Serpentine. A race that gave rise to the five tribes."

"I am not ancient," Ophiod nodded to Lloyd, "You are I are rather close in age, from what I have heard."

"But, how?" Carnelian helped Harumi up, "Seems uh, kinda weird for an ancient Serpentine to be here attacking you."

"Alternate Universes…" Harumi groaned, "The impossible can be possible. Just… don't question it."

"So… so you're a Viper?" Lloyd asked, "You're not from this universe?"

"No, I am not," Ophiod shook his head, "You would do well to remember that."

"Whoever he is," Carnelian punched her fists together, "Nobody gets away hurting my friends!"

"He didn't come here for you!" Skales spat at her, "We came to deliver a message. You were the ones that threatened us!"

"How can you do Spinjitzu?" Lloyd shook his head, "No other universes have had it!"

"If anything can be possible," Ophiod looked over to Lloyd with a sigh, "Maybe you shouldn't rule out the idea that your powers are unique to your own world."

"What's your response?" Skales hissed.

"To… what?" Mage cocked his head.

"The message!" Skales spat, "Do you back down from your crusade?"

"Of course not!" Mage threw back instantly, "They destroyed Over's world! We can't let them get away with that!"

"I see," Ophiod nodded his head, gripping his staff, "Then I believe we have no further business with you here. Prepare for unforeseen consequences, Lloyd."

Ophiod chanted something under his breath, causing a circle of symbols to open behind him. Once the circle completed, an orange light filled the inside. With a small bow, Ophiod slithered through it, causing him to vanish as he touched it. Skales gave them all a harsh look before doing the same. The circle vanished a moment later, leaving them all alone once more.

"What… what was that?" Lloyd turned to Harumi.

"I… I don't know," Harumi shook her head, "I, guess the Time Twins have recruited some new friends."

"But, how?" Lloyd shook his head, "They left only a few minutes before us!"

"Didn't you say the Iron Doom was a time machine at some point?" Mage chimed in, "Maybe that explains it!"

"But, if they can do that, then…" Harumi gripped her fist, "If they have a time machine, why haven't they attacked us directly?"

"Because the last time they tried that," Lloyd shook his head, "It didn't work out for them. You heard what that Ophiod guy said: the Time Twins aren't interested in us anymore."

"But, what were they talking about with consequences?" Carnelian cocked her head, "Seems a little random to me." Before any of them could respond, Ren did so for them.

"Harumi!" Ren had a hand on her ear, "There's been an attack in the northern downtown district!"

"An attack?" Harumi spun around, "Where?!"

Ren went silent for a few moments, then bit her lip, "Your home. The reports are saying that a massive machine attacked…"

Lloyd felt his blood run cold, which was to say nothing of Harumi's expression. The pure shock that she held on her face was enough to freeze a boiling sea. Carnelian felt the same fear grip her, causing her to turn and grab onto Harumi's shoulders. Mizuko put a hand up to her face, while Ren gripped her fist and then raised her head.

"We need to get over there!" Ren declared, "Harumi!"

"Let's… Let's go!" Harumi shook herself, forcing her tone to remain firm, "Carn, get us a shuttle!"

Carnelian locked eyes with Harumi, seeing the fear in them but also the need to keep moving. She gave her lover a small nod before reaching down into a pocket and pulling out a key. Upon hitting it, a light flared up. Harumi turned and began running towards the entrance to the park as quickly as she could, forcing the others to keep up with her. Naturally, Ren, Forte and Mizuko fell into line with Harumi, with Lloyd and Mage having to keep up.

The small key's light went out, and when the group arrived at the entrance to the park, an open-topped hovercar was waiting for them. The car was longer than normal, with seats for six inside. Harumi threw herself into the driver's seat, with Carnelian sliding into the spot beside her. The rest filled into the back seat.

With a twist of the key from Carnelian, the car suddenly unfolded two circular engines from the back, raising up and setting into place like a spaceship. They both fired out, letting Harumi take off. As soon as they were in the air, Lloyd felt himself pressed back with the sheer speed in which they were moving. Forte and Mizuko, however, didn't seem to mind.

"H-Harumi!" Lloyd shouted, "A-Aren't you going really fast?"

"Worry about speed later!" Carnelian shouted back.

Harumi suddenly swerved them hard to the right, making Lloyd feel a moment of weightlessness that didn't sit well with him. For now, he fumbled for a seatbelt to slide on, which seemed to just be for his lap. Mage simply had his fingers turned to metal and clinging on tightly, while also using, of all things, poison to keep his stomach from turning. Forte and Mizuko were fine, along with Carnelian, who was keeping a close eye on her girl. Harumi was focused on the roads as she weaved them in and out of traffic, no doubt breaking laws in the process.

Soon enough, the group sped up from between a large intersection and into the open air that let them see the apartment complex. As soon as they did, Harumi's face paled. The building that Dareth lived in, and her home, was smoking. A massive hole had been ripped in it, exposing multiple apartments at once. There were strange dents in the side of the building several stories down, almost like footprints that were used to climb further up to the place. While the apartment was undamaged other than the wall, there was something important that she realized.

"UNCLE DARETH!" Harumi looked around, trying to gauge where he was, "He's gone!"

"I know, I know working on it!" Carnelian unfolded a high tech monitor from the dashboard and began to plug various things into it, "I'm patching into the security cameras in the area, I'll have some feed of the-"

With a massive roar, the Mechdragon crested the top of a nearby skyscraper and then shot straight down the other side. Harumi and Carnelian shared a look, nodded, and then Harumi shot them right up for it. It seemed that Lulloyd was in pursuit of them as well, even if they weren't sure how long it'd been. As they soared up towards it, Forte moved to extend her power to Harumi's earpiece, nodding to her instinctually.

"Thanks," Harumi hit her earpiece, "Lulloyd, come in! Are you there!"

"Gah!" Lulloyd's voice popped up as oscillating waves on Carnelian's screen, "Harumi! Some guy just came and kidnapped Dareth! Monty and I are-"

"I know!" Harumi shouted back, "Who did it!"

"I-I didn't see!" Lulloyd shook hi shead, "This, this gigantic fist just punched in the wall and grabbed him. I-I was, trapped under some-"

"He got knocked out," Monty's annoyed voice came over the comm, "I had to possess him and force him to wake up. He's got some weird insides… or lack of them."

"Let's not worry about that!" Harumi gave another hard shove to the gas, sending them firing forward, "I'm on your tail, keep going and I'll follow after you!"

"O-On it!" Lulloyd stammered out, getting his nerve before ending the transmission. Another loud roar from the Mehcdragon let Haurmi slam them around the side of the skyscraper and quickly see where the dragon was going.

Quickly, Lulloyd angled the dragon down towards the lower layers of the city. Harumi, not questioning it, went after them. Lloyd found himself gripping the seat belt even harder, feeling like he was on some messed up roller coaster. As they continued to soar down, Forte and Mizuko stood up.

"Harumi," Forte grinned, "You and Carn go and handle this! We're going to get everyone else together and search for that snake!"

"W-What?" Lloyd shouted. Harumi, however, just nodded. Much to Lloyd's horror, both girls just leapt off the side of the car. Lloyd turned and saw them both go flying down, firing off Rhotatae discs that they kept landing on like stepping stones. When they both neared a layer, they fired one more that they hit the glass layer with, rattling them but making them land safely with most of their momentum. The two looked over towards each other, nodded, and took off running in opposite directions.

"W-What sort of adventures are you getting into that means you know how to jump off this thing?!" Lloyd shouted.

"Oh, you know," Carnelian waved her hand, "This is a pretty big city! It's basically like one big thing of crime! We spend all day fighting in this place!"

"Less talking!" Harumi shouted, "I'm concentrating!"

With another jerk of the wheel, Harumi suddenly brought them up towards the tail of the Mehcdragon. From this distance, Lloyd could see Lulloyd holding the controls and Monty standing behind him. Monty turned around towards them, an annoyed expression on his face. Lloyd looked down towards the buildings, trying to see what was going on.

"If it's something down there, then maybe-" Lloyd started, but in an instant he was cut off.

A massive laser, almost the hovercar's width in diameter and glowing a brilliant blueish white, shot straight up in a beautiful beam towards the hovercar. Harumi swung her controls to the side to avoid it, narrowly avoiding burning a hole in the underside. The beam shot up into the sky and faded out. A sizzling sound filled the air as it went by. The sheer size of it was enough to make Lloyd's entire body numb in shock.

Another beam shot straight up towards the Mechdragon, causing Lulloyd to weave around it with the dragon's rippling body. Just as he thought he'd dodged as well, however, the sound of gunfire filled the air. Trails of orange shot up and filled the sky in a deadly rain rising up just for them. One bullet struck the side of the car, ripping open a hole the side of Lloyd's hand. Mage quickly used his control over metal to try and yank it closed.

"We have to go down!" Carnelian shouted. Harumi, still focused, nodded her head. Quickly, Harumi sent them diving down towards the source, while Lulloyd followed suit.

More gunfire filled the air as the two vehicles descended. Harumi barely managed to dodge it, while Lulloyd instead opened his dragon's mouth and tried to return fire with it. The group was quickly descending down towards the ground level, namely towards a massive and empty street that was filled with little more than trash and elevators to go up. As they lowered to ground level, it was easier to see a point at which the fire was coming from. They both quickly were flying through a corridor, with buildings for walls on either side.

"Just a little further!" Harumi shouted, gunning the accelerator.

As soon as she said that, however, she saw a flash of blue light indicating a beam was going right for them. She let out a gasp, just as Carnelian and her two friends saw the same. There was no room for them to dodge in the confined space. Lulloyd rapidly went about unfurling his weapons, but it would be too slow to stop it.

"I got this!" Mage shouted, thrusting his arms out and focusing. From his palms, he called upon the power of earth. The ground under them ripped up into claws that reached up to try to grab at them. The hovercar smashed into several of these, but the effect of stopping their momentum was achieved. Lulloyd hit the button to deactivate the Mechdragon, while Monty grabbed him and blasted him up into the air so they would hit the ground at a less deadly speed. As soon as the hovercar slowed down, the four bailed from it, rolling hard on the ground as the beam fired mere inches over all of them heads.

In an instant, the hovercar was incinerated, leaving nothing behind as a massive and almost deafening boom sounded overhead. Lloyd covered his ears and shook his head, trying to shut out the noise. That thunderous sound gave way to a small sizzling as the air itself heated up and rose. All of them were on the ground, even Monty.

"W-Why are you hiding?" Lulloyd asked with a goran.

"I didn't want my cape to get fried off," Monty flipped his cape back nonchalantly, standing up with Lulloyd.

Slowly, the other four moved to get to their feet, with Harumi clinging onto Carnelian to stand. Lloyd rubbed his back as it felt as though it's just been smacked repeatedly on the ground. Mage was the only one that didn't look worse for wear. As soon as they all stood, a voice rang out from the source of their attacker.

"You've done well to make it this far!" The voice shouted, "But I'm afraid your journey ends here."

Suddenly, the blue light began to form in the alley again, and this time lowered to point right at them. Lloyd looked around, but the buildings around them were solid walls without any entrances to speak of. Harumi and Carnelian shared a worried look, while Lulloyd thought of what to do. The light, however, charged up fast then they could come up with a plan for. Mage, the blue light reflected in his eyes, was the one to act.

Mage ran forward and drove his two hands into the ground. With two cracks, a massive wall of earth rose up in front of them, with large pillars firing up on both sides to prop it up and block the alley. Mage focused as hard as he could, building the wall up higher, higher, and higher still. Just as it's shadow began to block out their view, the beam fired and struck the wall.

The smell of burning filled the corridor. Lloyd, Harumi and Lullyod all covered their faces, unable to stand the sudden heat that was being pelted out at them. The wall began to melt down, the force of the beam's heat threatening to shatter it. Mage, however, dug in deeper, giving a massive shout as more and more pillars of earth rose up to stand in the way of the beam. Monty shot up into the air with his wind. Mage began to visibly sweat as he poured more and more of his power down into the earth, focusing on maintaining the shield and stopping the beam from progressing and burning through them all. As his body began to tremble, the bit of wall in front of him turned red as the beam was about to come through.

From the sky, a massive dot of black shot down. The dot raised up a massive staff and sent it plunging down into the beam, cleaving straight through it as the figure shot down towards the ground. When he hit the ground, he turned his staff and began to rapidly spin it like a disc, causing the beam to be held back by the sheer force of rotation. The wall crumbled as Mage slumped down to the ground, revealing the figure that was holding back the beam.

Overlloyd held all four arms out, spinning his staff so fast it looked as though just touching it would cleave one's hand off. The blue light was stopped there, casting a massive shadow behind him. As his body began to slip, his shadow rose up with massive spikes that shot out and drove into his back, forcing him to remain upright. Overlloyd closed his eyes, then let out a scream of rage as dark power sparked up at the ends of his staff, causing his spinning circle to gain a massive purple ring. This power shot down into the beam, as though trying to rip it apart. Then, with a massive blast of wind, the beam shattered apart, leaving Overlloyd to slump forward on that very same staff on one knee.

"O-Overlloyd?!" Mage gasped out as he sat up. Overlloyd turned towards him and then back towards the source of the blast.

"...Don't get any ideas," Overlloyd spat out, a bit of purple blood dripping from his lip, "I didn't come to save you."

"Oh?" The voice rang out again, "That isn't very heroic of you is that, Emperor?"

From the distance that the beam had been shot from, something began to walk forward. The shadow that it cast was enough to cover the entire group by the time it got close enough to make out all of its details. As soon as it was close enough to them, however, Lloyd immediately felt very, very small.

A glistening metallic green mech stood in front of them. The mech was perhaps forty feet tall, and at present it was currently crouching. The mech was sleek and elegant, with thin legs fitted with sleek pointed armor akin that of greaves. Its arms were similarly slender and plated with armor that appeared to be gauntlets over the hands. Its torso was fitted with a sleek cuirass that would bend and rotate in perfect sync with its movements. Upon its hips were sparkling armor fashioned akin to tassets set over a cuisses, and its shoulder were armored-sleeves shaped elements that gave the shoulders a sleek design. The face was designed with a helmet with a large crest emblazoned with a very familiar ninja symbol. Only its glowing deep blue eyes could be seen, as the rest of the head had a large metal face mask in front of it.

The thing that drew Lloyd's eye the most, however was the fact that the mech held a massive rifle, one that looked almost militaristic with the massive barrel, huge scope and flattened end. Just the size of the barrel was one Lloyd could climb into. On both of his hips were two massive guns that looked like scaled up versions of Monty's semi-automatic rifles. Hanging on the back of the mech's waste were two small knives, or at least small in terms of the mech's scale. The mech slowly moved to place the rifle on its back, instead moving to cross its arms and reveal they, too, had massive built in cannons.

"I've never seen a single person shrug off blasts from Invictus," The mech's voice projected from behind its mask, "I have to commend you for that. You must be strong to do it."

"Let's forget formalities," Overlloyd hissed back, "I have tracked you here. You called me Emperor. Tell me, are you friend or foe!"

"That depends!" The voice echoed again, the mech not even moving to try to look at them, "Did you receive Ophiod's offer?"

"I did, and I reject it," Overlloyd spat, "The Time Twins destroyed my world, do you think I would so quickly go to follow them?!"

"Ophiod came to you too?" Lloyd spoke up. Overlloyd shot him a glare that froze Lloyd, letting Overlloyd turn back to the mech in question.

"Perhaps we extended the offer too early to you… but you were the one they least expected to take it," The voice sighed from the mech's speakers, "Not that I wasn't ready to fight either way."

Overlloyd thrust one of his hands out, causing it to crackle with dark power that shrunk in his palm and then blasted out in a beam to strike the ground by the mech Invictus's feet. The mech didn't even budge.

"Before we fight," The voice laughed out, "I think you should know what I look like. I don't do this for monsters… but I don't like fighting people without getting to see their faces myself."

The midsection of the mech suddenly let out massive amounts of steam. A portion of the cuirass broke into four small rectangles that retracted into the mech. The opening showed a bubble-shaped interior, with the walls displaying the sights of the city around it. In the center of what was undoubtedly the cockpit, a figure stepped forward. Large holographic projections around him faded as he stepped forward, floating in the center. The walls faded to a dull blue, and a set of lights mounted near the exit revealed the figure.

"...Great," Monty sighed, "Another one."

"I'm sure you all already know my name," The figure stood in the lights, his body illuminated in them. He wore a glistening metallic green jumpsuit that conformed to his body, revealing himself to be rather thin and lean. He placed his hands on his hips and gave a wide grin. His hair was blonde and cut neatly against his head in a side swipe, with the tips at the end of the brush fraying towards the end giving his hair both a tame and wild look. From the shape of his eyes and features, he was clearly Lloyd, an older version, but him nonetheless.

"What?" Lulloyd blinked, "B-But, but-"

"You wonder how Lloyd could work with the Time Twins?" The mech-wielding Lloyd sighed, "You'll understand in time. But for now, I think you likely need another name to speak to refer to me.. Since I'm already used to the name… call me Prime."

"You're working with Ophiod, then?" Lloyd shouted to Prime.

"I am!" Prime nodded his head, "And I suggest you remember it! The Time Twins have gotten tired of your meddling. It's our job to make sure that you don't cause anymore issues for them. And to that end," Prime took a step back into Invictus, "I'm afraid that makes us enemies."

"Do you know this guy?" Carnelian hissed out, "I thought it was just those guys in that big mech, thing! This isn't them!"

"That isn't…" Lulloyd took a step back, "We need to get out of here, now!"

"And go where?!" Monty spat, raising his rifle as the mech's cockpit shut and the eyes of the mech shone.

Overlloyd slowly pulled himself upright, wiping away the blood on his body. He slowly focused, then he shot his head back towards the group. When he did, his eye had started to change shape, gaining a strange slit within the normally pupiless eye.

"I will buy you time," Overlloyd hissed, "Get back to the apartment."

"But, Uncle Dareth!" Harumi cried out.

"Dareth is not here, I can't sense him," Overlloyd growled, a snapping sound following his head jutting upwards to look right up to the sky, "Go, now!"

Invictus leaned back and drew the two knives it carried. A hissing noise indicated they had connected into the mech's hands. Once connected, a massive charge of power shot down the arms of the mech's tubes like veins. The swords suddenly grew into massive energy blades, with the base only acting as a conduit for its shaping. Within moments, the mech held two massive blue energy swords that it lowered and pointed towards the ground.

"**RUN NOW YOU IGNORANT FOOLS!"** The Overlord shouted at them from Overlloyd's body, "**OR DO YOU WISH TO DIE HERE?!"**

Monty reached forward and grabbed Harumi's shoulder, holding his other palm out and blasting wind from it to send them flying up. Mage grabbed Lulloyd and shot up into the air with flames firing out from his feet. Lloyd twisted into Airjitzu, sending all of them up and away. As soon as they were out of range, Overlloyd snarled.

"Now we can fight fairly," Overlloyd hissed, his staff dissolving back into his body, "Prepare yourself."

Invictus responded by drawing both blades up into the air and slashing them down towards where Overlloyd stood. They struck the ground, cleaving down into it in perfect rivets. From said ground, however, one of the swords didn't come back up. As Invictus pulled, a slight layer of dust from the ground dissipated to reveal Overlloyd perfect intact, his body seemingly half melted into shadows. From the torso down, his body was a mirth of shadow that looked to be injected into the ground. In front of him, however, was a massive circle of shadow that came up from the pavement. None other than the dragon head of the Overlord had shot up from the circle like rising from water, its massive jaws clenched around the swords. Overlloyd stared at Invictus, then turned his head to the right. The dragon head twisted and thrust the sword to the side, causing the entire arm of Invictus to do the same. The head then disappeared back into the ground, the shadows fading and Overlloyd's body returning to a solid state.

"Not bad," Prime's voice echoed from Invictus, "Your body truly isn't limited to one form, is it?"

"You took the liberty of guiding us away from people," Overlloyd turned half his body to shadow again, causing circles to open on either side of the buildings framing the alley and allow two massive legs of the dark dragon with sharpened claws to emerge, "I will exercise that freedom."

Invictus swung again, but once more both swords were caught by both of the clawed feet emerging from the dual shadowy circles. Overlloyd then used the two arms still on his own body to charge up dark power and blast straight towards the cockpit of Invictus. The power struck home, blasting against it with a flash of light. When the light faded, however, there was no mark left on the surface. Overlloyd raised an eyebrow as another stream of blood began to trickle from his mouth.

"So your armor is strong," Overlloyd nodded his head, "Let us test that."

Overlloyd recalled his shadows and reformed himself, launching up into the air and hovering there just before Invictus launched a burst of energy from the swords to strike the ground where he stood. Invictus deactivated its swords and elegantly slid the knives back into holster, in turn switching to its two smaller guns to fire a spray of bullets at Overlloyd. Overlloyd countered with his spinning staff as he hovered higher and higher into the air by letting out power in his feet, making Invictus aim higher and higher. The bullets were redirected in all directions, blasting holes apart in either side of the building to rip through concrete and steel alike.

Just as the mech's shadow grew to the size Overlloyd needed, he focused and called upon his weapon ability. Shadow Control began to bubble up from the shadow, raising chains that took several seconds to form. When they finally did, they both launched out and grabbed hold of the wrists of the mech, yanking them down towards the ground and sending the bullets to churn up the pavement. Overlloyd focused hard, his body trembling as he raised one hand up. The chains jerked, twisting Invictus around. The mech fought for several moments, pitted against Overlloyd's concentration. Overlloyd won out, twisting the mech to smash down on its back. Overlloyd snarled and raised his staff up with all four arms, then shouted as he shot down towards the ground and drove the staff hard right down into the mech's head.

For a few moments, Overlloyd felt no movement. It was only his own reflexes that caused him to leap backwards just before the arm of the mech nearly threw him away. As Overlloyd landed, more blood poured out of his mouth, making him reach up and cover it with one hand.

"**We did not have time to heal before this battle,"** The Overlord informed him, "**Can we win this on anger alone?"**

"If Sun could power himself up with the feeling of his own desires alone," Overlloyd got out through his hand, "Then we should be able to as well."

"**Perhaps basing on chance of winning on a dead man isn't the smartest move to make," **The Overlord stated as he saw Invictus began to climb up to its feet.

"Better than to misplace it on a failure," Overlloyd wiped his mouth clean, then readied his staff. Invictus's armor suddenly rippled outward like pistons, running down the length of its arms until the force broke apart the shadow chains. Overlloyd felt his body grow unsteady seeing it. Doing that had taken almost everything he had. This battle could not be won in his current condition.

Invictus, now freed, lowered the guns and began firing. Overlloyd quickly began running from the mech, holding the staff behind him and spinning it to deflect the bullets. Each strike burned his arms and rattled his body, yet he continued to run. As he came towards another building that formed a dead-end, he let out a simple 'tssk' and darted to the right. He quickly began to jump off the opposite sides, forcing himself to keep going. Inches from where he landed, bullet fire would churn up the wall. He forced himself to go further and further up, until finally he saw one of the large catwalks called 'layers' in this world. He landed on one, startling the people around him that had gathered to hear the sound of fighting down below. The people quickly began to run away as soon as they saw him.

Suddenly, Overlloyd heard something behind him. He turned around to see Invictus shoot up into the air, then grab onto the side of a building and shatter several stories of glass before it came to a halt. The mech folded back large thrusters into its ankles and then hefted the gun up, firing away at Overlloyd. Overlloyd spun around and began spinning his staff, but the bullets were faster than him and threw him down against the glass. The bullets began to strike down into the layer, causing it to crack, splinter, and then shatter.

With a growl, Overlloyd turned around and began to run, transforming his staff into the four individual blades that made it up. He ran to the edge of the layer and then leapt up, driving his four blades into the side of a building. Invictus let go of the building and unfolded the thrusters again, hovering in the space and readying to aim at him. Overlloyd waited for a moment, shaking his head.

"Are you not a hero?!" Overlloyd shouted, "The people here will be hurt!"

"There's been an evacuation order issued for this district," Prime shouted back to him over the speakers, "Ophiod has taken care of that. This battle is just between us!"

Overlloyd gave a hiss, just before the gun that Invictus held was sent going off at him. Overlloyd looked around, then turned his weapons back to Dark Matter and began to fall. He hit the layer beneath the shattered one, gasping out in pain as he did. He looked up at the falling glass and quickly moved to run from it, towards Invictus. The mech turned towards him, switching the gun for an energy sword. Overlloyd kept it in the corner of his eye as he kept running, his vision getting hazier as it became more and more difficult for him to go in a straight line.

Invictus raised its arm, ready to send the sword down towards him. Overlloyd judged the distance, knowing that he had the time to make it. That, however, was when more mini-thrusters in the mech's arm activated, causing the arm to swing down faster. Overlloyd barely managed to use his own shadow to grab hold of him and stop his momentum before the sword cleaved down through the layer and caused it to begin to creak and fall.

"Wings!" Overlloyd shouted, "Where are my wings?!"

"**You're too injured to shift forms,"** The Overlord responded back, "**If you tried, you'd break our body apart."**

Overlloyd tssked, turning to try and run his way towards the edge of the layer. The angle of the creaking metal, however, was enough that he began to fall. He reached out and gripped the layer, but Invictus had already raised its sword again. He turned towards Invictus, seeing the sword ready to come down at him. He turned away, his mind thinking of what to do.

With a roar, the Mehcdragon shot forward just underneath the sword strike, its jaws grabbing hold of Overlloyd. Overlloyd gasped out as the Mechdragon shot up into the sky, piloted by Lulloyd and with Lloyd, Harumi, Monty and Carnelian all clinging to the spines on the back. Overlloyd looked up to them, his body limp in the jaws of the bricked beast.

"Where's Dareth?!" Harumi shouted over the roaring wind. Invictus moved to draw the massive beam-firing rifle at them.

"You…" Overlloyd closed his eyes and coughed a bit, "...Northeast from here… the mech dropped him off, his signal isn't moving…"

"Lulloyd!" Harumi shouted. Lulloyd nodded, turning the dragon down towards the direction Overlloyd indicated. Monty stood up, looking over them all and nodding to Lloyd.

"I'm off," Monty drew a pistol and the SoS, then jumped. The Mechdragon continued forward while Monty used wind to hover in the air and then shoot off towards Invictus. The rifle was charging up, aimed at the dragon. Monty turned and directed his wind to carry him down towards the mech's head, firing his pistol to hit the eyes. While the mech didn't take damage, it turned to face him.

"Hi," Monty floated down to plant the SoS down on top of a building, "Been awhile since I've done this, but let's have fun."

Monty leapt forward into the air, right towards the mech. With a burst of wind, he hit the mech and then vanished right into it. His goal was to immediately possess the mech, an action which he immediately sought to find the core system.

Instead, Monty came face to face with the cockpit. Prime stood in the middle of a massive spherical dome, with a large virtual control console in front of him and shining lights on his suit that moved the mech as he did. Prime blinked and froze, raising his head -and thus Invictus' head- as though he felt the action himself. Prime then lowered his head, giving a small grin.

"Are you trying to possess my mech?" Prime raised his head, "Now that's interesting. Someone tried to do this to me once. I think you don't realize something though…"

Suddenly, Monty felt an intense pain, all throughout his body. In the center of Invictus, a glowing green core, a large sphere that was suspended in the air and pulsing electricity from all sides, burned with light. The light seemed to hit Monty directly, causing his control to slip. Monty found his body go flying straight out of the mech, landing directly on the building he'd jumped from. As he used the SoS to stand up, Invictus hovered in the air and held its arms cocked to both sides as it seemed to glow with light.

"JUST WHO THE HECK DO YOU THINK I AM?!" Prime shouted, just as Invictus shot its arms towards Monty. Small discs in the palms glowed, telling Monty he needed to move. He jumped into the air just as those palms released two large blasts of energy that shot out and blasted apart the rooftop, turning it to little more than slag.

"Someone who needs to pick a better reference…" Monty hissed, angling his body off to the side. Invictus quickly moved to follow him.

This sight was witnessed off in the distance by Lulloyd, who was following Overlloyd's directions. The Mechdragon hovered in the air overtop of a small white pod that was stuck in the side of a building. The pod had similar markings and the sleek design of the massive mech. Harumi leapt down from the dragon and landed on the closet layer, rushing forward and seeing a control pad on the outside. She plugged her watch in and rapidly began to type code, causing the system to crash and open up.

"Woaaahhhh…" Dareth stumbled out of the pod, which, from the single chair inside, looked like something of an escape pod, "Where's that… that weird guy… I… Harumi?"

"Dareth!" Harumi embraced Dareth hard, hugging him tightly and pressing her head into his shoulder, "You're okay!"

Carnelian leapt down from the dragon, rushing over to Harumi and giving a sigh of relief. Dareth blinked a little bit and looked around, unsure what was going on. When he looked over to see flashes of light in the distance from Invcitus chasing Monty, he immediately felt a massive chill go down his spine.

"H-Harumi, you need to get out of here!" Dareth gripped her shoulders tightly, "G-Go find your friends, you need-"

"Uncle," Harumi cut him off with a sad smile, "Carn's gonna get you somewhere safe, okay? I'm going to lead that mech away from the people."

"W-What?" Dareth blinked, "N-No, Harumi you can't do that!"

"The mech's after her, not you," Carnelian pointed out, "Sucks to say it but… he'll follow them." Her fist gripped tightly, "...And I know she needs you safe more than backup."

"Where are you going?" Dareth asked. Harumi lowered her head.

"We're going to jump out of this world again," Harumi frowned, "It's too dangerous to let him stay here! We need to lead him to a world we can fight in! I-I know I just got here, I'll be back! I promise!"

"Wait, Harumi!" Dareth tried to shout, but another explosion caused him to squeal and cover his head. Carnelian grabbed his hand and yanked him upright. She froze for a moment, then shot out and gave Harumi a hasty kiss.

"Be back soon, okay?" Carnelian smiled sadly, "Don't take months this time."

"I-I won't!" Harumi shouted to her. As Invictus shot out from a corner, gunfire trying to take down the flying ghost, Carnelian grabbed Dareth and began to drag him along. Dareth looked back at her, shouting 'Don't get hurt!' as his voice was drowned out by the violence.

Harumi gripped her fist, drew in a breath, then ran over to the side of the layer and jumped off, landing on the Mechdragon just before it took off. Lulloyd looked back to her in worry, but Harumi instead just pointed forward. Mage reached out and gripped her arm with a worried frown, and Lloyd gave her a knowing glare. Harumi turned her head form them all, her face screwing up in pain but forcing herself to point forward all the same.

Monty came flying from around the side of another building, dodging fire from Invictus. Upon seeing the Mechdragon, he blasted his wind to intercept it and grab onto its back. As soon as he was on, Lulloyd pulled a lever to cause the boosters to unfold and fire out, giving them a blast of speed. Invictus responded immediately, the massive mech turning to rocket towards them.

"Take us into the air!" Lloyd shouted, "We can't have him hurting the people!"

Lulloyd responded by climbing them higher and higher, causing the air around them to start thinning. Mage reached out with his power over wind to increase the concentration, giving them something to breathe on instanct from riding on his dragon for so long. Monty climbed up towards them and fired off a few gunshots at the pursuing mech, but it was like firing pellets at a mountain. The mech kept coming, forcing them to spin and weave in the air to avoid it.

"Do you… intend to make it back to the apartment?" Overlloyd coughed out, still being held in the dragon's grip.

"Yep," Lulloyd stated as confidently as he could, "I can get us there fast!"

"**For your sake,"** The Overlord hissed out as gunfire nearly took off the dragon's leg, "**You should do so quickly."**

Lulloyd shouted for them all to hang on, right before he sent his dragon down into a spinning downward shot. They were going right by Zane's Academy, namely the spikes. There was a gap in them that was just large enough for the dragon, and taking it would mean Invictus would be forced to go around. Any small amount of distance was worth it. As they went down towards the massive icy building, Lulloyd turned to see Invictus withdraw its weapons, unwilling to fire like this. Instead, he drew his sword, holding it forward to drive into the dragon.

"I-Inner Piece!" Lulloyd shouted, "INNER PIECE!" The Mechdragon shot down towards the hole, spinning straight through it in an action that broke off two of the spines on the back. Lloyd, Mage and Harumi all had to flatten down and cling on tightly, hearing the woosh as the ice was just barely over their heads. Lulloyd shot them off in another direction, causing Invictus to skid to a stop as it withdrew its sword to avoid slicing through the building at them.

"Inner piece?" Monty asked, standing up beside Lulloyd as they flew.

"I-It's just something that I started saying when I did something dangerous," Lulloyd whispered, "E-Especially flying through dad's training courses," He shook his head, "I-I'll get us there, soon!"

Invictus shot up into the sky, trying to track them as the dragon began to weave in and out of the tops of buildings. Soon, Lulloyd had them going right towards the apartment complex and the hole that they needed to get in. Lulloyd looked over to Monty, who gave a nod of his head and began to glow with golden aura. Mage stood up and focused, enveloping all of them in metal. Lloyd blinked in shock as his body turned to metal, seeing Mage twitching and shaking as he forced the transformation on all of them, including Overlloyd and excluding Monty.

"T-This will hurt!" Mage shook his head, "B-But the metal will protect you!"

Invictus shot up far closer than they would have liked behind them. Lulloyd shot them towards the apartment, his hands in a death claw around the controls. Invictus raised a sword to strike, ready to take them apart. As soon as Lulloyd could see the wall they needed to portal through, he turned the dragon back into a brick.

The sword cleaved through thin air, far too close to the ground for comfort. Monty shot his chi out towards the wall as their forward momentum carried them towards the apartment. The dragon hit the wall and opened the portal just before all six of them were sent hurtling into the apartment. Lloyd struck the sofa, his body spinning before he was thrown right into the portal. The rest of them similarly struck some part of the apartment before being thrown into the portal by their speed. Monty landed, turned to Invictus, and shot forward into the portal before it shut a moment later.

Inside of Invictus, Prime sighed. He turned off his control of the mech, rubbing his neck and stretching out a little bit. He reached out calmly and tapped a button on the console, causing a holographic display to form in the air by his right ear.

"It seems like our targets are on the run," Prime crossed his arms, "Ophiod, I'm coming to pick you up. Where are you?"

There was a moment of silence before the Serpentine's voice came on the other end, "Thanks to the chaos you've caused, most of the transports up to the higher levels are out. I'll meet you on top of the building with the red lights," Prime looked up to see a flashing radio tower Ophiod referred to, "Avoid anymore damage."

"That's why I had you get everyone out before I fought," Prime shrugged, "They're a lot weaker than I thought," He smirked, "I didn't even have to sync much with Invictusf or this one."

"Don't let your guard down," Ophiod responded back, "I will see you shortly."

* * *

Ophiod lowered his hand from his ear, fading away a spell to communicate with the mech. Skales looked at him, then nodded. The two began to slither towards one of the tubes that would raise them up towards the upper layers. They currently stood on the bottommost one, with a terminal broken open that Ophiod's spell had used to issue the evacuation order.

"As if evacuating the people is enough to save them," Skales hissed, "We would have had them if we were chasing them," Skales gestured to the staff Ophiod carried, "You never touched the scroll."

"Prime went too far," Ophiod informed Skales, "We were meant to deliver a message. I only engaged them because they made a threat to me," Ophiod shook his head, "We can't let our desire to fight override our orders. And I will use it when I must. For now… my own magic should be enough. We will complete our mission soon."

"A Prince shouldn't be taking orders," Skales hissed out, "Those Twins should know better than to treat us like an underling like that."

"Be that as it may," Ophiod sighed, "We have a mission, and we will complete it. We'll finish this mission quickly. They don't seem like the bunch that can hide forever."

Ophiod and Skales made their way over towards the tube, preparing to step inside. Just as they were about to, however, a whistling sound from above caused Ophiod to wrap his tail around Skales and pull them both backwards. A figure landed in front of them, clad in a massive set of heavy looking white robes that covered all of their body other than their face. The figure raised their head to reveal themselves as a female, one that had part of their face covered in a glowing mechanical eyemask over their left eye and cheek.

"Target confirmed, sending data analysis," The girl droned out in a mechanical tone, "Data analysis sent. Acquisition confirmed. Relaying coordinates." After a moment, the figure leaned up and smacked their face, causing the mask to stop glowing.

"Gah…" The girl rubbed her head, revealing some orange locks spilling out from inside the hood, "I hate using that. Need to get this thing recalibrated."

Ophiod extended his arm to stop Skales from jumping at them, "And who would you be?"

"Index," The girl smirked, "Just kidding. The name is Yuka. I'm here to help beat up a bad guy."

"Grrr… is this who Karlon going to destroy?" Ophiod turned to see a man clad in distinctive black and gray armor emerge from the shadows.

"Seems like this is the right one," Forte grinned, hefting up her keytar.

"What do you think, sis?" Raiden grinned cockily, "how should we approach this fight?"

"The same way we take on any fight," Mizuko stepped forward beside her brother.

Ophiod slowly lowered his head, holding his staff in both hands. Skales put his back to Ophiod, holding his own curved blade out. When Ophiod raised his head, he let out a single sigh.

"Elemental Masters, are you?" Ophiod frowned, "You made a mistake fighting me. Let's see how well you can stand up to a Viper."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings Readers! Yes, any references here were purely intentional. I do watch a fair amount of anime. And yes, these are not the only ones I've made in story so far…
> 
> I wanted to take this quick chance to plug my Tumblr, bionicstars, If you want to get updated about the work of such! If you would like to ask me questions or talk t me directly, please do use it! Either way, I'm getting hard at work on the Autobiography of a Legend Chapters, and hope to have those completed soon! Thank you all for reading, and NINJA-GO!


	50. Chapter 50

"I'd get ready, if I were you," Yuka's robes began to float up all around her. From the shadows under the fabric, a multitude of slender nails moved to hover in the air in front of her, forming perfect and deadly rows in front of her, "We've been told you're rather dangerous."

"Is that so?" Ophiod asked, glancing around, "Unfortunately for you, that is correct.."

With only a glance, both Ophiod and Skales twisted into Spinjitzu, going off in opposite directions. Ophiod spun towards Karlon, his tail striking out from the tornado to hit Karlon in the chest and knock him over, sliding out across the ground out of his Spinjitzu form. Raiden shot forward with lightning, causing Ophiod to twist his body backwards unnaturally to dodge it, his tail then slicing out to force Forte to jump over it. Skales spun towards Yuka, catching the nails that she shot out towards him in the tornado and scattering them. Skales flung his own blade at Yuka, but Mizuko shot out a whip of water to grab the blade and knock it aside. Skales stopped in his tracks and turned towards Mizuko, letting Yuka grab several nails in each hand and rush at him.

Skales tried to swing at Yuka, but Yuka jumped off one foot and was sent floating in the air. She gave Skales a wink before drawing her hands together and flinging them out, causing the nails to hurl in two arcs at him. Skales leapt backwards, only for Mizuko to turn and fire water at him. Skales' balance was shot, but he managed to turn to Mizuko and focus. His eyes started to swirl, causing Mizuko's body to lock up as she felt drawn into them. It was only a moment, but Skales capitalized by throwing her down by striking her with his shoulder.

Raiden turned to see his sister in trouble, but the moment he did Ophiod's tail was on him. The tail wrapped around his wrist, curled tight, and then hurled him overhead into a wall. He turned himself at the last moment to avoid major damage, but the impact still rattled him. Forte took a step back and began to play a long tune, causing sound waves to fire out at Ophiod, the impact of which was like a mechanical punch. Ophiod flattened his body to the ground and slithered forward so quickly it was almost terrifying. He shot up in front of Forte, swinging his staff and knocking her back into the wall. Before he could follow up, Karlon howled and wrapped his gauntlets around Ophiod in a crushing hug.

Ophiod, before his breath was gone, began to whisper something. Suddenly, the scales on his arms began to detach and slither from his arms onto Karlon's own. When they stopped moving, then dug in like violent bites. Karlon winced in pain, and that was enough to make Ophiod gave a ripple of his body and throw Karlon off. Karlon shook his head and tried to scrape the scales off, only for Ophiod to raise his arm and whisper another word. The scales shot back to him and reaffixed to his arm.

With a hiss of another word, Ophiod opened his mouth and then a mist of purple shot out around him. The mist hit Karlon, Forte and Raiden, all of whom felt nothing. When they looked at Ophiod, however, the image of him was distorted and misshapen. The shape darted about and moved in their vision oddly, allowing Ophiod to close in on Raiden again. Raiden responded by electrifying his whole body, making Ophiod stop and instead duck before Raiden sent a blast at him. The blast shot out and nearly hit Forte, who yowled in alarm.

"Hey!" Forte shook her head, "Well, who needs vision to play this?!" With that, she moved her hands and began to play a peppy and upbeat tune. The action caused the sound waves to move around her and ripple like a force field, one that grew in size until it enveloped Karlon as well. Raiden slid forward and into the field. With the three now seemingly protected, Raiden and Forte both seent forward blasts of their element at him. Ophiod went to dodge, only to feel his body was immobile. Wires had erupted up from the ground, still sparking on some ends. Karlon was grinning as the metal coated wires wrapped themselves around Ophiod's arms. Ophiod looked towards them as the blasts came at him, then sighed.

The lightning struck first, dispersing around his body and making Ophiod twitch. Raiden grinned, just before Forte saw her own sound waves strike him. As the lightning faded, however, Ophiod stood unharmed. The three looked on in confusion as Ophiod sighed at them.

"You clearly have not seen Vipers in your world," Ophiod jerked his arms to snap apart the wires holding him, "Or you would know that our bodies are immune to your powers. Give me enough of it," He narrowed his eyes, "And I can assimilate it."

Forte scoffed, then sent a long riff of chords, causing a massive blast that hit Ophiod. Ophiod opened his palm and uttered the word he'd used against Mage, causing the sound waves to hit him and begin to drain into his body. Forte suddenly felt her body go woozy as her element kept coming out, making her force field start to fade. Raiden yanked her hands off the keytar, causing her to stop sending out her element. As she started to pant, Ophiod's body began to glow with a light cyan accent, with small rippling flaps where his crown was traveling up and down his head.

"W-What was that?" Forte held up her hand, "I-It felt like he was sucking out my element!"

"Only those of us that know the ancient magicks can do that," Ophiod informed her, raising his hand up, "That is the last of information I'll give you. We now have a fair fight."

As Ophiod stared down the three shocked opponents, Skales was in the middle of a fight of his own. It seemed Yuka had run out of nails, which there had to be at least fifty of, and was now sucking them back from the ground with what he could only guess as Gravity back into her hand to throw them again. Wherever she threw them, they landed with near perfect accuracy. That would have been hard enough to deal with, yet Mizuko was constantly on him with her water, leaving him with little options to counterattack.

"You won't do that little trick on me again!" Mizuko grinned, "I'm friends with a Hypnobrai! I've had this happen to me before!"

Skales dodged one of her water lashes, right as Yuka threw more nails towards him. Skales twisted his body out of the way, then set his eyes dead set on Mizuko. Rather than work his hypnosis, he instead just made a run for her. Mizuko, naturally, raised her water up in the air to blast him with. Right as she was about to fire, Skales jumped into the air.

Mizuko instinctually raised her head to look at him. Skales then flung his blade at her, causing her to dodge to the right. Yuka readied nails to fling at Skales, but Mizuko's water was now being sent right at Yuka. As Yuka was knocked off balance, Skales landed on the ground and ran forward, throwing a punch into Mizuko's chin. As she stumbled back, he yanked his blade out from the wall and held it up to her neck.

"Bold of you to assume," Skales hissed out, "That I'm just any other Hypnobrai." With his eyes at point blank range, he sent the full force of his hypnotic power into Mizuko's head. The girl twitched a few times, then she stiffened up and slid down to the ground, half limp.

"Mizuko!" Yuka growled, looking around the battlefield. Seeing the state her other friends were in, she looked around to see what else was around them, "Dangit… fine!" She reached up and tapped her mask, causing her to go stiff.

"Assimilating maps of local terrain… scanning," Yuka droned out, "Calculating optimal location for battle… computing…" Her mask glowed a bit brighter, "Location determined."

Skales, undeterred by her seemingly droning ramble, rushed her. As soon as he got close, Yuka's head jerked to face him in a robotic way. She raised her hand up and swung at Skales in a perfect arc, nearly catching him. As it missed, Yuka instead brought up her leg and nearly swung right into his gut. Skales backed off, making Yuka's mask blink.

"Determining optimal route," Yuka droned out, "Location derived."

Suddenly, Yuka thrust her hand up into the air, causing the ground under them to increase in weight dramatically. Ophiod turned to look at her, but in that moment the ground cracked. In a few seconds, all of them had gone tumbling down a hole in the ground. They fell for several seconds until they cracked into a massive, open chamber. The chamber had a large drainage river running through it, along with a massive circular structure and massive observation-style deck attached. Each of them landed on that deck, Yuka helping her allies land safely. Mizuko was left up top. Skales and Ophiod both used Spinjitzu to hit the ground and land with minimal damage.

"What is this place?" Forte asked with a huff.

"Underground hydroelectric power plant," Yuka answered in a dull tone, "Locations are scattered throughout the city. Area was determined optimal for fighting for both spatial advantage and minimization of risk to public structures."

With a hard yank of her hand, Yuka hit her mask through her robe, causing her to jerk and groan out as she stumbled forward a bit. Her mask turned off, making her groan and rub her head as she looked around. She gave a weak smile to the others.

"That thing is useful but… man, does it hurt…" Yuka looked towards the two regrouping snakes, "Let's do this!"

Ophiod slowly planted his staff down into the ground, standing up as he did. Skales did the same, moving to stand beside him. Both Serpentine looked towards each other, then Ophiod banged the staff on the ground. At once, the scroll on the end began to unfurl and glow with an orange light, one that began to glisten as he looked across the four elemental wielders that challenged him.

"Skales," Ophiod nodded his head.

Skales nodded, then raced right towards the group. At once, Ophiod aimed the staff down and fired a strange, crackling beam from the tip. The blast hit the back of Skales and consumed his body in a glowing aura. His blue and gray skales turned to the same blue and copper colors that Ophiod had. His blade he held began to grow and glisten until it looked to be a beautiful curved edge fit for a royal king. He held the blade in both hands, then turned his head to look towards the group and swing.

Yuka levitated two nails into each hand, crossing them into an X and catching Skales' blade on it. Her entire body felt as though she'd tried to stop a moving truck. The sheer strength that Skales had in one swing was almost more than she could bear. She dug her heel in just before she could be thrown all the way back, turning an eye to the others.

Raiden rubbed his hands together, forming a spark and throwing his hands backwards. The underground river that their platform overlooked was sent glowing with a light blue energy. The large generator beside them began to hum almost deafeningly. Raiden darted over and placed his hand against it, taking in a breath before focusing on drawing out the electricity from the generator. His body became a sink for it, using the excess power from exciting the water and generator to then blast straight towards Skales.

Skales flung his blade forward, throwing Yuka onto her back as he turned and tried to intercept the blast. Before he could, however, something whistled through the air and knocked into his blade. A strange shape bounced off it, knocking his hand aside and meaning the blast hit him square on. Skales' body locked up as the electricity shot through him, coursing back and forth in him until the concrete under his feet could ground it. When he raised his head, he was twitching in a few areas and smoking, but not knocked over. Skales turned his head to see the object was a shuriken, shaped like a double quarter note. When he looked over to Forte, she had strapped her keytar on her back and was holding one of the music-themed shurikens in each hand.

"Those are some interesting souveniers," Skales hissed out.

"Oh these?" Forte grinned, "These are for fighting! I give out temporary tattoos of these for fans! You know how parents would react if I gave their kids weapons?"

"Clearly not as much as your own," Skales hissed, then tried to run forward. He stopped in his tracks, twisting down to avoid more of Yuka's nails soaring through the air.

From the shadows behind Skales, having waited for just this moment, Karlon let out a cry and rushed forward, winding up a punch to deliver right into Skales' back. The impact cracked Skales' head back and nearly blasted him off his feet. The sound made an audible impact that cracked through the entire space, reverberating.

Karlon panted, having expected for Skales to go down with such a brutal strike. Instead, he was left staring in shock as Skales simply turned around and swung his own punch. The impact sent Karlon shouting out as he struck the ground, digging his gauntlets in to stop from sliding. He got back up, seeing Skales casting him a disapproving glance.

"You should learn to understand spells," Skales looked across the four allies, " Perhaps you should consider that magic can do far more than attack… it can also," Skales' eye widened, "Enhance."

"So you're just a tough snake," Yuka rolled her eye, "Big deal!" She was thankful the low light of this chamber hid the worry on her face. A full strike from Raiden and Karlon hadn't done anything to him!

"What's your friend doing over there?" Forte asked, pointing one of her shurikens at Ophiod. Skales turned around to look at his ally, standing still with his staff held in both hands, eyes closed, and chanting words under his breath. Skales looked back towards Forte and shook his head.

"Nothing that you won't soon know," Skales replied darkly, "You should surrender."

"We're the protectors of this city," Raiden shook his head, hiding his nerves behind bravado, "We've already heard about your little mech friend running rampage after our leader. After that, we couldn't turn a blind eye to you even if we wanted to."

Yuka's mask flashed something to her. She surreptitiously looked up to see Mizuko, clinging to the edge of the hole that Yuka had made to get them down here. She was panting slightly, but looking at the underground river they were all beside. Upon seeing that Yuka noticed her, she pointed to the river, Raiden, Skales and Forte. Yuka blinked one eye at her to show she'd understood. She looked around to her friends, who each seemed to understand the plan

"Now that's a shame," Skales hissed as he raised his blade, "We'll need to adjust your thinking when it comes to all of this, then…"

"I don't think so," Yuka lobbed back, "I'm pretty sure that you're supposed to be a blue snake now, aren't you? Let's see what that weird buff magic is made of!"

At once, Karlon, Yuka, Raiden and Forte all readied and fired Rhotatae discs. Skales held his blade out, taking the impact of them all on it. The second that he moved, Forte flung her two shurikens at Skales. Karlon reached out with metal to guide them so the notes slid perfectly over each of Skales' wrists and magnetized together, turning them into effective handcuffs. Skales looked up as Forte then drew our three more and flung them into the air. She swung her keytar over her shoulder and began to send out a catchy pop tune, the soundwaves moving up and bouncing off the notes and amplifying with each strike. The waves then shot right down into Skales, causing his body to vibrate with the intensity of the waves.

Mizuko shot her hand out with water, drawing up to massive streams of water that she sent hurtling towards Skales. The two water spouts hit him head on, just in time for Raiden to jump back towards the edge of the water and hurl his element right into it. The spouts became electrified blasting that too right into Skales. Forte slid behind the shocked serpent and began to play a more bass heavy tune, causing the sound waves to build up until she played an upper chord and sent a massive wave right into the back of Skales' head. Yuka sent her nails up and into the water spouts, both electrifying them and sending them finally to their mark. The blunted ends struck him like mini punches. Karlon finished off the combo by roaring and racing into Skales' back, delivering a series of hard and fast jabs into his back over and over again with a roar of effort.

Slowly, the group ended their combo assault, slowly stepping forward to look at where Skales lie. The snake was back to his normal blue and gray colors, down on all fours and his blade laying unused at his side. He huffed and groaned as he tried to get his wits about him. Yuka levitated her nails up and into the air to strike down into the ground around Skales' arms, warning him not to move. As she outlined him, Forte walked forward and grinned.

"Victo-RRRYYY!" Forte played out a loud tune, "Whew! That was pretty hard."

"We're not done yet," Raiden warned as he shook his head, "Now we have to deal with his-"

"Friend?" Ophiod finished for them, causing them all to jump and look at him, "I commend your teamwork… but not much else."

Ophiod stared at the four warriors, his eyes glancing over each of them. His staff was now glowing a strange and sickly purple, replacing the more welcoming orange of before. As he looked over the group, he let out a growl and thrust the staff out in front of him. The staff sparked and pulsed angrily as Ophiod began to hiss out guttural sounding language none of them could understand. The staff responded by twitching and glowing more intently. When it looked ready to burst, Ophiod shouted and brought the staff onto the ground.

All at once, the purple power split into four trails that shot out and struck the chests of Forte, Raiden, Yuka and Karlon. The second it touched them, the spell grabbed hold of them and froze their bodies solid. They each fell to their knees in a silent scream as their strength was drained straight from them. Their bodies felt as though their energy was being sucked straight out of them, flowing straight from them into the staff. Karlon collapsed first, his face pale and completely limp. Raiden tried to pull his hands up to launch something at Ophiod, but just an inch felt as though raising thousands of pounds. He, too, soon collapsed.

Forte turned to see Yuka's eye roll into her head as she fell to the ground. Just as she felt the world start to haze over, she reached down and struck a key. The sound wave shot out towards Ophiod in a last-ditch attack. She watched as a semi-translucent circular shield appeared just in front of Ophiod, dissipating the attack. Forte stared at him in terror as the last of her consciousness faded, sending her to the ground.

Skales slowly stood up, his body feeling not much better than the others. He stumbled over to Ophiod, hissing as he fell against the larger snake. Instantly, Ophiod wrapped his arms around Skales and held the Hypnobrai's head to his chest.

"Are you hurt?" Ophiod shook his head, "I can heal you if you need it."

"I'm fine," Skales groaned out, "I wasn't ready for that finishing move of theirs… speaking of which," Skales weakly looked up to see Mizuko's petrified face looking over the lip of the hole. Once they made eye contact, she turned and scurried away as quickly as she could. Ophiod looked up at the sight, but didn't move.

"Leave her," Ophiod shook his head, "You're hurt. She'll tell her allies not to pursue us. These four won't be helping her for at least a few days," He nodded to the downed warriors.

"You're too kind to them…" Skales groaned out in Ophiod's arms, "They… they fought to kill. You should do the same."

"No, they fought to subdue, like true protectors do," Ophiod turned his head towards the four, "Our mission doesn't concern them. I will not cause undue suffering. Even if they hurt you, I won't do the same to them."

"Arcturus says that will… be your downfall," Skales sighed, stumbling out of Ophiod's arms to retrieve his blade, "Are we going to meet up with that annoying one?"

"Prime is likely waiting for us at the rendezvous," Ophiod turned towards an access ladder back to the surface, "We shouldn't keep him waiting."

* * *

With a flash, the six universal travelers went careening across the floor on Dareth's Mojo Dojo. The action of the five solid metal beings crashing into the floor tore up the mats and scattered dust into the air. Lulloyd's body went hurtling into a large trophy stand, crashing into it and breaking it apart to spill a variety of mismatched trophies down onto his lap. Mage went rolling so fast he struck the opposite well, ending up upside-down and his head spinning as he tried to get his balance. Momentum, it seemed, wasn't affected by traveling in the void.

It took Lloyd several moments just to be able to get his bearings back. Slowly, the metal casing over the living beings faded, and in turn Lloyd was able to feel the pain of striking the floor at that speed. For several moments, his body refused to move. He only began to do so when Monty's foot phased through his arm as he walked over towards the two large sliding windows to throw them open and glance out into the streets.

"Doesn't look like any world I've seen yet," Monty pointed to a massive set of scaffolding on top of Borg Tower, "Not sure what that is."

"We… We came here when… we tested your travel method…" Lloyd coughed as he sat up, seeing the construction and sighing, "This… this is my world."

Steadily, the others began to rise. Lulloyd rotated his arms behind him and did a flip to land on his feet, drawing his sword as he looked around in terror, his Mechdragon brick by his foot. Mage clung to the wall that Monty now was looking out of and pulled himself upright, huffing as he looked around the streets. Harumi held her head as a splitting headache coursed through it. Lloyd looked around to see they were all accounted for, then turned his sights to the heap of the black-skinned being on the ground.

Overlloyd waited far longer than the rest of them to stand up. Any amount of healing he'd been able to do in the limited time since escaping his own collapsing universe had been rendered void by taking on Invictus. Blood was caked onto his face and chest, the purple rivets standing out starkly on his black armor. As he dragged himself up to his feet, it looked more like a child attempting to lift a 500 pound weight, more so than the being of power and malice they'd come to see him as.

"I'm at my limit…" Overlloyd groaned out, his hand reaching out to clutch at his chest, "Anymore of your insane maneuvers like that will push me over it. For your sakes, I pray you do not tempt what fate would befall you should you try."

"Can it," Monty growled at him, "You should be thankful we dragged you out of that fight."

"That was not my fight to win," Overlloyd gripped the wall with two hands, trying to support his weight as best he could, "It was yours to fight. You challenged a foe several times stronger than you. I would need to be at… full power to beat him," Overlloyd winced, "The reason I am not now owing to you."

A flash of green light turned Overlloyd's head towards Harumi. Harumi was panting heavily, staring at him intently and charging a Rhotatae disc infused with her power to send right towards him. Overlloyd looked at this threat and directed a weary gaze towards her. Seeing this, Lloyd tensed up as he saw the confused and worried look in Harumi's eyes.

"Why…" Harumi gulped, "W-Why did you come to save us?"

"Is the light show truly needed?" Overlloyd asked, turning his gaze back down towards the ground, "I am in no shape to fight you."

"I saw what you did!" Harumi shouted at him, "You summoned the Overlord dragon! If that's what you could do when you were weak, what can you do to us right now?"

"I believe you've asked the wrong question," Overlloyd turned a glowing eye towards Harumi, "The question is rather, if that was what I did when I was fighting alongside you, what will I do if you make an enemy out of me?"

Harumi fired the disc, causing it to strike the ground right by Overlloyd's foot. The dark figure didn't flinch. Harumi charged another disc, aiming it right towards him. Both Emperor and descendant stared down one another, one unflinching, the other terrified.

"The enemy of my enemy, is my friend," Overlloyd stated plainly, "Take it at that."

"Don't lie to me," Harumi trembled. Seeing how on edge she was, Lloyd felt his own nerves starting to skyrocket. He, too, had seen Overlloyd create the head of the beast that had enslaved Ninjago. The sight of him doing that to stop such a massive machine in its swing was a terrifying sight from a distance. The thought of seeing it up close was enough to make his fists grip unknowingly.

"**Girl,"** The Overlord spoke out from the black body, "**You would do well to remember who it was that saved your life. It would have been just as simple to leave you to die in that blast."**

Monty drew two pistols, cocking them and stepping forward. He pointed one at Harumi, and the other at Overlloyd. Both turned towards the ghost, expecting him to look angry and trigger happy. Instead, Monty looked as annoyed as he could be.

"Right now, really?" Monty growled, "_Really?_ We just escaped a gigantic mech chasing us down with a stupid amount of firepower, and the first thing you do is try to tick off the guy that let us survive the opening shot?" Monty stared daggers at Harumi, "The least you could do is hear him out. For the daughter of the Green Ninja, you're pretty quick to mistrust people."

"I concur," Overlloyd nodded his head, "Even.. that knight attempted to hear out what it was I wished to say."

"I didn't say that you were a ray of sunshine," Monty growled at him, "Maybe cut the poetic final boss act here and she won't be so quick to think you're about to blast her off the face of Ninjago, huh? Why don't you go ahead and tell us about why you were there so I don't need to waste bullets on making fully grown adults calm down?"

Overlloyd's glare turned from respectful to utterly angry in the span of Monty's words. For a few moments, he seemed to be considering the best way to dismember a ghost. When he stopped, he let out a small sigh, turned around, and slid down against the wall of Dareth's dojo.

"The snake came to me," Overlloyd groaned out, "He and his strange blue companion. According to them, the Time Twins had seen the full display of my powers, and wished to put them to a better cause. He said a friend of his was already helping to take care of you, and I was welcome to join. If I pledged to help hunt the rest of you down, then they would spare my life and grant me their blessings."

"And… you said no?" Lulloyd finally found his voice amidst the tension.

"I threw him into a wall and took off to find the companion that he spoke about," Overlloyd sighed, "It wasn't difficult to track down the trail that gaudy machine left behind."

When Overlloyd didn't speak, Lloyd stepped forward, "Does… Does that mean you're allying with us?" Harumi turned to Lloyd in shock.

"Currently, I am simply at a point of not having anything to gain by making myself your enemy," Overlloyd growled, "I felt it. My world is gone. The only reason I was not dragged down with it was because of the untimely intervention of your undead companion. The Twins murdered all that I had spent so long to build. Every ounce of Dark Matter I dredged up from the depths of the Dark Island, every hour I spent crafting my empire… gone. Gone all at once. And then to have the audacity to offer me a position to work for those that so senselessly murdered my Empire…" Overlloyd's tone darkened, "There is little more that I can think of to truly enrage me such as that."

For a moment, the others were silent. Harumi looked just as terrified as when they'd first started talking, while Lloyd and Lulloyd were more so pondering what was said. Monty simply looked towards Overlloyd with a neutrally annoyed expression. After thinking of what Overlloyd had to say, Lloyd slowly stepped forward and swallowed down his fear to speak.

"If you're willing to fight alongside us," Lloyd extended his hand, "We could really use your help."

"Lloyd!" Harumi gasped out. Overlloyd looked to the hand that was extended to him. He gave Lloyd a long look, then gently reached out with one of his four own to grip Lloyd's hand and bring himself upright.

"You know far more about these Twins than I do," Overlloyd frowned, "For them to break free of the destiny that befell them is truly an anomaly. Do not take this to mean that I am in partnership with you. We are mere allies, Lloyd," Overlloyd spoke that word as though it hurt him to say, "I shall help you in battle if you intend to help me."

"We're not asking to be friends, but we need allies," Lloyd nodded his head, now having to look up to make eye contact, "We need to work together. If you're willing to work with us… then we'll work with you."

Overlloyd nodded his head, letting go of Lloyd's hand and stumbling over towards the open window. He gripped hold the lip, slowly panting as he looked up towards the sky. The night sky gave the city a peaceful air, with many of the lights having been turned off. Despite the damage that lay strewn around the city, visible even from this cozy view, Ninjago City looked proud, strong, and peaceful.

"We're glad to have someone as strong as you, Overlloyd!" Mage chirped. The action made Overlloyd scoff.

"Such a name is one I wish not to hear," Overlloyd frowned, "Let us not confuse my name. Refer to me as Over, if you must. For I was once the one Over all." The newly christened Over sighed and placed a hand on his chest, focusing on his regeneration.

"Lloyd," Harumi turned and grabbed Lloyd's shoulders, "What are you doing?! He's the Overlord! He imprisoned us and was going to torture us for information! He's… he's the embodiment of evil! We can't trust him!"

"I don't trust him," Lloyd shook his head, "But… you saw what happened. The Time Twins have another Iron Doom, _and_ they have the four Time Blades they need. I don't know who these Ophiod and Prime guys are but, Overllo- Over is right. We… we'd be goners if he hadn't saved us. I don't like it more than you do but… but we can't ignore the fact we need help."

"Lloyd…" Harumi's grip tightened, "You didn't, you felt it. You beat the Overlord, just like me. You… you know what he's capable of. What's to say that he doesn't just wait until he sees the right moment and… and betray us? Just like he did to your father!"

"We have to take that risk," Lloyd shuddered, "It's better than the risk of not being powerful enough for when the Time Twins come for us."

Harumi looked deeply into Lloyd's eyes, trying to convince him through her emotions she poured into him alone. Despite feeling that Lloyd shared them, despite feeling how he was tense and just as cared as she was, she was unable to get him to budge. Realizing this was the case, Harumi stepped back from him and nervously gripped her fists.

"Does Dareth even live here?" Monty asked as he turned and looked around the dojo, breaking the train of thought in the room, "This place looks really dusty."

"Oh, uh, well Dareth runs a bar now," Lloyd informed Monty, "He doesn't use this place as much. He bought the whole building with the money we won doing the Ninjaball Run though, so he keeps the place for when he does classes on the side now."

"Dareth… has a bar?" Harumi blinked, "Uncle Dareth, did always say that he wanted to have one. Maybe, we should go sometime?"

"Uh, I can't drink," Lloyd rubbed the back of his neck, "And the Sons of Garmaodn kinda took it over for awhile."

"Same here," Lulloyd added, "My mom would kill me if she found out. Literally."

"Nice try, but I can drink alcohol," Monty rolled his eyes, "And I only go if Ronin is with me."

"We have far more pressing matters than inebriation," Over pointed out the window.

The group turned to see a blur coming for them. Mage was running with the element of speed, sliding to a stop outside the window. It was only upon seeing him Lloyd realized that Mage hadn't been there with them. He gripped onto the window and panting heavily, drawing in breath and pointing down the road.

"They're, they're here!" Mage gasped out, "They're here!"

"Who?" Monty asked as he walked up to Mage. A loud crashing sound came from the direction Mage was pointing.

"The snake and huge guy!" Mage gasped out, "They're here!"

"What?!" Lloyd gasped out, rushing to jump out the window. The rest of them, sans Over who was too weak to, did the same. The group clustered on the street to look down the way and see none other than the massive form of the mech Invictus slowly walking down towards them.

"B-But… But how?!" Harumi shook her head, "The only way we've been able to travel is by using constants! We would have seen them arrive!"

"I don't think it matters!" Mage nervously raised his fists, "They're heading right towards us!"

"We need to leave," Lloyd turned, "I don't know how they're following us but we can't put the city in danger!"

Suddenly, an orange portal opened up behind Lloyd. When Lloyd turned to look, Harumi yanked Lloyd backwards just before a staff struck him. Ophiod and skales slithered out from the portal, closing it behind them. Monty drew the SoS and pointed it at Ophiod, while Mage was still focused on the mech walking towards them. Harumi instantly fired three Rhotatae into Ophiod, which were knocked aside by Skales lunging forward to swing his blade and deflect them. Lulloyd drew his sword and jumped off the wall to spin and land in front of the two.

"How, how did you?!" Lloyd gasped.

"I would assume you have encountered magic before," Ophiod brushed his hand through the scroll hanging on his staff, "If not, then you just have."

"Why are you following us?" Lulloyd growled out at them, trying to keep his nerves under control.

"Firstly, to say that Prime's attack was unprovoked," Ophiod spoke firmly, "We were meant only to deliver a message. He went and decided to force an attack when our deal fell through."

"Let me guess," Monty looked into the SoS, "The second thing is you're here to kill us?"

"I'm here to demonstrate our power to you," Ophiod shook his head, "Not kill you," He turned to Harumi, "I have already shown my power to your friends, after all."

"What?" Harumi charged another disc, "What did you do to them?!"

Suddenly, Ophiod seemed to slide right across the ground. His tail shot up like a dart, striking both of Harumi's hands and knocking her form off. Just as Harumi tried to bring her fists in, Ophiod bunched up and sprung into her, using his shoulder to knock her backwards. His hand reached out and caught her wrist, grabbing her as his body spun like a top. Harumi shrieked as she was flung into Lulloyd, sending them both into the already demolished trophy stack.

Lloyd barely even saw what Ophiod was doing. He drew his twin katanas and crossed them, catching Ophiod's staff just before it hit him. Ophiod's strength forced him to plant his feet, giving Skales the perfect chance to get behind him. Skales delivered a kick to Lloyd's knee, making Lloyd jerk in pain and letting Ophiod heave his staff to send Lloyd into the opposite wall. No sooner had he done that did he feel a sharp pain in his arm as he saw the scales parted from the path of a bullet Monty fired.

Monty looked down into his golden sword, yet nothing reflected. He let out a hiss of anger and lunged towards Ophiod with wind, skating across the floor with it. He fired his gun several more times, making Ophiod slither in the opposite direction to dodge. Monty baited Ophiod in a full circle, then shot across the diameter to go right for him. He shot a bullet point blank on Ophiod's staff, the boom monetarily making Ophiod's hearing buzz and causing the bullet to slide off and strike his shoulder, grazing him as the previous one had.

Skales let out a shout out rage, diving towards Monty and impaling him with his blade. Monty looked down at the blade in his torso and then gave Skales an exasperated look. Skales' eyes began to glow as soon as he did, making Monty look even more annoyed. Ophiod took this chance to slither away and grip his wounded arm, groaning as he looked at Skales.

"You DARE to hurt him!" Skales shouted as he swung his blade at Monty again, "I'll kill you for that, you pathetic human!"

"If you can manage that, I'd be impressed," Monty turned towards his sword, hissing out, "If only you could."

As Skales leapt away to rejoin Ophiod, Lloyd, Lulloyd and Harumi were all back up and ready to fight. Overlloyd was slumped against a wall, too tired to partake in the fighting. He and Ophiod locked eyes for a moment, as though both mutually agreeing focusing on each other was a waste of time. Lloyd was about to go and attack when he heard a massive rumbling from outside.

Mage was in the street, struggling hard as he raised the earth in front of him into a massive pillar. Once it was raised, he focused and began to cover it in ice, trying to add to its strength. His efforts were completely wasted, however, as a single slice of Invictus' sword cleaved off a clean top half. Mage caught the falling portion before it struck a nearby building, but when he turned his head he saw the end of one of Invictus' guns in the other hand, pointed at him. Mage barely managed to yank it in front of him before the bullet tore it to pieces, sending shards of ice and rock in every direction as Mage ran.

"Prime," Ophiod raised his hand, causing a small orange circle to appear by his head, "We are not to kill them. This is a demonstration of our power. Be more mindful of your own restraint!"

"I got it, I got it!" Prime shouted back to Ophiod loud enough the others could hear, "This one is strong, he can handle some firepower! Unlike you, I'm used to fighting around people. Besides!" Invictus traded the gun for two swords, "I can't help it if Invictus has so much to show off! I even managed to beat that Emperor guy!"

Over, hearing that, growled and tried to pull himself up to his feet. This time, it was truly impossible. Both he and the Overlord could feel their body was running on fumes. They could pass out if they weren't careful. In this situation, that was as good as death. For now, he just stared at Ophiod, keeping his gaze locked on him in a silent promise of future retribution.

Invictus brought both of its swords down towards Mage, who's eyes widened in terror before he leapt backwards with a panic blast of fire. He tumbled on the ground before coming to a sliding stop, seeing the two massive gashes in the pavement that made him look tiny. Invictus charged both swords with power, causing them to glow as he drew them out of the now criss-crossed street and activated the boosters on the mech's ankles. He was sent sliding straight towards Mage. At the last second, Mage flashed forward with speed between the legs of the mech before both swords plunged down to where he last stood.

"Going after a kid is pretty low," Monty growled out, "And trust me. I'm used to doing even lower things."

"You brought him to this battlefield," Ophiod threw back, "Whatever happens to him is your responsibility."

"Just like what happens when you get shot by me is yours," Monty sheathed his useless sword and opted for the twin pistols to try to attack.

Ophiod went on the defensive, doing his best to dodge the strikes. Lloyd took his chance to nod to Lulloyd and Harumi to attack. The three lunged forward, causing Ophiod's eye to seemingly dilate. Ophiod flattened himself to the ground, letting Skales leapt over him and clash with Lulloyd. Harumi fired two discs at him, but Ophiod weaved between them and delivered a punch to her jaw to send her back. He slid his body out of Lloyd's sword slash and then curled his tail around Lloyd's throat and send him flying back into the wall again. Monty tried to pump him full of bullets, but Ophiod hissed out a word and caused an orange shield to form in the air in front of him to catch each of them.

Outside, Mage wasn't doing much better. He blasted his way up to the top of a small building nearby with fire, then tried to spit poison at the mech. Despite sizzling, there was no damage left by the toxic liquid dripping down the mech's side. The mech tried to reach out and grab him, an action that was swiftly stopped by Mage jumping off the building. He landed back on the street, now too close to the mech's foot for comfort. He tried to jump away, but the mech instead simply swept its foot at him. Mage barely managed to turn the smoke and land on the ground in time, his heart pounding in his chest.

A massive explosion went off on the side of Invictus' head. The mech tore focus from Mage and looked up into the sky to see the floating Destiny's Bounty, cannons trained on it. The ship fired several more times, and in turn Invictus raised its left arm. A small rectangular blue shield shot out from a disc in the side, catching the blasts in a burst of smoke. He reached down to try to grab his gun and return fire, but the Bounty fired an arced shot to make him reconsider.

Something jumped from the Bounty, soaring down towards the ground and landing right in front of Dareth's Dojo. Lloyd looked out the way to see it was none other than the Samurai X mech, piloted by Pixal herself. Despite the decent size of the mech, Pixal's famed suit barely went up to Invictus' knee. Pixal drew a sword and then pointed it down towards the shop.

"Halt!" Pixal shouted through Samurai X's helmet, "You are under arrest for- Lloyd?"

Lloyd turned, making eye contact with her. Pixal retracted her helmet's face guard, letting him see her surprised face underneath. Ophiod tssked and held his hand out, letting out a burst of magic at her. Pixal sliced through it with her sword, pointing her cannon arm towards the Dojo in turn.

"Friends of yours?" Pixal asked. Lloyd, too nerve-wracked to care for her sarcasm, just nodded his head. Pixal turned to look towards Invictus, still shielding fire from the Bounty.

"Pix!" Lloyd shouted, "Tell the others up there to force that big mech away from us!"

"Relaying," Pixal nodded her head, "Do you have need of my services?"

"Yeah, just give us one minute!" Lloyd turned to Ophiod, "We need him out of the way for us to get out of here!"

"That will be easier said than done for you!" Ophiod turned to swing at Lloyd. Lloyd dodged and lunged at him, along with Lulloyd and Harumi. Ophiod and Skales locked arms and shouted together, twisting into Spinjitzu and throwing them all backwards as they did. Monty backed up, firing bullets into the tornado as it approached him. When Monty reached the lip of the window, he phased through and gripped the cable on his belt, throwing it towards them. It was sucked right into the tornado. Ophiod and Skales ended their Spinjitzu, revealing that Skales was smugly holding the cable.

Monty detached the cable and threw it towards the Samurai X mech, attaching it to the chest and barking at her to go. Pixal turned on her jets and blasted off, causing Skales to be yanked forward out of the Dojo. Ophiod leapt out after him, catching Skales before he could be thrown down to the ground. As soon as they were in the open, Pixal shot out a blue whip from her mech's arm, wrapping tightly around Ophiod and Skales. Monty gave them a wave before leaping back into the store.

"MAGE!" Lloyd shouted, "WE GOTTA GO!" Lloyd turned to Pixal's mech, shouting, "Tell the others I'll be back once we shake these guys!"

"Wait, Lloyd!" Pixal tried to shout, but Monty had already throw his chi at the wall and formed a portal. Harumi looked back and jumped through, right after Lloyd. Lulloyd ran over to Over, looking down at him nervously before hesitantly reaching down to pick him up. Over groaned out as Lulloyd dragged him towards the portal and into it.

Mage turned to see the source of the shout, nodding his head. He ran straight towards the Dojo. Invictus was still preoccupied with the Bounty, dropping its arm shield to take up the massive rifle and fire back at it. Ophiod, seeing Mage escaping, hissed out a spell that caused his scales to glow and detach from his body, firing out like little bullets. They struck the blue whip and expanded until it broke apart. He turned and grabbed his staff from the ground, firing a blast of magic at Mage's escaping back. Mage jumped into the Dojo and slid straight into the portal. Monty looked back towards Ophiod for a moment before he jumped inside, causing it to vanish as he did.

* * *

In the waiting room of Dareth's Studio in Monty's world, the six figures emerged. Lulloyd all but fell forward from carrying Over's weight, while both Lloyd and Harumi rushed forward towards the door and out through the studio. There was a class of kids being taught by Dareth, whom Harumi gave a long smile before they both rushed towards the entrance. They began fiercely looking around for anyone coming for them. Monty and Mage emerged last, with Mage quickly moving to help support Over. Monty moved into the main room as he approached Lloyd and Harumi.

"Are they coming?" Monty asked.

"H-hey!" Dareth gasped out from the room of students, "What, where did you guys come from?"

"Leave," Monty told him firmly.

"What?" Dareth shook his head, "I can't leave! I'm teaching a class."

Monty rolled his eyes and drew the SoS, "I wasn't asking you, Dareth."

"...A-Alright kids, we're going to go out the back door and continue our session somewhere else!" Dareth moved to rush the kids out of the room. Harumi saw the one girl with the spider chi from the last time they were here, giving her a little smile as she gave Monty a terrified one. The building was soon cleared out, letting Monty sighed and sheath his sword.

"I don't… don't see them," Lloyd squinted, "How are they following us like that?"

"Don't know, but they probably aren't having to run to Dareth's whenever they want to flee," Monty growled.

Lulloyd and Mage stumbled out of the back room, carrying Over, who by this point was unconscious. Mage looked worried as he nudged at Over, who just continued to be limp in their arms.

"We need to get him someplace safe!" Mage frowned, "Like, we need to get him there quickly!"

Suddenly, a crash from outside revealed Lloyd and Harumi to be looking at the legs of Invictus. A few seconds later, Ophiod and Skales landed in front of the entrance, staring down at them. Lloyd formed an energy shield just before Ophiod blasted through the window with magic, sending him reeling.

"Go! Go!" Lloyd gasped out as he scrambled to his feet. Ophiod and Skales smashed through the door as they all raced into the backroom. Monty formed the portal as Ophiod blasted at the door. The six soon reeled through the portal, disappearing again. Ophiod simply huffed as they disappeared, slithering back towards the mech outside.

* * *

This time, the six appeared at Dareth's spa in Mage's world. Mage gasped as he landed on familiar feeling ground, rubbing his hands over it as he did. The others quickly looked around in terror, with Lloyd nursing a now injured arm from his rather hard tumble.

"How?!" Harumi gasped out, her hand shaking as she clutched her chest, "How are they?!"

In the distance, something came rocketing towards them. It didn't take a genius to quickly make out it was none other than Invictus, making its way up the mountain to go for them. The group backed away and towards the still open portal.

"A-Are they just going to keep following us?!" Lloyd trembled.

"...I-If… If they are…" Lulloyd gulped, "M-Monty! Take me home! I-I might have an idea!"

"You sure?" Monty asked him. Invictus soon became close enough they could hear the jets.

"DO IT!" Lulloyd shouted at him. Monty reformed the portal without a second through, letting them all jump back in and avoid the mech.

* * *

Just as planned, the group soon found themselves entering an incredibly cramped small Dojo on the side of the Ninjago City Docks. There was no one inside the place, and even with it being made out of bricks and studs, it was still clearly Dareth's home. Lulloyd hit the Dojo running, leaving Over to Mage. Lulloyd jumped out of the shop, throwing his Mechdragon brick into the air and unfurling it. The beast did a flip in the air and then hovered in front of the Dojo.

"Get on!" Lulloyd shouted. Lloyd and Harumi jumped onto the back, while Monty did the same. Mage heaved Over onto the dragon's back and jumped on, nodding his head.

Lulloyd gunned the dragon's controls, sending them soaring out over the docks. The water under them shimmered and shone as various boats were going through it. Unfortunately enough, it also reflected the sight of Invictus coming right for them, and not far off at that. The others looked to Lulloyd, who was focusing as he shot them over the ocean and straight towards a volcano in the distance.

"Dad!" Lulloyd hit a button on the screen for the Mechdragon, "Dad can you read me?!"

"What? Son?!" Garmadon's scratchy voice sounded on the other end, "Is that you? Where've you been, it's been like mon-"

"Dad! Great White!" Lulloyd shouted, "WE'RE AT GREAT WHITE HERE! THREAT LEVEL GREAT WHITE!"

There was no response on the other line. At first, the others looked at Lulloyd in terror as Invictus gained ground on them. Lulloyd brought the Mechdragon over the ocean, causing the feet to kick up sprays as they did. Invictus moved to draw the rifle, aiming one shot to send them all into the ocean itself. Lulloyd looked off the water, while the others all looked down and braced for the blast to tear them apart.

Instead, another noise came forward, causing Invictus to halt and turn to look. In front of the volcano, two lines suddenly formed in the ocean. The group looked up as the lines spread apart, parting the water in the shape of a massive shark head. The waves themselves parted to reveal a massive underwater hanger, and one that was filled to the brim with ships. Lulloyd shot his dragon to the right to skim around the opening, letting the group see the hundreds of ships that were down there. And each and every one of them was colored the blue and gray of the shark Army.

From the middle of the hanger, a pillar rose up to reveal the Garma Mech, the black mech shining in all its glory. With arms crossed, the mech pointed right towards the oncoming Invictus. All at once, members of the Shark Army poured out into the hanger, rapidly racing to mount their vehicles. Lulloyd skimmed right towards the volcano as the ships rapidly took off, flying up into the air towards Invictus. The sun was blotted out as the vehicles launched from the hanger, flying up from the ocean itself to fill the air in a swarm.

In the span of a minute, the entire Shark Army was mobilized. Jelly Subs trained their missiles straight on the mech. Manta Ray Bombers readied their bombs to deploy and attack. Hammerhead dropships held entire hangers filled with jeering hammerheads, puffers and jelly troopers. Even more vehicles continued to rise up into the air, forming a massive dome that pointed their weapons right towards Invictus. The simple sound of them all arming was heard through all of Ninjago City. Speaking of the city, massive Shark Army cannons rose up from the buildings, jutting out of small apartment windows or manholes to each aim up at Invictus. Invictus stopped in the air as the entire overwhelming force of the shark Army.

"ALRIGHT YOU!" Garmadon's voice rang out from the Garma Mech, "ARE YOU READY? SET? AND PREPARED TO FACE THE FULL POWER OF THE SHARKS?!"

The entire Shark Army let out a massive cheer. Lulloyd shot the Mechdragon up into the air, right towards none other than Destiny's Bounty, hovering in front of the volcano. His dragon reverted to a brick as the six all came to land on the deck. Garmadon stood on the edge, talking into a microphone projecting his voice through a laptop. Lulloyd turned his head in terror towards Invictus, which was now hovering in the middle of the entire force his dad had to offer.

"NOT TALKING? WELL, THAT'S JUST TOO BAD!" Garmadon laughed, "I LLLOOOOVVVEE TO HEAR THE SCREAMS OF MY ENEMIES WHEN I STAMP THEM OUT WITH MY RAW MIGHT! LET ME JUST ASK YOU ONE THING!" Garmadon inhaled, "**WHAT'S MY NAME?!**"

"GARMADON!" The Shark Army cheered.

"SAY IT AGAIN, I DON'T THINK THESE GUYS QUITE HEARD YOU!" Garmadon cackled.

"**GARMADON!**" The force of the Shark Army's cheer rocked the entire city.

Onboard Invictus, Ophiod stood beside Prime, who was looking around at the force that was assembled against him. Ophiod looked out with concern masked under an angry scowl, while Prime simply looked contemplative. His mind was running the amount of power it would take to take them all out versus what he had.

"Can you get to them?" Prime asked Ophiod.

"No," Ophiod scowled, "I can't feel magic in this world. I felt it the moment we entered, just like that boy's world. The only way I can get close is by you dropping me off."

"Hrmm… that's a bit of a problem," Prime sighed, "We can take the hits, probably. But it might be better to back off and let me outfit Invictus a bit more for this situation. Thoughts?"

"Go ahead," Ophiod nodded. Prime grinned and reached up to tap a holographic button and let out a speaker.

"It seems you've bested me!" Prime laughed over Invictus' speakers, "Fine! You've shown your might to me rather well, Sharkadon, was it?" Prime sighed, "Just know this, travelers! We can find you, no matter where you go. We have the same power you do, but even greater! So long as you stay in this world, we won't come for you. Until then… consider this our temporary parting. Let us hope we never see each other again."

With that, a strange blue glow began to overtake the mech. The group watched as, from the mech's waist, a green glow expanded out to mingle with a blue aura that overtook the mech's surface. With a single flash, blue and green burst out. When the lights faded, the mech was gone. In its place was the loud roaring of all the Shark Army mechs in the sky, buzzing and hovering with weapons now trained on empty space.

"Are… Are they gone?" Lloyd asked in confusion.

"...I-I don't…" Harumi gulped, "I-I think… I uhm…"

"So they've backed off," Monty sighed, "Good for us."

Garmadon turned and put down the laptop and megaphone, stretching himself out. The Shark Army slowly began to filter back down towards the hanger, which started to close up as the last of the ships filled it. As the ocean once more came back together, Garmadon grinned at the group and crossed his arms.

"You know, normally I'd be so mad about them messing up my name like that, especially after I _just_ shouted it at them… but Sharkadon sounds pretty cool, I might use that one," Garmadon grinned his toothy grin, "Oh man, I haven't gotten to call out the army like that in so long! It feels good. Good like finally breaking down the wall of your enemy's castle! You ever heard that, Lulloyd? It's the perfect sound. One big 'crack!' just as they start to come down. Oh, I need to take you out conquering with me sometime."

"...D-Dad…?" Lulloyd slowly stepped towards him, his eyes wide and body quivering, "I-It's you, right?"

"Only one of me!" Garmadon laughed, "Well, unless your mother can track down that one amulet that lets you split your soul in half. Really painful, I don't recommend it."

Lulloyd smiled warmly, "I-It's really you…" Then, with a single step, his body fell forward into Garmadon's arms. Garmadon looked down in shock as he moved Lulloyd up to embrace him with his four arms. Once he did, he could feel Lulloyd was shaking. Lulloyd looked up with tears pouring out his eyes, his arms reaching out to embrace his dad.

"Dad it's, it's really y-you, I-I'm home," Lulloyd sniffed out, "D-Dad I-I, I'm sorry, I-I'm sorry I made you do that, I-I wasn't, I wasn't strong enough. D-Dad s-so many things happened, I-I messed up, I-I messed up big time. Dad please, please don't leave me, please tell me it's you. Please don't let go of me, d-don't… don't…"

Instantly, Garmadon hugged his son as tightly as he could. The others went silent as Lulloyd cried into his dad's chest. Garmadon didn't say anything, just holding onto him as he closed his eyes and gently began to rub at his back.

"T-They're gone dad, they're all, they're all…" Lulloyd sputtered out, "I-I couldn't stop them, I-I couldn't, I-I got them back I-I did. Dad they, they killed him, t-they killed everyone, t-they did it, they-"

"It's okay, son," Garmadon reassured him, "Whatever you did out there, you did it with all the honor and pride you can have. Whatever happened, whoever got hurt, whoever tried to hurt you, you're safe now. I got you now. You're back from the frontlines. Now is the time to hang up your sword and forget about the next battle."

"Dad… Dad…." Lulloyd continued to sniffle out, "I-I'm so sorry, d-dad I'm so, I'm so sorry…"

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Garmadon reached down to wipe away Lulloyd's tears, "You're _my_ son. I'm proud of you, Lulloyd. I'm proud of you for making it back. I'm so glad you're back," Garmaodn hugged him again, "I know I don't say it as much as I should, but, I love you."

"I-I l-love you t-too…" Lulloyd gasped out between sniffles and cries. Garmadon slowly guided Lulloyd towards the access hatch to the bottom of the ship, wordlessly pushing past all the others. The others were left stunned to silence as Garmadon moved to take his son to the bedroom and gently lay him in bed. None of them made a move to go after Garmadon, instead just letting whatever was happening, happen. After so long of running and chaos, now was the first time they truly had to reflect on what had happened.

In what felt like forever and far too soon, Garmadon emerged from the hatch. Wordlessly, he replaced the grate and moved to stand on the edge of the deck, overlooking his volcano. He took a cup and gently passed it from hand to hand up his body, then took a long sip. When he turned around, his expression was hard and firm.

"My son is sleeping now," Garmadon stated, "Looks like he stressed himself while working too hard. He'll be down there for awhile. Just enough time for us."

"Just… enough time for what?" Mage asked.

Garmadon turned around. For a moment, he simply looked at them. Then, he placed the cup down on the side of the Bounty and his eyes flared with flames in them.

"For you to tell me what the brick you've been doing with my son."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably my favorite chapter I've written so far, hands down. At the very least the ending. I hope you all are enjoying the fic! Please feel free to leave comments, reviews, or questions! At my friend's request, I'm considering opening up a discord server for Enter the Ninjaverse! If you'd be interested, please leave a comment or follow my tumblr, BionicStars, for any potential updates! Thanks for reading, and NINJA-GO!


	51. Chapter 51

Lulloyd slowly opened his eyes. When he looked around, the setting at first confused him. He wasn't in some random bed, or curled into a corner. He wasn't in the halls of the Summit he'd learned so much about, nor the cramped walls of Sun's Bounty. In fact, he wasn't in his normal bunk bed in his mother's apartment either. After thinking for a few moments, he realized he was in the bed onboard the Destiny's Bounty, namely the one that belonged to Master Wu. As he rotated the sheets up to slowly slide his way to his feet, he thought back to what had happened.

"Did I… did I fall asleep?" Lulloyd asked himself, trying to think of it all. He slowly began to walk through the small collection of various trinkets that Master Wu kept for reasons that were beyond him. Some of them were beginning to look oddly familiar to him, but that wasn't the important thing. He made his way over towards the ladder at the other end that led up to the deck.

As Lulloyd made his way out of the room, he began to hear a small voice emanating from the top of the Bounty. Slowly, he moved to hop up onto the deck, looking around to find that it was all but deserted. Even the training room with the (now empty) shrine to the Ultimate Weapon was devoid of Nya normally battering away at the dummy or Kai testing out the multitude of sharp objects Master Wu loved to stockpile. He made his way past those and up to the ladder that took him to the main steering wheel, looking past a small map table and sliding under the large brown awning to find the source of the voice.

Lulloyd opened up the small golden window shutters, leaning his head out and letting him look at the vast expanse of Ninjago City's ocean. The voice was coming from below. He leaned his body out until he saw the source of the song was coming from Harumi, sitting in a little alcove behind the training room. Normally, Cole would be jamming to tunes there. She was leaning up against a telescope pointed skyward, looking up towards the sky with sad eyes. Lulloyd listened in as she was singing a rather upbeat song:

_Closer to me than any sound that I've heard, your voice rang out, but I could not hear a word. _

_Though it's been forever since we've been together, you and I have at last been reunited once again. _

_Sister's Nois-!_

"Harumi?" Lulloyd asked. The second he startled her, he was forced to throw his head backwards as a Rhotatae disc shot up to nearly nail him in the face.

"Lulloyd?!" Harumi gasped out, "Oh gosh, are you okay?! I didn't mean to! I was waiting for you to wake up and found this little spot to relax!"

"Y-Yeah, f-fine!" Lulloyd nervously poked his head out the window again, "That's Cole's jamming spot, a-actually. U-Uhm, can I come down?"

"Of course!" Harumi nervously nodded, letting Lulloyd slide out the window and flip his way down the side of the Bounty to grab the telescope and land firmly on the platform.

"I uhm, heard you singing," Lulloyd smiled to her, "It sounded like a pretty song."

"...Y-You heard that?" Harumi gulped, "I-I mean… it's, not like, I mean i-it's not like it's, weird for you to so uhm, I guess that… y-yeah."

"Huh?" Lulloyd blinked, "Uh… why, wouldn't it be weird for me to, hear that?"

Harumi looked down, biting her lip as she did. After a moment, she slowly stepped forward and gently raised her watch up to Lulloyd. As he looked down at it, Harumi reached out and took hold of his wrist with her other hand.

"Don't… tell the others, okay?" Harumi bit her lip, "I normally wouldn't care, but if Monty found out about this he'd never let me live it down."

Lulloyd blinked, but gave a small understanding nod. After a moment, Harumi played a muted video on her watch. It was a live recording of what looked like a large concert. He instantly recognized Forte on her keytar, playing a long opening song on a massive flashy stage. She was in what he could best call an explosion of bubblegum pink dress. She pumped her fist and shouted something. A massive burst of lights on the stage caused two small platforms to rise up on the stage, showing two girls. One of them was Carnelian, wearing a flashy orange dress mirroring Forte's own. The other girl was in a flashy deep green one of the same design.

"...Wait, that's…" Lulloyd looked up, watching the three girl run up to each other and begin to sing, "...Harumi you're… uhm, what are you?"

"Forte.. well long story short, I owed her a favor," Harumi muttered, "Ugh. See, she used to have other backup dancers, then they left after a fight with her and she ended up bringing us on. Said that after what happened with the Overlord, Ninjago could use a big boost and, we were kinda famous."

Lulloyd watched as Ren and Mizuko both rose up, Ren in a purple and Mizuko in a baby blue varient of Forte's dress, "I uhm… I see. You… learned how to sing and dance for this?"

"Forte calls us every once in awhile for tours and stuff," Harumi explained, "But… then after that she wanted to try to make us like, I don't know, merchandisable? I think? I had to fight her not to try to make money off me. I agreed to be apart of her group."

"Do uhm, you have a name?" Lulloyd asked.

"...Five Element Time," Harumi mumbled out.

"That's… actually a good one, kinda catchy," Lulloyd smiled a bit, "You uhm, you know this isn't anything to be ashamed of, right? You have a really good singing voice."

"I normally, well I'm used to being recognized for being the Green Ninja and all…" Harumi sighed, "They're always like 'a girl with white hair, wearing a green uniform like that, with that Rhotatae…' and then know it's me. But Monty wouldn't let me live this down if he found out."

"I won't tell anyone, but uh, you could probably tell Lloyd," Lulloyd told her, "Uhm… you probably couldn't tell Mage, he'd keep talking about it. He's, kinda like a kid."

"He is one," Harumi stretched, "And I won't. I can trust you, right?"

"Of course," Lulloyd smiled, "Don't worry. Whatever Monty does, he won't find out."

"Good," Harumi sighed, "Well, come on. The others are waiting in the waterfare room."

"The uh… the waterfare room?" Lulloyd blinked, "Like, the warfare room?"

"Your dad insisted on calling it that, you'll see why," Harumi gestured to him, namely to a large set of scuba gear against the opposite wall of her little perch, "It's a bit of a swim, your dad left this here in case you woke up."

Lulloyd had long since learned to stop questioning anything that his father did, instead sliding the gear on and swapping his ninja mask for a scuba helmet. Harumi wasn't able to wear the outfit, so instead she used a trick she'd learned earlier and formed a large bubble of green power in the air and then stuck her head in it. She jumped off into the water, surfacing a moment later with a stingray-shaped water skimmer. Lulloyd just jumped in and took hold of the side of it while Harumi turned and pushed the handlebars to drive them under the water.

The sheer volume of ships Lulloyd saw under the water was massive. All of them were from the Shark Army, patrolling the area constantly and scanning for things seemingly at random. Several jelly subs ended up tangled together and were subsequently ripped apart by the hammerhead dropships twisting its head like a brick separator. Piranha and crab mechs all crawled along the ocean floor as well, pinching and snapping as they did. Harumi ignored all of them, while Lulloyd tried his hardest to see just how much of the army was still out.

"Harumi," Lulloyd asked her with his helmet as they dove down, "How long was I out?"

"You passed out yesterday," Harumi informed him, "You're not the only one of us that slept hard, though. None of us have gotten much sleep after… everything that happened to us."

Lulloyd went silent. Harumi guided them until they reached what looked like a massive head of a shark jutting out of the surface of the ocean floor. She hit a button on her skimmer, causing the shark eye to glow green and the jaws to wrench apart to reveal a large cylindrical center inside that went deep down to the ocean floor. Harumi guided them inside, passing by some trans-blue 1x4's that then caused the jaws to close up and the water to begin draining out through hinged opening slits along the length of the shaft. The water level lowered as they just floated on top, eventually ending in the last of the water draining to reveal them at the bottom of a large jellyfish shaped landing platform. Two angler soldiers rushed in and marched the skimmer off while Harumi dispelled her bubble and Lulloyd took off his helmet, letting his hairpiece out again.

"How did my…?" Lulloyd stopped himself, "I shouldn't ask. My dad's pretty efficient when, you know, he wants to be."

"He rebuilt an entire army to attack your city every week, right?" Harumi asked him, "He probably has some sort of system in place."

"You're uhm… you're right," Lulloyd sighed, looking at a catwalk that led to a large sliding door, "Let's get moving."

The two entered the door, leading them to a massive room that was a mixture of both elegant and industrial. The back half of the spherical room had a large sitting pad, table filled with various drinks, small shrines with various weapons on them, and steps that one had to walk up to get to them. The other half, however, was a massive rectangular table with gray chairs and a large great white mosaic taking up the table's surface. The walls were all glass, letting them all see a large aquarium filled with random sealife that swam around them. It was a strange mash of styles, one that only served to highlight the four-armed warlord sitting on the mat even more against the table with his friends. As Lulloyd entered, Monty turned from the table and frowned at him.

"Make sure everyone here knows I'm here under protest," Monty grumbled.

"Lulloyd!" Mage shouted, jumping up to his feet and jumping off the table to rocket over and tackle him in a hug, "You're okay! We were so worried about you!"

"W-Woah!" Lulloyd pressed his back to the glass as he awkwardly hugged Mage back, "Y-Yeah, I'm good! I'm fine, everyone! I uhm… I'm sorry for acting like that. That was, kinda childish, of me."

"Don't worry about it," Lloyd smiled to him, "This is a pretty stressful situation. If I'd met up with my friends, I'd probably have done the same."

"I don't really have any need to pass out anymore," Monty scoffed, "But being alive has its downsides as well as its perks, I guess."

"Yes…" A voice that made Lulloyd straighten up as he heard it sounded from the other end of the table, "We cannot afford to lose anymore of our forces at this point."

Lulloyd turned to see Over seated at the edge of the table, one set of arms on said table and the other propping his chin up. His body looked hurt, with large patches of it cracked open to reveal what looked like a gas underneath. Lulloyd watched as that gas solidified in one patch on his arm, slowly stitching itself up until it was perfectly healed. Just the sight of it was enough to make him want to shudder. Harumi, noting Lulloyd's sudden lockup, moved to help him sit down, along with Mage and Lloyd.

"You look shocked to see me," Over frowned, "Is there a reason why?"

"I uhm… no I just, you know. You're uh, still new to us?" Lulloyd tried to smile innocently, "Still uh, getting used to it."

"Let us forgo any sense of pleasantries with this," Over stood up, making Lulloyd push back in his chair, "As I told you before I lost consciousness, I intend to fight alongside you. I do not need any sort of power to sense the fear you hold for me. The girl in particular reeks of it," He turned to Harumi, who met him with a determined gaze and shaking hand, "Now that you are awake, we have time to review what we have discovered, and to plan what has become of our now shared objective. Are there objections to that?"

"Since when did you decide to take control of us?" Monty scoffed, "You're still healing from getting your butt kicked harder than even I've done to someone before."

"Because the rest of you are filled with apathy, underconfidence, trepidation, curiosity, and inexperience," Over glared to Monty, "And besides. I already had a rather long talk with Lulloyd's father. He will be the one that guides this meeting."

"That's right!" Garmadon stood up, grinning from ear to ear, "Now that General Number Son is here, we can get this war meeting underway! Whew! It's been awhile since I've done one of these. Feeling a little pumped up! Ahem. Well, as mister copycat just pointed out, I'm in charge here!"

"I am not copying you," Over frowned, "We are from entirely separate worlds. That we evolved to look similar is a result of happenstance."

"Alright, sharkless ripoff," Garmadon stepped forward and turned to look at Harumi, "You there, female! Tell the group what you discovered!"

"It's Harumi," Harumi sighed, slowly moving to take her watch off and place it on the table. She hit a few buttons, causing a display of her dimensional wavelength scanner up. She looked around before beginning to press buttons.

"After we entered Mage's world, I set my watch to continually start recording dimensional wavelengths around us. I figured if we came into contact with the Twins or the Vermillion at some point, I'd be able to find out when. I was going through the records of yesterday and… I saw this," Harumi pulled up three wavelengths side by side, "The one on the left is Lloyd. We all have a base wavelength, essentially, that links us together. I don't know if it's because we started moving around in universes, or if we just have it. This middle one is from the first time we encountered Ophiod, and the right one is for Prime. I ran some analysis on this and…"

Harumi hit a button, causing the three graphs to overlap. Lloyd's wavelength was highlighted in green. She hit play to let all three of them begin oscillating. Slowly, the wavelengths began to filter down, until all three perfectly overlapped, "This confirms that what Ophiod and Prime said was true."

"So, the Twins really hired two other, uhm, counterparts to attack us?" Lulloyd picked the word carefully. Harumi nodded.

"Wait, does that mean that Monty has the same wavelength as us too?" Mage asked. Harumi suddenly thought back to a particular glave, brought back by Monty suddenly turning to her with a hard gaze in his eye.

"Counterparts don't have to be like us!" Lloyd blurted out for her, "Monty is unique. He isn't like us but, he can come with us!" For a few moments, Lloyd was left in fear as to whether the glave's curse on them would be activated. Mage, however, gained a small glint in his eye and just smiled.

"This means we won't just be fighting those stinky Twins anymore," Garmadon rasped out, "You all got yourselves some rivals."

"Rivals, is that what you call them?" Over asked. Garmadon ignored him, much to Over's ire.

"Ophiod said he was the crown prince of the Serpentine… and he had Skales with him," Lloyd muttered, "But, how? Like, how is he just like us and… how was Skales with him?"

"The Time Twins can bring the Vermillion with them," Monty pointed out, "Pretty sure if you had something like the Iron Doom, you'd be able to bring people with you. Obviously."

"Invictus, I think that's what Prime called his big beast!" Mage perked up, "If that thing is like the Iron Doom, maybe that's how they're traveling just like us!"

"It would make sense," Harumi nodded her head, "Since, unlike us, they can teleport out of a world wherever they want. There's no other explanation as to how quickly they found us right now." The others nodded.

"Those guys are… like us," Lulloyd looked down, "Does that, make anyone else here, a little uneasy?"

There was a moment of silence in the room. Lloyd and Mage in particular looked rather upset for a few moments. Harmi simply kept a rather cold expression on her face. Monty looked indifferent, while Over buried his mouth behind his hands.

"So what?" Garmadon flippantly cut in, "So they're alternate versions of you, what's the difference? If they're trying to take you out either way, ain't no reason you gotta go easy on them!"

"But, dad," Lulloyd gulped, "This, this isn't like facing the Twins! These guys are… they're not just, evil, or, I don;t think they are!"

"Did they shoot at you?" Garmadon asked.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Try to kill you?"

"I, guess they did some things that could have…"

"Say they were working with your enemies?"

"I uhm, wasn't there to hear it but, I'm pretty sure they did."

"Mhmm… see, that's my three question test to determine if I consider a new force that shows up someone to turn the war machines at," Garmadon declared sagely, "Looks like your new foes just failed 'em. I say turn the sharks on them."

"Believe me, I attempted to," Over growled, "It was a futile effort. They wield a level of power we are not yet equipped to deal with." Garmadon once more refused to acknowledge him.

"The bigger issue here is the Twins…" Harumi looked down, "That Iron Doom they had, it had the Time Blades in it. And, it looked like they reactivated it. If that Iron Doom works like my dad said it did then… they can travel in time and universes now."

A long and cold dread filled the room, one that none of them truly knew how to respond to. Saying something felt like a denial of the statement, when each of them knew that they couldn't. Even if the Twins didn't have that power, they'd missed their one window of the Twins down and out for the count. Now? Now they were back to square one, with even more dire straits.

"Clearly, they do," Monty sighed, "There's no other way they could have gotten both of those guys on our tails in the span of an hour. I'm betting them took their sweet time picking someone they could manipulate into their goals. Let's not kid ourselves here."

"But… then why exactly are we all still here?" Lloyd sat up, "When they changed the past in Ninjago, it changed in an instant for us. I'm, still not sure why we were affected but… we were. It happened. Why haven't they tried to remove our worlds yet."

"Pride," Over spoke up again, "A vain pride that has consumed them, and made them now believe their treatment of us is a mercy."

"It's pretty simple," Garmadon placed his hands behind his back, "You're in a bad spot, Lulloyd, I won't lie to you. You got your backs against the wall, enemies at your gate, and they've got some nasty looking plans for you once they got that surrender. You need to build that white flag of surrender, and they stole all your white bricks. All that power is going right up on to their head. Right on up there. Like, so far up you don't even want to know how far up it went. And now they're gonna let you go, cause they think you've gotten beaten enough you won't try again. Pretty standard tactic for making layovers for your army in wartime. I've done it once or twice, pretty standard stuff."

"I was willing to overlook the first times," Over glared daggers at Garmadon, "Do not think my injuries will prevent me from displaying my tolerance for this."

"The Time Twins are letting us and our worlds go… because they think they've won?" Lulloyd asked, "Then… that means the only reason we're still here is… because of their egos?" That thought sent another long and deep cut of dread through the group.

"...It's okay!" Mage stood up, "We, just have to do what you guys did to help me! You know, we fight them on the sidelines and, we make sure they don't find out! It's just like before!"

"The risk is a lot bigger than that," Harumi reached out and put her watch back on with nervous hands, "The risk we stood to lose back then was them getting away. Now… now we could lose our _worlds_, Mage. They… they could… they could erase everything we know, just like that."

"There's another problem," Monty sighed, "We've been coasting after the Twins by just following the tracks they've left us. I opened up a portal earlier to try to see if I could find something new that might tell us where they went."

"And?" Lloyd asked.

"Nothing," Monty frowned, "Just the same old paths we've been taking. There wasn't any sort of path either for those two freaks that attacked us either. The Twins have basically gone dark."

The implications of that were strong. The Twins had not only gained a time machine, but somehow managed to cloak where they were in the universe. Without a path to follow them, they were stuck floundering in the dark.

"Hmm…" Garmadon nodded his head, "Alright, pretty simple solution to me."

"Wait, what?" Lloyd turned to Garmadon, "Are you serious? This isn't just some conquering quest! This could mean you don't exist anymore!"

"That doesn't mean we don't plan!" Garmadon scoffed at him, "What, do you think I repurposed this old tunneling operation into a waterfare room and _wasn't_ going to actually plan for war in it?"

"This old, uh, what now?" Lulloyd asked.

"Eh, old plan, flood the city underneath, send up some mutant shark-rays, didn't work out, don't ask," Garmadon rotated his head, "That's not important! This is a battle you all are in! A battle for a lot more than just you all now! Sure, you failed. You failed like, what, six times? Well, six if you count each of you once, otherwise it's like, twenty one times? Whatever, numbers don't matter! Point is, you don't stop swimming because you lose your fins! You swim your way to a shark that has fins, rip them off, replace yours, and then take _his_ territory for being so slow a finless shark could catch up to him!"

"...I don't get it," Mage blinked.

"You'll learn!" Garmadon shouted, slamming his hands down, "Are you all giving up on me?!"

"Of course not," Monty scoffed, "I don't have much to lose at this point."

"I made a vow to go after the Twins and stop them for what they did to my people," Mage pressed his hands to the table, "And I haven't even gotten close to that yet! I know I haven't done as much as I've wanted to, but, I need to! I'm still in this fight!"

"I was the one that let them get away the first time," Lloyd looked up, "I have to correct my mistakes. No matter what it takes. I'll do what I can."

"I will too," Lulloyd took a deep breath, "I… I'm not sure I'm ready for this but. But I made clear when I started this that, that I was in this for the long haul. And… and even if I'm scared I have to do this. Because, I owe it to everyone here that has believed in me."

"They took my friend from me," Harumi muttered, "They threatened everything that my dad gave me. I can't let them do that to someone else."

"It was foolish for them to leave me alive," Over's voice dipped into that of the Overlord, "**I intend to make sure they suffer the same pain that I feel now."**

"Hrmm… decent speeches!" Garmadon grinned, "If you were generals, I'd consider keeping you. Except Lulloyd, he's always got his spot. The rest of you are just corporals for now! Maybe sergeants. Prove yourselves to me first."

"Right now, the Time Twins know where we are," Harumi nodded her head, "They know what we can and can't do. If what Prime said is true, they're watching us. We need to plan our moves carefully, from now on. Any move we make, we have to do it knowing it could backfire, at any minute."

"We'll do this for everyone that those Twins have hurt!" Mage declared, "For my people!"

That name sent a long reverbnation through the room. Slowly, each of them stood up. Mage leapt on top of the table, his feet slipping over the edge of a stud briefly. Lloyd and Lulloyd stood next. Harumi took to her feet next. Monty let out a long groan before begrudgingly getting up. Over was last, lost in thought at the name before slowly, almost painfully standing.

"For Olive!" Harumi declared.

"For Ninjago!" Lloyd followed up.

"For my friends!" Lulloyd added.

"For whatever this is," Monty scoffed.

"For… For Sun," Over finished with a subdued voice. Lloyd extended his hand towards the middle of the table. Mage, Llloyd and Harumi placed their hand on top of his. Monty just hovered his hand inside of them with a roll of the eye. Over hesitated, seeing Harumi's mistrustful glare. The Overlord inside him gave a small chuckle, prompting him to sigh and place his hand on top. After a count, they all raised their hands, with Lloyd leading them in a large 'NINJA-GO!'

"Now that's some good spirit there," Garmadon laughed, "Alright, let's get this going! Time to make a plan to defang some snakes! They do still use snakes, right?"

"They do," Lloyd nodded his head, "Let's plan this thing!"

* * *

By the time they'd finished, they had no plan.

As Mage had seen, with little to no information as to their enemies other than what they knew, the exact capabilities of the Twins, the goal the Twins now had in their seemingly never ending mission, and more, planning had fallen rather flat. This had all but brought back that earlier sense of hopelessness they felt. Garmadon had pushed them to keep going long after that point, until he, too, found it hard to dredge up anything worthwhile from their time.

"Let's break and think of our own plans," Harumi had finally sighed, "We've all just gone through a lot. This… this might be our last chance to really have some, actual time to ourselves. We should savor it and, just, do what we need to do."

Without much in the way of other suggestions, the group had called in a submarine for Monty and then taken to returning to the surface. Lulloyd had said he was going to see if he could find Master Wu, while Lloyd and Harumi had decided to go and explore the city and perhaps look for the ninja that Lloyd had met when he first arrived. Over and Monty had said nothing and just vanished the second that Mage had taken eyes off of them. He could have probably hunted them down, but there wasn't that much need for that. Thus, Mage had gone to shore, found a place, and decided to gather himself.

The beaches of Ninjago City shone in the setting sun. Mage slowly reached down and focused, wrapping his fingers around the hilt of Aevum. With a swift pull, the glowing blue sword came right out of its sheath, the runes carved down the side glowing brightly in the dim sunset. Mage's Time Matrix formed on his left wrist, the hands pointing down to turn the whole thing green. The pouring of forward energy into the blade that slowed itself in time made the sword swing and hum naturally in Mage's hand.

Mage turned towards the distance, seeing the Destiny's Bounty as it sailed across the waves. Slowly, he moved the sword in front of him, leveling the blue blade with the ship's midsection. He focused, then brought the sword up and swiped down until it was extended out from his waist. He raised the sword and repeated the process over and over again. He knew little of swordplay, but he had watched Acronix practicing. He tried his best to replicate what he recalled, repeating each pose and swing several times before he moved on to the next. He did so with his eyes narrowed and his breathing focused.

With his body warmed up, Mage reached forward and called upon his power to raise the sand of the beach up to form the shape of a Vermillion. Unlike the rest of everything here, the sand wasn't actually studs, but actual sand he was used to. He formed it until he had the perfect shape of a Vermillion Warrior, face of snakes and all, with its arm raised to punch him. He took a step back from the sculpture and raised Aevum, bringing the sword in both hands against his right shoulder. With a shout, he swung the sword straight through the statue, causing it to explode into sand that burst apart in the air in slow motion. The particles moved, suspended in the air, slowly enough that Mage was able to rapidly carve through them several more times. A massive ball of slowly falling sand was left for him to see.

With a grin, Mage turned and began forming Vermillion at random from the sandy shore, repeating the process. He slid his body from warrior to warrior, sending Aevum through them each time. He used just the slightest application of speed to slide himself faster and faster, carving through warrior after warrior. Each time, a new ball of slowly falling sand was formed in the air. Mage impaled one warrior and grinned, racing forward as he formed one last one to end his practice.

All at once, Aevum's power ended, and the sand in the air fell to the ground unceremoniously. Mage froze as his sword was an inch away from a face he hadn't meant to make. He stared down the sandy sculpture of Machia, his hands shaking. His grip loosened, causing his Time Matrix to fade. All at once, the sword fell to the ground. Mage tried to pick it up, but it moved as though trapped in tar. He looked up to Machia's visage as he forced his hands back down to the hilt, trying to form his Time Matrix. When the sword refused to budge, as slowed in time as it was, he was left just growling as he tried to draw his blade.

"C-Come on!" Mage huffed, "Monty… Monty said I have… have to learn how to use this!" Mage shook his head, straining as he kept trying to use forward time, "Please! Just… Just…!"

_It seems you have no need to wait for someone to teach you control, when you clearly have none of it yourself. _Mage froze as a voice echoed in his head.

"I'm learning control!" Mage shouted against Acornix's words in his head, "I-I need to use this sword! I need to help them!"

_You clearly still need to learn compassion, if it only takes anger to remove it from you!_

"I know compassion! I saved Skylar! I saved everyone!" Mage put a hand on his head, "It was one mistake! Just one little mistake! Please! Let me use this!"

There was no response from the visage of Acronix he had in his head, only a stern frown that reflected all of the anger and fury that he'd never seen from the brother before. All of it directed at him. He looked down to his arm, trying to form his Time Matrix. As soon as it did, he felt a coldness in him, a shame that cut to his core. The clock flickered on his wrist. He focused, trying harder, trying to put it aside. The clock flickered out.

With an angry rage-fueled shout, Mage summoned earth and slammed his fists into the ground. The explosion of sand was massive, nearly ten feet in diameter. It was so large that water began to trickle in from the waves to fill up the newly made basin. Mage struck the ground again as he did, digging the sand in between his fingers. He gripped his fists tightly, working to let it slide in and out of his grip.

"I need to be useful to them… I-I need to avenge everyone that was lost to the Raiders…" Mage whispered, his eyes shut tightly, "I need power!"

"Kid, I'd say you got plenty of power already!"

Mage's eyes shot open as he spun around, forming a spike of ice around his arm he pointed forward like a sword. Standing inside the cockpit of a Piranha mech was none other than Garmadon. Well, not his dad, but someone… different enough he could tell them apart. It wasn't just because he looked like a toy, but then again he'd also seen Garmadon summon an army to rival that of the battle he'd helped stop. For now he slowly lowered his ice spike as he watched Garmadon jump down and slide into the basin.

"Hrmm…." Garmadon walked over and scooped up sand in his claw hand, "This is a clean blast. Even distribution, good depth… you know your stuff when it comes to making things explode!"

"Uh, thanks!" Mage blinked, trying to lighten the mood, "Master Lily taught me everything I know about punching things! I would've thought it'd be like, the Fire Tribe that taught me how to fight but turns out the Earth Tribe is the best if you want to learn to fight bare handed."

"Nah, fire types are always all flash, no substance," Garmadon scoffed, "They always make their fortresses as big and flashy as they can. Sure, _maybe_ they have an impressive weapon, and _maybe_ that weapon takes out your right flank, but the second you push them, they learn they didn't plan a way out of their now fancy tomb."

"You sound like someone I know," Mage chuckled, "Someone who really likes fighting."

"Because fighting is the rawest thing you can get!" Garmadon exclaimed, "Just putting yourself against someone else, throwing all you got at them. Digging in as deep as you can to light that fire inside you! Letting each injury make you feel even more alive. The best is if you can get into the state you aren't even in control of yourself anymore. I'm telling you, kid, once you let your body start moving on its own, you'll find whatever you got hidden inside your really squishy body there."

"...Sure!" Mage smiled awkwardly, "I'll remember that!"

"I'm liking you already," Garmadon gave a hard grin, "Alright, lay it on me, what was all that business you were having there with that sword you got? Body can't handle it? Too powerful? Cursed? If it's that last one, my wife has the best curse-removing gear. You'll have to give up a few days of your lifespan but it's totally worth it."

"It's, nothing like that," Mage sighed, "...I uhm, I'm not sure it's really all that smart to talk about. It's, pretty bad."

"Bad is my middle name, actually my third middle name," Garmadon laughed, "Right next to Volcano-lover and conqueror. Don't have a last name, though," He suddenly frowned, "To evoke the name of my ancestors would bring us both down a path you do not want to be messing with right now, unless you got something that can fight spirits."

"...I killed someone," Mage muttered, "And my mentor left me for it."

"Hrmm… so we're dealing with heavy stuff," Garmadon looked over to his mech, then jumped in the air and kicked it. It fell apart into pieces which he rapidly rebuilt into a half-mech, half bench using the top and bottom of the mech's head to create two large seats. He slid into one side and gestured for Mage to take the other. Mage blinked in confusion, but slowly moved to slide into the other makeshift seat regardless.

"Your mentor probably has a lot of faith in you," Garmadon told him, "You know he's a good mentor, cause he was able to let you go."

"Wha?" Mage blinked, "Wouldn't that be the sign of a bad mentor?"

"Nah, see, that's just the thing," Garmadon sighed sagely, "Good mentors, they'll be able to let their students go. And be able to say that they student broke a rule. If this guy just let you keep training after that, what does that say about him?"

"That… he'd be willing to let me break his rules, probably again," Mage sighed, "I… I guess I get it."

"Look, killing is a pretty big deal… between you and me, I hope Lulloyd never has to," Garmadon closed his eyes, "It's not something you can just brush off. You might think it's nothing at first. Find some way to help you sleep in your lava bed at night. But that's just the thing. The longer you go on, harder it gets. I had his mother when it got too rough for me. Well I mean, totally never happened to me, but if it did!"

"I have someone like that," Mage gripped his robes, "I killed her for them."

"Hrmmmmmm… that's a big ouchie right there," Garmadon sat up to look at him more directly, "Doing that for you? That's one thing. All on you, nothing to it. For someone else? Now they gotta think of it too. Not really something I wanna go thinking about."

"...But…." Mage began to curl up, "S-She hurt them. Really, really badly. T-Tried to kill the people that were really, r-really close to her. I-I was doing it because… b-because I… I needed to."

Garmadon, seeing Mage was starting to break a bit, sighed, "You know, I normally wouldn't talk about this with a kid like you. It's heavy. But I see something in you, Sergeant Mage. Something real good in there. I think you got a good heart. Trust me, I got a not so good one. The fact you've already decided to admit you did wrong? First step to reevaluating your plans. You know what the next step is?"

Mage shook his head, making Garmadon grin, "Next step is to get those nasty brains on something else! Like target practice! Come on, I'll let you drive a Jelly Sub! Those things are great, let me tell you!"

"I… I don't know," Mage shook his head, "My mentor was the only one that could teach me this, this really important power. If I don't have him then… then what do I do? I-I need that power so we can help take out the Twins!"

"Hrmm… I think you're missed something important there," Garmadon explained, "See, if you only got power for power's sake? You don't have much. You gotta be more than whatever overpowered ability you got under those golden robes and weird round body there. I haven't seen your friends acting like you aren't pulling your weight until now. I say that's a good place to be."

"B-But what happens when I need to do something more, when I need to… to help them?" Mage stood up, "I hear my mentor's words when I try to use my power! He, he was so ashamed of me. B-But if it's between them getting hurt a-and my using this power!"

"You're a smart kid, I'm sure!" Garmadon smirked, "You'll get something. Look, most of battle is just doing on the spot stuff. You gotta rely on your instincts. If you can't use something, figure it on out. You'll come up with something. No use boiling the lobster for it."

"I… I guess you might be right," Mage sighed, deflating visibly, "This is just the first time that I've really… been, like, had this done to me before."

"Then let's do something else you haven't done before," Garmadon smirked, "Come on, let's get off this lame beach and do some real fun stuff! I heard from Lulloyd you got some nifty powers. How about you help me with my new and improved Garmashark!"

For a moment, Mage wondered if he should go along with this. He wasn't sure if it was the smartest thing to be doing. After thinking for a bit, however, he realized it wasn't going to be worth just waiting around anymore. The others were doing their own things… he'd have to be able to do his own too.

"Uh… sure!" Mage smiled weakly, "What did you have in mind?" Garmadon grinned.

Mage soon found himself standing inside the large cockpit of a massive brick built shark. According to the ramblings of some weird guys in big white coats, this was twice as big as 'the original' and had 'twenty times the firepower' and a lot more. What he cared about was reading text on a strange glass in front of him that told him what to do.

"THAT'S RIGHT, NINJAGO CITTTTTYYYYY!" Garmadon stood on top of the Garmashark Tooth.0, positioned on top of Ninjago tower, "IT'S ME! YOUR NEW OVERLORD! I'VE FINALLY CONQUERED NINJAGO CITY! AND GUESS WHAT ELSE I GOT!"

Mage saw words on screen and responded. The Garmadon opened its mouth and let out a spew of flames, source from Mage himself. The shark rotated at its legs, spinning around hard to make a massive wheel of fire. Said fire was dispersed by electricity that shot out from all sides of it, dissipating the flames in flashes of blue arcs. Water sprayed from the shark's mouth, then an icy burst froze them and made the chunks start to fall. A large gatling gun on the fin manned by a shark army thug letting out a 'drrrrddrrrddrrrr' blasted them into studs. The shark struck the roof, sending a miniature earthquake through it.

"I GOT THE NINJA'S PPOOOWWEERRRSSS!" Garmadon taunted, "LOOK, LOOK AT THIS! I CAN DO ALL SORTS OF THINGS! WATCH ME NINJAGO CITY, WATCH WHAT I CAN DO NOW!"

Mage responded to a prompt by sending ice out. He froze a massive slide in front of the building the Garmashark Tooth.0 then leapt forward onto. It slid down and off into the air. Just as the weightlessness wore off on them, the shark's now massively improved legs rotated up and down, extending out massive jet boosters in the bottom. The shark began to fly through the air, zipping circles around the tower. Garmadon howled in evil, maniacal laughter as he did, He took the shark in a hard spiral down the tower, letting the glass reflect the shark beautifully.

"LOOK, LOOK, I CAN FLY NOW! YOU'VE SEEN A FLYING SHARK, NOW YOU'VE SEEN EVERYTHING, NINJAGO CITY!" Garmadon howed over his microphone, letting out another evil laugh.

The Garmshark Tooth.0 landed on the ground to tear up the pavement again. Cars were sent flying by the force of impact as the shark spread its now massive leg span and raised its head to the sky in a roar. The dorsal fin unfolded launchers down the middle that sent fireworks up into the sky, exploding in a glorious show of trickling down plates of blue, red and gray.

"BOW, NINJAGO CITY!" Garmadon laughed, "BOW TO YOU NEW-"

"Honey," Koko's voice cut him off, "Aren't you getting a little too into this?"

Garmaodn froze and turned his head to the side. Koko tapped his shoulder from behind, making him jump into the air and then rapidly jerk around to catch his megaphone. From the clothes she wore, she was clearly on a day off from work.

"G-Gah!" Garmadon huffed, "Honey, you're the only one that can still sneak up on me like that!"

"Wasn't that hard to," Koko plucked the megaphone from his hands, "A lot of people are trying to sleep for the night shift, dear. Let's let them rest."

"Oh come ooonnnnnn!" Garmadon huffed out, "I just got this thing! What, am I not supposed to take it for a test run! You know the first thing we did with new siege machines was siege with them!"

"You're being silly, honey," Koko stepped forward towards the hatch to open it, "I read your new schematics and this thing doesn't have elemental add ons. Which means…"

Mage raised a hand up to cover the light as Koko opened the hatch to look down at him. At once, she leaned down and waved her hand at him by rotating it.

"You must be one of Lloyd's friends!" Koko beamed, "I'm his mother, you can call me Koko! Just Koko, please, no Miss!"

"Hi, Koko!" Mage waved back, "I'm Mage! I was helping Garmadon!"

"I figured!" Koko beamed, waving as she started closing the hatch, "If you need anything, you come to me, alright? I live in that big volcano in the ocean, okay?"

"Alright!" MAge waved at her, "Thank you, Koko!"

Koko smiled and closed the hatch, "He seems nice. Not sure what's going on with his body. I'm glad Lloyd's making more friends!"

"Mhm," Garmadon smirked, "I'll wrap up with this and head to the volcano. How does that sound?"

"I'll be sharpening my sword," Koko grinned, "Do you think you can get yours past my guard?"

"Oh you know I'll make sure it goes right through it," Garmadon grinned back, "You won't be able to put up any guard ever again."

"I'll be looking forward to where you put it," Koko winked, "I'm off to make dinner, we're having quesadillas tonight!"

"Oh, YES, when you make them those are the best things ever!" Garmadon shuddered, "Seriously, how is food that's literally just bread and cheese taste so good?!"

"It's a secret!" Koko picked up her purse from the shark's head, "I'm off!" With that, she jumped from the shark and grabbed a clothesline between two building, using it as a makeshift rope to go swinging off into the distance. A few moments later, Mage emerged from the cockpit.

"She looks nice!" Mage smiled, "...I uhm, don't know my mother. She left when I was really young. I'm glad Lulloyd has one, though!"

"I am too," Garmadon sighed as he watched her go, "She's the best woman to ever have in my life." He turned to Mage in full, "Now then… I think you've earned a promotion."

"What?" Mage blinked, "How?"

"Your AWESOME!" Garmadon laughed, "Amazing! You're like, all those ninja rolled into one and then doubled! You're officially Lieutenant Mage now!"

"Yes! I'm a Lieutenant!" Mage beamed, "I don't know what that means!"

"It doesn't matter!" Garmadon pointed down the streets, "Let's test this baby out more! ...Before we have to head back to the Volcano, that is." The two shared a happy grin then leapt down to start their rampage through the streets.

* * *

Monty stood at the base of the Volcano, specifically on a large metal catwalk that overlooked a large hangar bay. The Volcano had a massive cave shaped like teeth at the base that fed into a hollowed out pool in which the Shark Army maintained its vehicles. Various ships were going in and out, none of them paying Monty much mind. After working for Garmadon for years, you began to tune out things like a ghost with a big fancy golden sword watching you dock. The Shark Army had more important things to do than worry about him, just as Monty had no care to worry about them. It was a mutually beneficial relationship.

Quite unlike the one that Monty had in his hand. Monty slowly raised the Sword of Sanctuary, staring into its glow. He saw nothing in the reflection, not even himself. The longer that he looked, the more he saw nothing. As it had been doing since it first happened, he felt his anger building until he shot the sword forward and violently slashed it into the catwalk. The railing turned from a pipe into cylinders, which then fell down towards the water below.

"Stupid thing…" Monty grumbled, "If you won't work, why am I even keeping you around?"

"Well, for one, you look pretty cool with that sword!" Monty swung around, pistol raised up in the air at someone that had just leapt down from the catwalks above. Lady Iron Dragon, or just Koko as he'd come to learn, chuckled at him and shook her head, "You'd never hit me with something that moves _that_ slow, you know."

"I really don't," Monty slid the pistol back into his armor, "This is the first time we've ever talked."

"You recognize me though, don't you?" Koko smirked, "Lloyd's just been talking all about me, hasn't he?"

"Lulloyd?" Monty rolled his eyes, "He never shuts up about you guys. I'm pretty sure you've given him some sort of complex at this point."

Koko took her helmet off, letting her orange hair flow transition into a new hairpiece, "Oh, his father is just a little spirited sometimes. I've been working on him, don't you worry."

"It's too late by now," Monty looked back at his sword with a growl, "Just like this sword with trying my patience."

"Hrmm… is that a destiny sword?" Koko stepped in and bent over to look more closely at the inscription on the guard, "Let me guess… I bet it's got some sort of predictive ability, doesn't it? Maybe a few seconds into the future?"

"...You want to tell me how you figured that out without even seeing it in action?" Monty narrowed his eyes.

"Well you've been staring into it for some sort of reflection, which you usually only do with swords related to destiny. I've raided a lot of valuable and cursed artifacts in my day!" Koko chuckled, "You start to see patterns in this after the fifth sword that's all about giving you immense power in return for part of your lifespan. All those old guys think of the same curses."

"...Right," Monty narrowed his eyes, "Is there a reason you're here?"

"Aren't you surly?" Koko paused in thought, "Oh, right! Right. Your friend was looking for you. The one that looks closest to my son!"

"Lloyd?" Monty sighed, "Where is he?"

"Former discussion room… oh, that reminds me," Koko drew a paper bag (a simple tile and hinge plate) and handed it to Monty, "Take these to your friends! I made some extra snacks the other day, thought you might want them! Dinner will be a little longer than I thought. And tell Lloyd not to sit on any of the seats from the third row back. The firing mechanism is a little touchy sometimes."

"I'm starting to wonder how Lulloyd turned out so normal," Monty groaned, gathering wind in his feet, "For the record, I don't need to eat."

Monty rocketed away to the catwalks above him, leaving Koko to watch him go and then just roll her eyes and chuckle at Monty's attitude. Monty soon found his way in front of a sliding door that led him down a long corridor. At the end of it was a set of two massive wooden doors that hinged open to reveal a large room filled with seats each marked with a different sea fauna symbol on them. Lloyd was sitting in the front row on the one that was printed for a shark. As Monty entered, Lloyd stood up to greet him, only to have the bag thrown right in his face.

"Snacks, thank Lady whatever," Monty waved his hand, "Eat them. I'm never hungry."

"Uhm… thanks?" Lloyd slowly opened the bag -which, oddly, made it turn into a 2x2 plate with vertical corner slopes- and pulled out several red barbs. Monty watched Lloyd like he was eating wood as Lloyd beamed upon chewing on the barb in his mouth, "Apple slices! Want some?"

"You're braver than me to eat plastic like that," Monty rolled his eyes, "This place is wrong in so many ways."

"It's uhm… I kinda figured out from when I was here that a piece can represent multiple things if you need it to?" Lloyd shrugged, "It's, just a little easier to roll with it."

"Is there a reason why you wanted to talk to me?" Monty asked with a yawn.

"Oh, right!" Lloyd shook his head, "It's about the Sword of Sanctuary."

Monty turned towards Lloyd with a pointed look, "What about my sword?"

"It's not been working, right?" Lloyd frowned, "I noticed it when we were fighting Ophiod, the snake guy. You tried using it and acted like it didn't work."

"Oh? And how do you know that I'm not just faking my enemies out?," Monty growled, drawing the blade and twisting it around in hand to catch the low light of the fireplace in the room, "I don't got into every fight blazing gunpowder and flashy swords, you know."

"Well," Lloyd leaned forward, "I remember that, when the ninja were training with the Golden Weapons, Master Wu used to say something to them. And, it's something that I think, might apply to you? I only just thought of it now," Lloyd cleared his throat, "'To truly master a weapon, you must first master yourself. A weapon is only as strong as it's master's will.'"

"Thanks for my daily cryptic Wu taunt," Monty scoffed, "And for saying I'm not strong enough to use this thing."

"It's more like… I mean, the sword is pretty powerful, right?" Lloyd asked, "Then it's probably really important that you remember that. And uh… I'm not Wu, I'm not sure where I'm going with this."

"So you just wasted my time with dumb advice, got it," Monty sighed, putting his hands behind his head, "Thankfully all I have is time."

"I didn't mean it like that," Lloyd frowned, "I know how much the Sword of Sanctuary is important to you. It's like, Master Wu's staff, it's your weapon. I just want to help make it work again!"

"Unlike you, I can do these things on my own." Monty snapped at Lloyd, "And I don't need you acting like I'm not contributing here. My sword is perfectly fine. And I'm getting ready to prove it to you in a way you won't like."

Lloyd frowned, but slowly nodded his head. Monty grumbled and took a few steps out of the room. When he stopped outside, he took a small breath and turned back to Lloyd.

"Let's make something clear here, _Lloyd_," Monty scowled, "I'm not you. I will _never_ be you. The you that I could've been died in the Cursed Realm. I don't care what you or Master Wu try to tell me about who I am, you'll never understand me and you certainly shouldn't be commenting on my weapons either. I've made it this far without having a stupid sword like this," Monty gripped his fist "I'll go even further with it. Stick to reloading my guns and keep that stolen wisdom to yourself."

Before Lloyd could say anything else, Monty used his wind to slam the door, making his side cape billow in the breeze. He looked over his shoulder to the gleam of the hilt of the SoS, then down to his own hands. With a scoff, he turned and walked away, pushing his thoughts, for now, aside. There were more important things to talk about than a sword that didn't work, whether it was important to him or not.

* * *

"_My Fude pen in my hand… is tremblin' once again… as I try to write to you my greeting card… and my overflowing passion, and unchecked action… Will burst my words into a shining star…"_

Harumi felt her words die in her throat. She sat once more on the Destiny's Bounty, a choice that she was sure wasn't the smartest given the ship's unfortunate history. After the meeting and witnessing the sight of Lulloyd's father's shark jumping from the top of the city's tower, she'd decided it was best to just relax. She, however, had found that nothing had come from her attempts to pacify herself with music.

Her thoughts were scrambled. In the event of a few hours, everything they'd been doing had changed. For once, just one moment, it felt like the group had gotten the true one and only chance to actually stop the Time Twins. They'd been without powers, without support… without anything that had put themselves between them and her. That one window, that one chance… it'd fallen out of their fingers and shattered into pieces.

"...Not even singing our songs is helping…" Harumi muttered to herself, her fists tightening, "...Carn…"

Harumi couldn't get it out of her mind. The last time she'd seen Carnelian, it'd been her promising her to return. She'd managed to get home after everything. She'd been able to see her love, to relax for those precious few moments… and now, she felt farther away from her than ever. The force of Ophiod and Prime combined had driven her away from them.

"I want to go home…" Harumi whispered, slowly leaning forward against the side of the deck, "I never asked to get involved in… in all this. I just… I just wanted to. To avenge her. I-I'll help them but… but why, why did he have to come to _my_ world of every world out there?!"

The Twins had taken someone from her. Someone she cared about. But even more than that, they'd forced her into a scale she'd never considered before. Multiverse theory was real, and she was living in it. She was forced to open her eyes, thanks to the Twins. To see the true vast, might and terror of the universe. To see the power that it could spawn, and the fierce retribution it paid on those that disturbed its balance. Stepping into other worlds like this, fighting for them, and knowing that everything in her life had all just been one individual drop in an endless sea… it was terrifying to the point of paralyzing her in thought.

"I want to go home…" Harumi whispered, "...And forget this ever happened."

"We all wish for that," Harumi heard Over's voice behind her, causing her to instantly lock up, "Yet not all of us have that luxury."

Harumi spun around to see the absolute last person she would want to talk to. Over stood with his body still cracked and healing, walking with his massive staff to help support himself. Harumi looked around, trying to see if there was anyone else around. Seeing that she was alone with him only heightened her awareness of the cold his presence brought on her. The fact she had to look up to make eye contact with him didn't help her feeling of dread.

"Why… why are you here?!" Harumi asked him harshly, "I came here to be alone!"

"Coincidence," Over sighed, "I was attempting to find a perch to rest and view the evening from. The fact we crossed paths is happenstance."

"Really?" Harumi asked with suspicion, even as her voice shuddered.

"Do you mean to imply that I had ulterior motives for being here?" Over scowled, "You aren't important enough for me to go out of my way to encounter."

"Right," Harumi turned around, "Fine. Just… just don't get in my way."

Over paused for a moment as Harumi kept her back to him. For a few moments, she believed that he'd gone away, leaving her to relax again. Instead, she saw him in the corner of her eye stand beside her, his arms behind his back. He was close enough she could see each healing crack on his body. Just that alone made her body flare with tension.

"You have harbored a fear for me since the moment that we met… I suppose that is not unusual," Over looked up towards the sky, "I'm quite used to that. You, however, hold one that surpassed that of your friends. It is something we must address if we are to be allies."

"The Overlord, he… he killed my father," Harumi gripped her fists, "I can't trust someone bound to pure evil like that."

"You can't?" Over turned to look at her, "Even if I am not the same being that did so to him?"

"It doesn't matter if you aren't!" Harumi turned to face Over, "The Overlord is pure evil! He's made to be the opposite to the First Rhotatae, Spinjitzu, Weapon, whatever Master!" Harumi tensed up further, "No matter what, he's just pure evil! There's nothing more to him!"

"**That's a rather simple point of view,"** The Overlord spoke up to her through Over, "**For someone so smart, you seem happy to hold just one viewpoint in mind."**

"I…" Harumi still felt her breath freeze in her throat hearing that voice, "I don't need to think about that. You're meant to be evil. You're all the darkness in Ninjago!"

"**I won't say that you are wrong,"** The Overlord paused, "**But is that all to the story you know?"**

"It is," Harumi stated confidently.

"**Perhaps I should give you something to consider,"** The Overlord looked away, "**You have such faith in the decision of your ancestor to banish me. Yet I was created by that which he used to create the light. I was his first creation, in the same way Ninjago was. I was as important as the land he formed… and yet I was the one that was cast aside."**

"Because you wanted to take over Ninjago," Harmi growled, "That's what the legends say!"

"**Legends are not written by their participants!" **The Overlord hissed, "**He created me. Then he threw me aside. He sealed me away, with land that was destined to crumble into the waves. In using his power to make the world, he created me as his equal from that power. And yet I was taken from Ninjago. Ripped from it. And treated like a stain, a black mark upon history. Ninjago abandoned me."**

"And it was right to!" Harumi retorted, "You corrupted it! I saw it!"

"**I did not," **The Overlord spat, "**The people of my kingdom, my empire, they were free. Free to live. They bowed to me, and I protected them. Was there a threat to the city that threatened to destabilize my rule?"**

"You subjected them! We saw your torture rooms! Your… we saw everything!" Harumi countered.

"**Did you see those rooms filled? Did you see the people in pain?"** The Overlord hissed, "**I know you will never see my empire as what it was meant to be. Yet you saw that the only source of conflict in the city was from the boy."**

"It was an empire, and oppression!" Harumi took a step back.

"**It was stable, powerful, and it was without this corruption you speak of!" **The Overlord growled at her, "**The only one in Ninjago that was willing to see my existence for what it was stands before you now. The only being willing to truly acknowledge me, to see me for what I am, is the one that was cast out from the world he saved. Decry us all you wish, girl! I will not allow you to-"** Over suddenly reached up and placed a hand on his face in a smooth touch. At once, the Overlord faded back down.

"Enough, I believe she has the point," Over sighed, "Regardless as to how stubborn she is to receiving it."

Harumi had almost taken a fighting stance, expecting for him to attack. Over simply turned back to look out at the waves, ignoring her. Harumi took a long few moments to get her heart back under her control. When she finally managed to stand beside him, it took her a rather long while for her to truly begin to feel at ease enough to stop testing for battle. Suddenly, Over turned towards her. Harumi once more tensed up all over again as he glared at her.

"Harumi," Over extended his hand, "While it was not my intention, I now have my opportunity to tell you what I must. Now that the danger has temporarily loosened its jaws on us, I will explain the purpose of the chip that you hold."

"The… chip?" Harumi reached to touch her uniform over where the chip was inside it, "The… the one that Olive gave me? Why… why should I give it to you?"

"Because before the end, Borg discovered a secret to the chip that you overlooked," Over narrowed his eyes, "And if I were to tell you, you would not act on it. Hand me the chip, and I will show you."

Harumi slid the chip into her hand, eying it nervously. She looked up towards Over, giving him a long and harsh glare underneath her hair. Over didn't move, still keeping his hand extended. She looked down at the chip, then shook her head.

"No, I'll figure it out myself," Harumi clutched it back, "I need to do this myself, I-"

Over suddenly used his own shadow he cast to snap up a shadowy tendril that snatched the chip from Harumi's hands. Harumi shouted in protest as the chip was hovered in the air in front of her, then the tendril clenched. A small crunch caused Harumi's eyes to widen as the tendril hovered over her chest. Harumi opened her hand to cause pieces of the broken chip to fall into her hand. As soon as she saw them, her entire body went cold.

"T-That was…" Harumi looked up with slowly rage-filling eyes, "That was the last… the last thing my friend gave me before she… she!" Harumi snarled, "I'll-!"

"Look at the pieces," Over instructed her.

Harumi felt blinding anger fill her, causing that strange black lightning to once more form on her arms. However, she gently looked down to see as a last indulgence to him. As she laid eyes on it, however, her anger paused. In the midst of the broken black chip pieces was none other than a smaller white chip. It was incredibly small, barely visible, but distinct. Over nodded once he saw that she'd seen it.

"Borg discovered a program running in the background of whatever the chip ran when installed," Over explained, "And discovered there was another chip inside being masked by the fake chip. I am willing to bet your friend made some sort of copy of her memories onto that device. If I were you, I would ensure you keep that safe."

With that, Over turned to walk away. Harumi was left completely stunned, not sure what to say. To say that she was happy would be to dispel the manner in which he took the chip from her and crushed it. To say she was upset was to disregard what Olive had given her. If this was her way of hiding herself from the Twins, it was smart. She hadn't even thought of the simple secret. But as Over turned to walk away, Harumi felt her anger still present.

"This…" Harumi shook her head, "This doesn't change how I feel about you. You may be my ally… but I will never trust you."

"Hmmph," Over turned away from her, "If that is your stance, then so be it. Just know that we are leaping into the flames of battle soon. Do not be surprised if your petty hatred will spell your end. Remember that."

With that, Over was gone, having walked away and then formed dragons wings form his back to fly away. Harumi watched him go and looked down to the chip that he'd given to her. For a few moments, she cursed the fact it'd been him to give it to her. Yet as she laid eyes on it, she felt a small well of hope in her chest. For the first time in a long while, she felt some form of hope. She quickly ran inside of the training dojo, ready to analyze her chip.

The sun had set on the group's first day of respite. Soon, they would be entering a new fight. Whatever that fight would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, both references are intentional! Both some of my favorites and big inspirations for Harumi.
> 
> So! A bit of my thought process here with this chapter. Since Chapter 45 the fic has been almost nonstop action/things happening, with only a small lull in 48. After all that I wanted to slow down and do some things outside of action. Writing characters is far more important to me than writing action, since the latter doesn't work if the former is weak. And so I decided to write these next few chapters to cool down and take time to explore them. These six were always planned to be my main cast since the start of the story, and it's a relief to finally have them all together! Enter the Ninjaverse is going a lot of places, and I'm excited to see how you all enjoy it! Thanks for reading, and as always, NINJA-GO!


	52. Chapter 52

On the deck of the Destiny's Bounty, Over stood. His eyes were drawn to the water that was rippling underneath the ship. He had expected it to be made of bricks, after seeing such a backwards world as this being made of hte things. Instead, he saw only his own reflection atop the twin dragon heads adorning the front of the ship. Just the sight of it looked odd and misplaced, like a children's drawing scrawled against a finely crafted painting. He was filled with curves, sleekness and life. This world was plasticy, full of edges and rigid. At least until they decided to defy that rigidness and create something anew.

"**Something anew?"** The Overlord spoke up from the dark being's lips, "**Your thoughts are drifting far today."**

"We share the same thoughts," Overlloyd hissed back, "What purpose does it serve to bring them up?"

"**We both are angry about what happened,"** The Overlord responded, "**Hiding that fact is pointless."**

"I hide nothing from you, as you do nothing from me," Overlloyd spat, "This is a waste of time."

Over sat down, letting his legs dangle over the side of the Bounty. Slowly, he inhaled, causing his form to begin to melt into shadows. Those shadows released back into him as a two-armed being, one that wore not the proud battle armor of the Emperor, but the bare chest of a defeated warrior. He summoned forth two of his blades into his lap, pulling them from his palms to begin sharpening them.

"**Our injuries have almost healed,"** Overlord sighed, "**I have known pain before, yet that was perhaps the worst I have endured." **

"We pushed our body to its limit and then beyond," Overlloyd groaned as he worked on the blades, "I think we got off easy compared to what could have happened."

"**I doubt that we are able to die, at least in the way those of true flesh do,"** Overlord mused, "**You were a mortal being tainted with immortal essence. I am a being born of darkness itself. I do not know what would have happened, but death is beyond us, I imagine."**

"That does not stop us from feeling pain," Overlloyd held one of his blades up to inspect it, "Something you would do well to remember."

There was a silence from his other half. Overlloyd said nothing, simply waiting for a response. When none came, he went about finishing the two blades he had out, then exchanged them for the other two. They had sustained a number of scrapes and nicks from his use of them, an unsightly look for a being such as he. He stood up, looking around the ship for some source of bladeworks. When he realized there were none, he scowled at the thought.

"**Yes, returning to him would be an ordeal," **Overlord chuckled, "**One I am happy to witness."**

"He is nothing like the man we knew, in either of our lifetimes," Overlloyd gripped his fist, "He is nothing more than a glutton for combat and blind to the feelings of those around him. It is only by circumstance he has been allowed to flourish when such flaws bereft his character."

"**Yet he is far better than the man we fought,"** Overlord replied.

"In what way?" Overlloyd scoffed, "He is a fool and simple-minded in far too many ways."

"**He had Lloyd,"** Overlord mused.

That line was enough to make Over fully go quiet. He slid his blades back into his body, returning them to Dark Matter. Since he had arrived here, his power had been diminished. His strength in his empire had been from the darkness he cast. His Dark Matter empowered him, enriching the bond he was able to maintain with the land. Without it, he could feel much of his overwhelming force gone. What he had managed against that mech had been all his body had to give. His dark power was at least halved by his loss of connection to his world. Only Shadow Control was at its true strength, and that ability was one that relied upon the presence of shadow on the battlefield, a fleeting resource at best.

Slowly, the once proud Emperor moved to focus his power into his back. Small dragon wings formed from them, allowing him to begin to gently flap his way into the air. He moved until he was standing at the very top of the Bounty's main mast, specifically perched on one foot on what he had heard Lulloyd name an 'antistud.' He cared not for its meaning. He simply wished to survey this world, to see what it had for him.

Ninjago City. It was nothing like the one he ruled. With his knowledge of the future, he'd allowed Borg to develop the city as he would have in any other timeline. His parallel slide into a world that had no recollection of him had been the only means of staving away oblivion. Thus, it had been his goal to ensure that the world that he created was one that would last to time. It had been his goal, his drive, to ensure that the world he had under his control was the best that he could allow it to be.

And now, it was gone. The thought was one that Over had refused his mind to allow. It was something simply far too large for the mind to comprehend. An entire universe, countless living and breathing beings that had all had their own aspirations and place within it were now no more. In his heart, he had already felt that there was no returning from what had occured. It was not something that could be reversed. A world, all of the time that had ever been touched by it, all of the things that had been and yet to be, were gone. Most of all… the one that he had made into his rival was gone.

His mind drifted to thoughts of this Ninjago City. Would it be worth conquering? The only threats he could see in front of him was Garmadon and the ninja he was training. In an ideal scenario, it would not be that difficult to ensure Garmadon was out of the picture. The man seemed to only care for one-on-one conflict; thus, sneak attacks would likely be effective. Simply seizing control of the Shark Army through this method would ensure that this town was his own. The more he thought of it, the task could be simple if done right.

Yet… he found no taste for it in his mind. For some reason, he could not bring himself to even begin to find the idea of ruling this place to his liking. Nothing about this place, or any place, would appeal to him. No matter where he went, he would be a stranger, and outlier in this place. He would be nothing more than an outsider, enforcing his will upon this world.

"**Was that not what we were to begin with?"** Overlord asked, articulating the next thought he had. Overlloyd said nothing to that. It was far more true than he wished to admit. He was nothing more than a failed timeline that had branched back into the main one. He had torn the destiny of the world apart, and then simply slid in within the cracks he left. The force of doing so had broken the Iron Doom down, then rendered it useless after using it to save Morro from his eventual fate. His presence in that world was a paradox barely sustained by a being of power comparable to the world's creator. He was an anomaly... and to do so here would not change anything about it.

Without an empire, Over was nothing. He was nothing more than someone with powers of darkness and energies that had kept him moving far past the limits of a mortal. But he was an outsider otherwise. In a world like this, in his reflection in the water, that was only highlighting. Without his world, his true being was on display. His true nature was there… as ugly, blackened and twisted as it was.

"Hey! Over!" Mage's voice caused Over to look down towards the deck. Standing there, shaking off from a waterspout he'd just emerged from, was the child. Over moved to jump down, but Mage quickly shook his head and turned his eyes copper. Within moments, the boy was standing on the smaller mast on the bow of the ship, close enough for the two to converse on their perches.

"Do you have need of me?" Over asked.

"I just saw you up here and thought you could use someone to talk to," Mage smiled at him, "You've been avoiding the others!"

"Do you not know why I have?" Over curtly replied.

"No, I do," Mage shook his head, "I mean… I think I'm really the only one here other than Lulloyd that doesn't have some sort of history with this Overlord guy so…"

"Well then," Over rolled his eyes, "I suppose they would say you were lucky for that."

"Well, lucky or not, I was wondering," Mage leaned forward, "Why are you fused to him like that?"

"What?" Over scoffed, "Child. You have shown yourself far more aware than those your age. You were there when I explained my past. If not, then it is a failing on your part."

"Nonononono," Mage shook his head rapidly, "I know _why_ you are, but… I mean, there's a difference between joining someone for something you want, and staying with them. I want to know why you're with him like that."

"As in, why I have chosen to stay with him?" Over narrowed his gaze, "Other than the paradox that would likely swallow my existence if I attempted to leave him?"

"Yeah!" Mage nodded. Over wasn't quite sure if the boy was simply being overly naive, or simply willing to push him further than most would to a stranger. Either way, he was little more than a child, one that had just barely gotten his first taste of adulthood. To speak to him earnestly would lose him nothing… not that he had anything to lose to begin with.

"The two of us are similar," Over articulated with a flourish of his hand at his chest, "Coupled hearts that beat as one. It is said fate enjoys pairs, and the two of us are joined by it. Both of us are beings that were meant to be swallowed in darkness, left behind by those that cling so desperately to the light."

"So both of you were abandoned," Mage nodded his head, "I know what that's like." His thoughts drifted to a certain red haired girl, one that was left behind by the people that she wished so badly to rebuild, "But, how was the Overlord left behind?"

"**By the man that created me, then left me to rot!"** Overlord hissed out, "**That vile man created light, thinking there was nothing left of darkness. Yet when I came to him as an equal, there was no room for it. The people would fear me, he said! They would despise me. And then he sealed me away, on an island that I would never leave, fated to eventually drown away any memory of my-!" **

Over shook his head, his voice returning to normal, "Apologies. We feel rather strongly about this. But yes, as he said. It was the actions of the First Weapon Master, the man that set in place our destines, that left him behind. With how I had altered the world, he was fated never to be brought to light ever again. Therefore, he was abandoned, as much as I was when I attempted to remedy the world of its greatest tragedy."

"Greatest tragedy…" Mage tried to think of what he was referring to, "As in… your destiny?"

"No, my father," Over paused, "Or rather, the man that was once my father. My efforts to remedy time seemed to have erased that fact."

"Oh… right," Mage paused, "But, that was your fault that you, did that though, right?"

"Yes," Over stated plainly.

"...But, that doesn't bother you when I say it?" Mage asked, "Whenever Chen would taunt me about how what was happening was my fault, I would-"

"I was abandoned by my own actions, however righteous they were," Over cut him off, "I hold no regrets for my past. The world moved on without me, that is not the fault of the world for turning to the new day. I was able to find my place in the world, and therefore I am not bitter."

"Oh… well," Mage paused, "You know, you don't have to hide things from me."

"Hide what from you?" Over asked him, sighing as he moved to perch up on one foot to survey the ocean.

"The fact you're hurting," Mage frowned, "I know, the others are too scared of you to say it but, you're in pain. Your world is gone and, you've hardly even mentioned it. I mean, you got upset when you first went through the portal but, after that you haven't acted like you're upset. I'm, here to say you don't have to hide that from me, Over."

"Boy," Overlloyd raised his voice, "The troubles on my mind are not yours to ponder. The world that I desired it gone, and it is my own burden to bear. You can do nothing more for me than any other. Therefore, your efforts would be futile to even attempt. However pure your intentions are, I do not suggest you try anymore than the others. Which is to say," Over's expression darkened, "You should worry nothing of it."

"...I don't believe you," Mage floated his way over to be right in front of Over, "You're just trying to push me out. Over, I've had to deal with someone that felt the same way you did. She was just as angry and alone as you are. I know you have Overlord but, I mean. You shouldn't try to hold this in. It'll just twist you up."

"And do what?" Over's expression remained unchanged, "Cry over souls that no longer exist? Attempt to break the claws of existential dread that now lay sunken into my heart? Rage at an uncaring void to the beings that bested me when I allowed my arrogance to overcome judgement? What do you think a child that has barely known the world's cruelties can do to speak to one that has lost everything?"

"...The same thing I did for Skylar," Mage sighed, then steeled his gaze, "To tell you that even if you've lost everything, that doesn't mean you have nothing else you can lose."

"And what, pray tell, do I even still have?" Over scowled.

"You," Mage stated solemnly, "You can still lose who you are."

There was a sincerity to Mage's words. Over could feel that Mage had spoken these words before, and to one that had as much pain as he had. There was no hint of Mage trying to talk down to him, or trying to say something simply to make him feel better. For better or worse, his words were what he truly felt Over needed to hear.

"All I have ever had is who I am," Over spoke quietly, "I am not about to lose it now."

"Good," Mage smiled, "You can't do something right when you aren't sure of who you are!"

_You can do nothing you see as right when you know not who you are! _

Over's body suddenly felt frozen. He looked towards Mage, who just smiled at him and then moved to float away. As the boy left his sight, Over looked down towards him as he disappeared, his breath still cold in his lips. Before he could stop himself, he let out the whisper of a single name: "Sun…"

Then, he shook his head. He wouldn't allow that to sink into his head. He had no need to worry about what the boy said. His mind was slightly rattled, but it was nothing he could brush off. He stared off into the distance, attempting to calm the loud cachaphony that was his thoughts.

* * *

"Do I really have to come with you to this?" Monty asked with a long sigh.

"Lloyd said, we have to be in pairs in case those weird guys show up," Lulloyd smiled awkwardly, "That's why she sent Mage to go and find Over."

"Right, that guy," Monty sighed, "That whole persona of his he's got going on is insufferable."

"I uh, I think maybe you could try, not to judge him so much?" Lulloyd asked, "I mean… a-and this is from your friend but, you're, uhm, not the easiest to get along with."

"You are," Monty pointed out, sighing as he put his hands behind his head and leaned against them, "So clearly I'm not as bad as you're saying."

"Right…" Lulloyd sighed, "Look I just. I haven't gotten a chance to meet them yet. And. I, really need to."

Lulloyd and Monty had walked their way to the edge of the Ninjago City Docks. Specifically, he was now in front of his favorite arcade. It was a small corner shop, one he thought used to be an old candy store before it was converted into one. Most kids had moved on to the larger ones downtown, but the older machines here were ones Lulloyd had spent far too many hours on. It was likely his patronage that kept the place afloat, the more he thought about it. He wasn't here to play games, though. He was here to meet up with friends he hadn't seen in far too long.

Once the group had arrived, Lulloyd had tried to meet up with his team. After the events of everything, he still hadn't given them back their elemental powers the Twins stole from them. Apparently, his dad had sent them on some wild goose chase far, far away from here, and they'd just gotten back that morning. Lulloyd had changed out of his ninja robes into his far more familiar green hoodie and black pants. In the large pocket, he had the crystal containing the swirling mass of their powers. But it was for far more reasons than that he wanted to see them.

"When are they coming?" Monty sighed, "I don't want to wait long."

"They'll, be here any minute!" Lulloyd smiled, "You'll uhm, you'll normally hear Nya first cause-"

Off in the distance, the sound of stock-audio screaming rang out, followed by the rev of a motorcycle. Lulloyd quickly rushed over to the railing, looking over it to see a sight that made him smile wide. Nya's bike was revving its way right up the side of a large stone walkway over one of the many intets of Ninjago Sea. Behind her, four brightly dressed teenagers were running after her, desperate to catch up. Nya went flying over the top of the bridge, seeing a massive cart of chickens below. Just as the cart pusher shouted in fear, Nya jumped off her bike and struck it, breaking it into the pieces of its chassis and frame. She went soaring right over the cart, her foot gently brushing the top of it. Just before she landed, she slammed the pieces back together to slide down onto the bike and land behind it, skidding to a stop in a massive circle. The cart pusher quickly shouted and ran the other direction, hitting the side of the bridge and throwing him over into the water as his chickens went scattering in all directions.

"Boom!" Nya laughed, leather jacket shining as she leaned back on the bike, "Did you guys see that?! I was a total highway star!"

"Calm… down… sis!" Kai gasped out, bending over to catch his breath, "Gotta… get… closer… before…"

"Pedestrian laws violated: fourteen," Zane droned out, then blinked, "Oh. I mean. Hah. Hah." He bent over, weakly imitating Kai, "I am tired from running such a long distance. Hah. Hah."

"Uhm… you guys know that stamina training is like, one of our biggest lessons?" Jay, seemingly unwinded, rotated his head in a shake, "Fire isn't good if it burns out!"

"Right on," Cole, also seemingly not winded, hefted his boombox up on his shoulder, hitting a beat to cause a funky track to punctuate Jay's words.

"Move your butts!" Nya gripped the handlebars on her bike, "We're gonna be late!"

"...I uhm, I better stop her before she destroys something else," Lulloyd sighed. He looked around, then saw a large pig balloon on top of the arcade. He quickly jumped up and struck it, breaking it into pieces. Using the guardrails, he created a makeshift platform and turned the balloon into a large flower. Lulloyd offered his hand to Monty, who simply stared at him. Lulloyd stuck the flower to the platform and then gave it a spin, sending him up into the air in a spiral. The flower began to float him down towards the group, the sight of a massive pink flower catching their attention.

"LLOYD!" His friends shouted as soon as they saw him. Lulloyd let go of the flower to let it go spinning up into the air and away, landing right in front of his friends.

"Hey, guys!" Lulloyd smiled awkwardly, "I'm uhm…. I'm back!"

Almost instantly, the five of them had all run forward and hugged him wherever they could get a purchase. Lulloyd gasped as their collective strength, specifically Zane crushing his left side.

"G-Guys!" Lulloyd gasped out, "O-One at a time!"

"At what interval of time do you speak of?" Zane asked him. The others ignored him for now, hugging him as hard as they could.

"We missed you!" Jay spoke out, "We thought you were, like, gone!"

"You were gone for so long, it was like you were never here!" Kai followed up, "You know?"

"I also have felt worry over your disappearance," Zane added.

"Glad to see you in one piece," Cole spoke up.

"We were worried you weren't ever coming back!" Nya finished off, "You know how long you've been gone?!"

"W-Way too long, I-I know!" Lulloyd gasped out, "I-In my defense, I-I was kinda stranded in another world for a long time!"

"You were stranded?!" The five asked all at once. Lulloyd began to feel woozy from the hugging. Seeing this, they moved to back off and let him breathe. Lulloyd smiled gratefully at them.

"Uhm… yeah, I was," Lulloyd paused, "But uhm, the nice thing is… I got these back."

Lulloyd produced the massive crystal shard from his hoodie, holding it up for them. Upon seeing it, the five of them collectively gasped as they felt their energies resonating with it.

"Are those our powers?!" Jay smiled warmly, "I can't wait to toast toast without my toaster again! My electric bill is gonna be _so_ low!"

"So uh, what do we do with this?" Kai asked, "Do we smash it?"

"Only one way to find out!" Nya grabbed the crystal and grinned. The others looked at her in confusion, then shock as she turned, winded up a throw, and smashed it down on the ground. All at once, the energies inside the crystal shot up, dividing into five trails of plates that snaked and moved through the air until they shot over to their respective users. The plate trail sunk into them, causing their eyes to glow the corresponding colors.

"Oh… yeah! I feel it!" Kai twisted his hands, "I'm feeling the fire! ...I forgot how to use it!"

"Don't think about it," Cole smiled. He leaned one foot up, then struck the ground with it. The bridge behind them suddenly was sent upwards into the air by a pillar of earth rising up to blast it up into the sky, then send it right back down twisted around. A nearby repair worker blinked at this, then decided to quit his job and walk away.

"I am feeling _ice_ right now," Zane's hands frosted over, "That was a pun on my refound power."

"Lloyd, this is like, so cool!" Kai managed to light a flame in his hand, "You got it back for us! That is so ninja!"

"It, was kinda the least I could do, you know?" Lullyod rotated his arm back to rub his head, "I mean… I uhm, was kinda the reason they got taken in the first place. Now I'm, giving them back to you! And… uhm, I wanna ask now, if you guys will forgive me for, letting this happen in the first place. I'm your team leader and, I, let you down."

"Forgive you?" Nya scoffed, "Why would we do that?" Lulloyd tensed.

"Yeah, like, there's nothing to forgive you for," Jay smiled, "We're all together now! C'mon, let's take a selfie!"

The group immediately moved to grab Lulloyd and pull him into a massive group hug. Jay produced a selfie stick and plopped his phone on the stud, holding it out for them all to be included in it. Lulloyd rapidly blinked in confusion as he saw the face of all of his friends reflected in the camera screen.

"G-Guys?" Lulloyd blinked.

"Say cheese slope!" Jay beamed.

"CHEESE SLOPE!" The others all parroted. Jay snapped several pictures, each of which made Lulloyd blink as the flash went off. Once finished, they quickly all rushed around to see the outcome. Jay sent the photos to each of their phones.

"Awh, sweet!" Nya pumped her fist, "Definitely saving these."

"These turned out good!" Jay turned to Lulloyd, "Do you have your phone on you?"

"Uh… no, it's uhm, back at the apartment," Lulloyd sighed, "I was charging it when I went and, uhm, left. Which… how long can you leave a phone plugged in?"

"Variance depends on the model," Zane affirmed, "However, it is a myth that leaving a phone plugged in overnight will damage the battery."

"Oh… good," Lulloyd smiled, "Uhm… remind me to get my phone later, guys."

"Course," Nya waggled her phone, "No idea how I could even go a day without this thing!"

"We could go at least three days before Garmadon would hunt us down for missing training," Jay pointed out.

"Totally," Cole affirmed.

His friends quickly devolved into a long chatter, one that Lulloyd suddenly felt a strange wave of nostalgia for. He wasn't sure why he felt that way; it'd barely been four months since he had left, and yet somehow he felt as though he'd been missing this sort of thing for far too long. It was something that he had barely thought about. Now, he felt guilty for not doing so.

"...Oh no," Kai suddenly perked up, "Guys, guys. Does she know he's back yet?"

"...You're right!" Jay gasped, "Lulloyd, you need to hide!"

"Huh?" Lulloyd blinked, "Why?"

"Detecting massive signatures of rainbows and energy from the southwest," Zane suddenly stiffened up, "Approaching location. 10,000 studs."

"You need to run!" Kai leaned forward and grabbed Lulloyd's shoulders, "When she heard you were missing, it got crazy!"

"8,000 studs," Zane droned out, "6,000 studs."

"How is she moving that fast?!" Nya looked down at her bike, "Even this can't go that fast!"

"4,000 studs," Zane continued, "3,000 studs. 1,000 studs. 800 studs. 600 studs. 200 studs. 0 studs."

Suddenly, a massive pink blur shot straight through the group. The force of wind was enough to knock everyone over other than Lulloyd. The blur went right beside Lulloyd, punching right into the brick wall behind him. A massive rainbow-shaped hole was left inside, stretching almost ten studs inside. From that hole, a bricky figure emerged. Lulloyd slowly turned around to face the creature. They were completely red with a massive fuzzy tail sticking straight up. A red horn sat on top of a large rectangular head. Flames began to pour out from around her, washing over the ground as they slowly jumped their way forward.

"I SENSE HIM!" The red being shouted, "WHERE IS HE?! DON'T THINK YOU CAN HIDE HIM FROM **ME!**"

Lulloyd took a deep breath, steeled himself, then took a step towards the red mass, "I'm uhm… right here, Unikitty."

All at once, the red being of flame and rage suddenly turned pink. Unikitty stood right in front of them, blinking her eyes at Lulloyd. Her light blue horn shone for a few moments, then began to sparkle rapidly as she laid eyes on him. All at once, she let out a massive shout and lunged right at him.

"LLLLOOOYYYYDDDDDD!" Unikitty gasped. Lulloyd braced himself right as the pink furred princess rocketed straight into him. Her body turned to wrap around him, sealing his arms to his sides as she clung to him. Lulloyd just smiled at her as he worked to disentangle himself from her.

"Where have you been?!" Unikitty gasped out as he took to bouncing around him like a blur, "You've been gone for so long! Bad long!"

"I know," Lulloyd sighed.

"Nobody would tell me _anything!_ I'd tell them I wanted to know where my Lloydie was and they kept ignoring me! And that made me very, very angry!"

"I know."

"And then when I got angry, I told them they weren't being very nice! And then your dad told me nice doesn't get you anywhere! And so I told him I don't want to have to get angry with him! He acted like you were gone for good!"

"I'm sorry."

"And then he kept lying to me! And that lying was very, very, VERY, unfriendly!"

"He's like that."

"They kept telling me to wait on you! But I waited and waited and I kept getting sadder! I couldn't get rid of the sad! All the happy felt awful without you!"

"I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry."

"I got so sad I felt like I was going to break open like a cloud and have to put myself together again!" Unikitty finished her rant, "Where were you?!"

"I… I got hurt by some bad people," Lulloyd sighed, "And, I had to go after them. I didn't mean to leave you behind. I… I had to. And, it wasn't right of me to leave you like that. I, I wasn't thinking at the time. I should have waited to tell you."

"Somebody… hurt you?" Flames trickled into Unikitty's eyes, "Someone… hurt… _my_ Lloydie?"

"...Uh…" Lulloyd suddenly realized he'd just stepped on dangerous waters, "I-It's okay! I-I uhm, I worked to stop them! And… and they got away, b-but it's okay! I-I got back my power they stole from me!"

"They hurt you and took away your powers?!" Unikitty gasped. Her body started to turn red.

"I-It's really okay, I'm fine!" Lulloyd thought fast, "I-I'll get them back, don't worry! I-I'm with friends here, I-I made new friends! They've been keeping me safe!"

The flames on Unikitty weren't subsiding. Lulloyd looked around nervously, then moved to put his hand on her horn. He moved to immediately scratch her ears, causing the red to instantly fade and her body to go back to its warm pink. Lulloyd looked to see his friends had gotten up and immediately moved to hide behind the lip of the river behind them. Seeing Unikitty calming down, they each moved up to slowly approach him.

"That… that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," Jay looked around, "I thought there would be more explosions."

"Last time she trashed an entire wing of the volcano," Kai blinked, "It was awesome, but scary."

"I am glad to have averted a crisis," Zane paused, "It would have made us late to our lunch reservation."

"Oh yeah, I forgot!" Kai perked up, "Lloyd, we got seats at the one place! That one seafood place! The one you like!"

"The rooftop one?" Lulloyd asked. The others smirked. Normally, it would be a nice surprise, but after having gone so long without food from his own universe, it suddenly sounded like five star cuisine, "...I want it."

"Then we should get going!" Nya moved to hop back on her bike, "We only got ten minutes to get there!"

"What?!" Kai gasped, "we gotta run! Like, fast!"

"We will need to move at approximately ten studs per second," Zane rotated his body in the direction of the place, "We should begin accelerating now."

"Let's go!" Nya started her bike up and skidded in a circle to take off. The others quickly began to run after her.

"Come on, Uni," Lulloyd smiled, taking his hand off her head, "Let's go eat lunch."

"Mrrow…. Lunch?" Unikity opened her eyes gently, "My tummy is a little rumbly…"

"We better catch up then!" Lulloyd pointed to his rapidly disappearing friends. Unikitty smiled warmly at him, then nodded and quickly began to give chase. From the expression that Kai and Jay wore as they saw her approaching, Lulloyd could figure how well this had gone when he was gone.

"Really?" Monty suddenly asked as he walked up behind Lulloyd, "I was wondering if you had a girl but, really?"

"GAH! Monty!" Lulloyd gasped out, "Where have you been?!"

"Listening, not wanting to get involved in all that," Monty looked at Unikitty's wagging tail, "I never pegged you as someone _that_ weird. Guess it just manifests in different ways from your dad."

"I-It's not weird!" Lulloyd frowned, "Y-You should see Batman! He's dating Queen Watevera Wanabi!"

"Of course," Monty nodded, "And you're dating a cat. Clearly it's the same thing."

"She's not just a cat!" Lulloyd protested, "She's… she's something far more than that! She's special!"

"I'm sure she is," Monty nodded his head again, "In probably way more ways than one. Especially where it counts."

"...Listen," Lulloyd gulped, "I, was gonna tell the others, but, I'm not sure how they'll take it. Can you do me a favor and… and just let me tell them on my own time?"

"Maybe," Monty paused, "If you'd be willing to help me with something later."

"Help you with what?" Lulloyd asked. Monty shook his head.

"You'll see," Monty turned his head to look into the gleam of the SoS on his back, "But that's for later. Go enjoy yourself. I'm going to try to find something normal about this messed up place."

"But Harumi said-" Lulloyd started.

"You have your friends, and I can't die," Monty turned his back, "So it checks out." He gathered wind in his hand and shot up into the sky. A trail of blue spiraling studs trailed him off as Monty went flying off into the distance. Lulloyd looked down for a moment, then sighed and turned towards his friends.

"Llllooyyddd!" Unikitty called, "Aren't you coming?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm coming!" Lulloyd smiled. He gave one last look back towards Monty before he quickly rushed after his friends, ready to spend what might be his last night with them for a long time.

* * *

"Lloyd?" Harumi slowly knocked on the door to one of the many bedrooms inside the volcano, "Can I come in?"

Lloyd slowly sat up from the planning table, a feeling that was sadly far too familiar to him by now. Harumi opened the door and entered, looking around the room to what Lloyd currently had planned out. When she saw very little papers on the table, she grimaced and went to take a seat on the opposite side of the large brick table.

"How are you holding up?" Harumi asked him, her voice quiet.

"I'm keeping it together," Lloyd told her, "The nice thing is this world is kinda, too crazy for you not to at least get a little lost in it." He gestured to the table, namely how that it was laid out and set up to look like a massive aerial view of Ninjago City. When he hit a button, he caused the volcano to start spewing red tiles that spread out to turn the 'ocean' red, "I mean, especially Lulloyd's dad."

"Yeah…" Harumi smiled, "He's got a good one."

The two fell into silence. There was far too much weighing on their minds. While the others had gone to try and clear their heads, the two of them had been mired in their own failure. Wtihout plans, information or something to grab onto, they were stuck. Stuck in the ways that were far, far too damaging to their already frayed nerves. They'd lost the battle, and now they needed a way back into the war.

"Overlloyd told me something," Harumi produced the small chip from her outfit, "I… I might have a chance to. To bring Olive back. I did some analysis and… this is her base program. It's, not complete but… but it's got enough here, I might be able to at least undo something the Twins did."

"Really?" Lloyd perked up hearing that, "He… did that for yhou?"

"He said Borg figured it out," Harumi grimaced, "It's kinda weird knowing that the borg that did it was, kinda messed up when it came to his whole, everything. But, it's huge what he did for me. This means I might be able to, get her back when this is all over."

"All over?" Lloyd felt his spirits fall, "I don't see how this is going to be all over anytime soon."

"I don't either," Harumi admitted, "But I have to keep my head up a bit. I have to imagine that, there's a goal in all of this."

"Mhm," Lloyd inhaled, "We just have to keep fighting. The more we fight, the more we make our way forward. And, soon we'll find our way to where it ends."

There was a moment of silence. Then, Harumi giggled. Lloyd was stunned by it, as such a mirthful noise cutting through the atmosphere the two had created was far more jarring than he thought. When he looked at Harumi in confusion, she just put a hand on her face and tried to hold back another laugh.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just… sometimes it's like looking at an old video of my dad," Harumi sighed, "Not exactly, though. But, sometimes you sound just like him. It's a bit comforting to know that, even if he isn't here with me… there are other people out there that carry his spirit."

"Uh… I don't know about that," Lloyd turned towards the table, "I'll never get the chance to become him after what happened in my world. Do you really think I'm anything like him?"

"Not on the surface," Harumi leaned forward, "He was far more… mature, I guess? But I think that was just experience. Talking to him sometimes felt like talking to a hero right out of the holobooks. But whenever he started talking to his team, well, that's where you start to sound like him. I guess some things just don't change as you grow up."

"That's easy for you to say," Lloyd rolled his eyes, "I grew up a lot faster than the other kids."

"Take it from someone who went the long way around," Harumi smirked, "You turned out a lot better than you could have."

"Is that meant to make me feel better?" Lloyd smirked back at her.

"No, but if it helps, he wasn't the best at doing the complicated planning stuff," Harumi looked down at the table nostalgically, "He always had Auntie Pixal to do that for him."

"You're really not helping with the comparisons here," Lloyd joked, looking down at the table himself, "...Is there a reason that you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah, actually," Harumi sighed, "Was kinda trying to avoid it, but I guess there isn't much point in it. I have a bit of a plan for how we can start actually making a plan."

Lloyd perked up as soon as he heard that. Harumi looked down at her watch and pulled up a document, then projected it onto the table in a hologram. It was long and complicated, with several bullet point lists that had indents over halfway across the page. What looked like scrawling by a pen highlighted and crossed out certain areas as well. Lloyd was soon lost trying to follow it, making Harumi just shake her head.

"Basically, we have three main objectives here," Harumi explained, "First, find out more about Prime and Ophiod. We can't make any moves unless we know why they're fighting us. Two, elaborate on our method of universal travel. Right now, having to both go to Dareth's -as great as that is- and relying on Monty puts us at a massive disadvantage. Third, locate the Time Twins. We aren't chasing them linearly anymore, and Ophiod and Prime will stop us if we get close. We need to locate them this time, instead of just following them."

"Okay…" Lloyd was still scrolling through the text, "So… how do we do this?"

"Right now, our biggest issue is Ophiod and Prime," Harumi explained, "So we need to focus on that first objective. And to do that, we're going to have to do something risky."

"We've been doing risky things since we started this trip," Lloyd pointed out, "Can we even get riskier?"

"Good point," Harumi affirmed, "The biggest thing with information is knowing your enemy. Until now, we've been getting that information by just, being in the world. We learned everything we needed to about our friends by being there. I don't see any reason to do that now."

"But whenever we've gone into a new world, we've just followed the new path through the void that the Time Twins made," Lloyd pointed out, "And Monty said he couldn't find any new paths for us to follow. If the Twins are somewhere else, how are they hiding their presence?"

"We need to worry about that later," Harumi pointed out, "Right now, objective one. Ophiod and Prime. The easiest way for us to figure out who they are and what's going on with them is to go and see where they live. And if we're going to do that, we need to open up the paths."

"Okay… but, how do we do that?" Lloyd asked in confusion.

"Most of this is all me conjecturing about how our travel works… I still don't get it," Harumi frowned, "But, I know that when the Time Twins travel into a new world, they take on a bit of that world's signature. Remember how they were using powers from Lulloyd's world?"

"Yeah…" Lloyd blinked, "That, feels like it was a really long time ago, actually."

"I know, and that got me thinking, what if each universe has a different energy to it?" Harumi scrolled down to hit a particular paragraph, "When we make a path between universes, we have to link something, right? What if we're not just carving a path, but instead linking the energy of each world together? Something has to sustain the path through the void."

"I, think I follow, but I'm not really seeing how you figured this out," Lloyd admitted.

"Like I said, it's all just conjecture," She shook her head, "But, whenever we move into a new world, we have to have something to tell us where to go. The multiverse is, literally infinite. Something has to be the lighthouse in the raging sea, right?" She leaned over the table, "It has to be something unique. Dimensional signatures, are just me reading background radiation around you. Like, stuff on the electromagnetic spectrum, which all comes back to energy. If each world has a particular energy to it, then that would mean I can apply some theories of energy to all of this. If we were to have something of the same energy, in theory in a space of nothing, it would be attracted to energy that was similar to it. Like a magnet being attracted to the strongest pole."

"So… you're saying if we get something that has the same energy as those two, we can… use it to make a path through the void, right?" Lloyd asked.

"Exactly!" Harumi placed hands on the table, "And I have a way that we can kill two birds with one stone. It's risky, but I think it might just work."

"Whatever the plan is, I'm in," Lloyd stood up fully, "What do we do?"

"We do what a Warlord would do to feel out a tough enemy," Harumi grimaced, "Tell the others we need to get ready. We're waving the white flag."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe I mentioned this in an earlier note, but to reiterate: I use Overlloyd and Overlord only when the two of them and talking to each other. Otherwise, I refer to them as Over, since he is the fusion of both of them together!
> 
> For anyone wondering why those two in particular, all I can say is study their VAs a bit! You'll find something interesting…


	53. Chapter 53

On the horizon of a world of elements, a portal emerged on a rockface. From that portal, three beings walked forward. The first was a dark Emperor of a fallen kingdom. The second was a ghost of a destiny to forever go unfulfilled. The third was a girl born of a future both had yet to see. They stood against a world that made them look alien and foriegn, a world of warm colors and smooth lines, hard painted backgrounds and perhaps even a cell or two.

"Is this… truly the best plan you could come up with?" Over had returned to his four armed form, his hands behind his back as she looked down at Harumi with a downcast glare.

"Just be ready for when they get here," Harumi informed him, "And remember what I need from them."

"You have made it quite impossible to forget," Over inhaled, "You best leave now. It is far more… convincing, when there is no means for me to escape."

"Fine by me," Monty waved to Harumi, "We're leaving. I have things to do."

"Sure you do," Harumi rolled her eyes, moving to step back into the portal. Monty gave Over a look, which was reciprocated by the dark figure with a simple nod. Monty rolled his eyes at the forced elegance and then stepped into the portal, causing it to vanish out of sight. With a small sigh, Over moved to take a few steps forward into this strange world.

"**It really is like those shows,"** Overlord exclaimed, "**Do you think it operates like one as well?"**

"You were the one that enjoyed those things," Overlloyd informed him, "I've tuned almost all of it out. I almost wonder what it says about you that the being born of darkness indulged in such things?"

Over stood on top of a small outcropping of rock at the top of the mountain the group had emerged from, allowing him now to overlook Dareth's 'inn' that Mage had mentioned to him. This was the world the boy came from. Within seconds of him taking his stance, a loud rush of wind blasted through the area. In front of him, the face of Invictus began to slowly rise up. The sound of the mech's boosters all but deafening. Invictus had its arms crossed and, similarly, Prime stood on the shoulder of the mech, his arms similarly crossed. He smirked down at Over as Invictus rose higher and higher until its feet were blasting propulsion right in front of Over. The force of the wind blasted several boulders behind Over down the mountain, narrowly missing plunging into Dareth's establishment.

"I thought we told you not to leave!" Prime laughed, "Have you gotten so used to being in command you're unable to take an order?"

Behind Over, the space began to distort and then split open, revealing an orange portal in which Ophiod and Skales emerged from. Skales landed behind him and held his blade backwards and up towards his back, while Ophiod simply planted his staff in the ground and let the scroll on top of it furl out. Both of them stood with a gaze that showed they were ready to fight.

"So you do have the ability to track us… I suppose it is what I wanted though," Over slowly moved to raise all four of his hands up into the air, "I wish to discuss terms of surrender."

Skales blinked in confusion upon hearing that, but refused to lighten his stance. Ophiod turned to him and shook his head, causing Skales to slowly scowl and then back off. Prime, somehow able to hear him over the roar of the jets, crouched down and then did a somersault into the air. He spun twice, then slid straight down the breastplate of the mech's armor until he'd nearly reached its torso. He reached out and gripped a slot in the armor, causing him to do a full circle against the mech's armor to halt his momentum. He dangled by his hand and let go, falling right down to the few feet of space between the cliff's edge and Over's feet, slowly leaning his body up to look more directly at Over.

"Really, now?" Prime looked lost in thought for a moment, then nodded his head, "So you've seen that Invictus is far too much for you to overcome, then. You've made the right choice. You're welcome to come aboard Invictus to discuss the matter of surrender."

"No," Ophiod frowned, "Not until he gives up his weapon."

"Why?" Over asked Ophiod flatly, "You have me outnumbered and clearly outmatched. Disarming me would put me at a disadvantage in which my position of bargaining looks even worse than it does now."

"Because we know you're planning something," Skales hissed, "Your weapon gives you power."

"I refuse to give it up," Over growled, "It is the last remaining piece that I have to tie me to my fallen world. If I give it to you, I will have no guarantee that I'll get it back."

"It's just a weapon," Ophiod scowled, "If you're a true warrior, you won't rely on it."

"**Then lay down that staff,"** Overlord spoke out darkly, "**Morsel."**

There was a harsh tenseness in the air still being kicked up by Invictus' jets. Over looked to Ophiod with an unwavering fierceness, while Skales looked ready to pounce on him at any moment. The mood was broken when Prime reached up to slap his hands together and snap their attention to him.

"I trust you, Ophiod," Prime smirked, "I've seen you in battle, I know what you're capable of. I think if it came to it, the two of you would be evenly matched. With my around, it's enough to put any battle in our favor. So…"

Prime raised his hand, then gripped his fist. Invictus' eyes glowed and the mech slowly began to lower itself down until the entry to the main cockpit was right in line with the cliff. The hatch opened, showing the massive bubble inside that Prime used to pilot the machine, "...If you would, Emperor."

Over felt an anger born of both him and the Overlord flaring upon hearing that term being used by someone like Prime, yet he forced it under control. He simply nodded his head to Prime before taking a step onboard the mech. Prime followed after him. Ophiod and Skales waited a moment before Ophiod ushered Skales forward, letting them all aboard the cockpit.

Once inside, the hatch closed behind them, and a small clear glass slid up from the floor to truly seal them inside of a large glass bubble. The curved wall turned on, showing a massive panoramic display of the outside. Prime stepped forward, causing small blue rings to form around his ankles and wrists that looked similar to Harumi's watch holograms. Prime reached out and began to tap on several buttons that appeared on the glass, causing the mech to fire straight up into the sky in a massive spin. Despite the force in which they were moving, the others felt almost nothing at all. Only when the mech stopped, high enough above the clouds to make the Summit ruins a simple dot in the middle of a vast valley was anything felt by them, and even that was a simple jerk.

"Invictus, engage autopilot," Prime called out. The display on the glass dimmed until only a few buttons remained. The circles around Prime's limbs vanished as well. There was a long hissing in the floor, making Over take a simple refined step back. The floor was revealed to be made of large pentagon tiles which raised up like pillars to form four chairs, arranged in a small circle.

"Do you like it?" Prime took one of the seats, which was surprisingly comfortable and hardly felt like hard tiles at all, instead more like a sort of soft plastic, "I originally had a friend of mine instal these as a system to help insulate myself from crashes. My superiors thought I was silly for it. I can shape these into most anything I want."

"It is certainly beyond any technology that I have seen," Over placed two hands in his lap and two on the sides of the seat he took, "You have my interest into how such a thing was developed in the first place."

"It's a rather long story, one I don't think that I need to tell," Prime nodded for Ophiod and Skales to take seats, who reluctantly did, "I think the first question you might be asking is why I've allowed you inside Invictus in the first place, yes?"

"The thought has crossed my mind," Over admitted.

"The Twins are rather upset at how we engaged you in combat, so we've been ordered to allow you to come forward and offer yourselves to them if prompted," Prime explained calmly, "And indeed, it seems their strategy has worked."

"You take orders from the Twins," Over parroted.

Ophiod responded, "We were meant originally only to demonstrate our power and then offer you mercy. Prime far overdid it by chasing you. Right now, we've been told not to go and attempt to fight you."

"Such calming words to hear from those that have tried to kill me," Over responded curtly, "I wish I could say I appreciate the thought, but I do not wish to lie to my hosts."

"Ophiod and I have been talking, and I'm pretty sure that you wanna know a few things about us first before we do any sort of negotiating," Prime paused, "Am I wrong?"

"Curiosity is a rather annoying quirk in our minds," Over confirmed, "I admit, I have much of it."

"Let me answer you one first, then," Prime chuckled, "How long has it been since you last met the Twins?"

"Days," Over narrowed his gae, "For them?"

"Far longer," Ophiod informed him, "The two of us have known them for weeks combined, and each other for almost two."

"So they were able to reactivate the Iron Doom," Over growled, "I suppose they should consider it lucky it didn't kill them when they tried. Each time I used it, I felt as though it was about to tear itself apart."

"The Twins have no more interest in you, and so they've handed this task to us," Prime spoke without acknowledging Over's line, "Simply put, the commanding officers have delegated this task to us instead. As long as you don't get in their way, they have no reason to do anything that would jeopardize your existences."

"I was never given the impression that they cared for things such as morality," Over pointed out, "They chose now to simply not erase us from the playing field?"

"Perhaps you should just consider yourself lucky that you still remain," Ophiod narrowed his eyes, "From what I have heard, you're not stranger to altering time yourself."

Over once more gave Ophiod a long glare. Ophiod met it without flinching, not even a hint of tension in his body. Seeing it had no effect, Over turned back from him and looked Prime down.

"So they fear if they attempt to alter the time of a world they've already encountered, they would have an affect on themselves, then?" Over grinned, "I'm rather surprised she didn't think of that."

"Bold assumption," Prime leaned in, placing his chin on his propped up fist, "But come on, you know we can't tell you that. The commanding officers aren't that interested in you anymore."

Over mused, "What sway do they hold on us now, then? Other than a loudmouth in a bizarre machine and a pair of snakes far, far away from their home?"

"The fact that they control time to an extent altering your world would be nothing to them," Ophiod countered, "We are not just a pair of snakes. I am the Prince of the Serpentine. You are a failed Emperor. Do not forget what you have already lost."

"Hmmph," Over waved his hand, "You're right, snake. I have nothing left to lose."

"That;s true," Prime pointed out, "Which means you're the worst type of person to negotiate with."

Over sighed. Slowly, he began to open his right palm. From that palm, a small amount of Dark Matter, one that he had siphoned from his weapon moments before he gave it up. The small purple and black orb fell to the side of his chair silently, on the side facing Prime. With Prime distracted, he used his control over the substance to slowly begin moving it out of the room with a small and subtle motion of his hand.

"Let's cut the pretense here," Over leaned in, drawing attention to himself, "I'm not here to wave the white flag. I'm here to make a formal threat to you."

Skales tensed in his chair, enough so that Ophiod had to reach out and grab his wrist to make him not fly out of the chair and attack Over on the spot. Prime didn't look phased at all, while Ophiod gave him a long look that devolved into a little sigh.

"I suppose this was inevitable," Ophiod frowned, "Speak."

"You do not command my speech," Over scowled at him, "In fact, you do not command me at all. You would do well to remember that."

"And you would do well to remember where you sit," Ophiod responded coldly, his eyes beginning to glow with magic, "I can see in your eyes that you already know your power now is nothing when stacked against us."

"The Twins spent a rather long time finding recruits," Prime chuckled, leaning back against his chair, "They were certain to only go with the strongest of candidates."

"Then I will make my threat to you as clear as can be," Over placed two hands together against his chin, and around him, the very air itself seemed to darken. The lights in the room began to dim as, in its place, a dark aura flaring from Over himself took its place. An aura of pure malice and hatred began to creep and fill the air that would fell lesser men. Pupils of a slight lavender color formed in Over's normally dull purple gaze, ones that moved to focus intently down on Prime.

"If you continue to make allies with the Twins, then your lives are forfeit," Over muttered darkly, "They have taken everything from me. You will never know the sense of loss that has now been etched into my very soul. It is only by my own restraint born of years of rule I have not turned my power on you and taken you down where you stand. If your intention is to stand against me, I will treat you as I did all those that stood in the way of my Empire, and remove you. Make peace with whatever gods your worlds have now, lest I send you to the abyss before you've been given the chance."

"How very threatening," Ophiod stood up from his chair, his massive snake tail curling around his body as he did, "It is only by my own experience in ruling that I do not attack you now. Hostility is something that I will not allow to pass."

"**Ruling?"** Overlord's voice came from the dark lips, "**What power does a snack have to me?"**

"A snack?!" Skales stood up in indignation, "That is the second reference you have made to us as food. Is that meant to be an insult?"

"**He looks tasty," **Overlord grinned hard, "**I want to taste him."**

"No," Over shook his head at himself, "Not now. This is not a time for your selfish desires."

"What are you talking about?" Ophiod tensed, "This sounds like more than just an insult."

"**You seem to know much about my world… but tell me, did your information tell you of why there were no Serpentine in my Empire?"** Overlord asked Ophiod. When Ophiod shook his head, that grin on their shared face became one of nightmares.

"**Staying locked away for hundreds of years filled me with hunger,**" Overlord began, his voice slowly fading into Over's own, "**And with your kind locked away in tombs, th**ey were easy to find and devour."

For a brief moment, a look of true horror passed over Skales and Ophiod's faces. It was a look that showed their imaginations were bringing forward the image of what had happened, and it sickened them. Over did not smile, his face returning to his neutral frown as before. Ophiod slithered back several feet, then opened his hand. His staff went flying into it, the scroll unfurling and burning orange at the tips as he pointed it straight towards Over. Skales drew his blade and did the same, taking his stance beside Ophiod, his hand shaking but his eyes steeled.

"Stop!" Prime stood up himself, putting his hands up in the air, "Stop! I don't want to fight today!"

"You were the one that attacked us and violated your orders to begin with," Over placed his arms behind his back, "Why do you stop us now?"

"Because we're inside of Invictus, and it's a long way back to get them repaired," Prime informed him calmly, "I'm not in the mood for having to dodge inside my own mech."

"Then tell us what you want!" Skales demanded to Over, "Tell us why you're here, really."

"I want to know everything about the two of you," Over demanded, "It was her idea for us to make this exchange of information be under the guise of a negotiation. Did you two truly believe I was going to throw myself at your feet after how you wounded me?"

"No, not at all," Prime smirked, "Let's tell him then, Ophiod. Let's let him know why we're here."

Ophiod and Skales shared a small look, one that didn't take an eye off of Over. Prime slowly stared them down, a look of a plea for trust in them. It took a long while before they slowly allowed themselves to back down, Ophiod not letting go of his staff nor Skales his blade. Over took his seat the second they backed off, casting them a rather annoyed glance as he did.

"It's pointless for me to speak after you've been given such a detailed picture of me," Over turned to Prime, "Do you have honor as a warrior?"

"I have my honor as a defender of my people," Prime nodded, "I _am_Prime, after all.'

"Then tell me why you are after us, and what you stand to gain by doing so," Over placed his hands to his face, "I am most interested to know my new nemeses."

"I will speak first," Ophiod slithered in front of Prime, planting his staff into the ground, "I have said this to your friends, but it bears repeating now."

"My name is Ophiod, crown prince of the Serpentine, son of the Snake Queen and heir to the throne," Ophiod placed a hand on his chest, "I am here on behalf of my people, in an arrangement with Krux and Acronix that will carry my people forward into a new age. It is by their power my eyes were opened to worlds that extended beyond my own… and it is by their power that I have been given the gift of travel within them."

"Your speech is refined yet superfluous," Over shook his head, "What is the reason that you fight against me?"

"I will not tell you that," Ophiod declared to him, "My motives are mine alone."

"Then I will have learned little," Over looked to the staff that Ophiod carried, "That staff. I have seen record of the artifact on it before, yet it alludes my memory. Tell me, what is it?"

"It is an heirloom of the time in which the First Spinjitzu Master walked Ninjago," Ophiod reached up to press his hand to the scroll, "It was... gifted to me by the Queen so that the magic by which I alter the world's shape would be further strengthened to aid me in my quest." Skales gave Ophiod a long look when he paused.

"I am sensing now that you're adding in your flourish to distract me from the fact your words are empty," Over growled, "What is it?"

"I have no reason to tell you that," Ophiod countered.

"Fine," Over looked to Skales, "You carry with you a servant, yet he does not hold the power that courses through our bodies. For what reason do you take him with you?"

"Skales is my personal knight, my protector, and my companion," Ophiod slowly reached out to grip Skales' hand with his free one, their golden bands they wore touching and shining together, "He is one of the strongest warriors the Kingdom of Ouroborus has produced. You would do well to remember that."

Over gazed at the two, namely how casually they seemed to take their hands together. For a few moments, something began to click in his head, yet he found no reason to voice it. He simply turned towards Prime and decided to levy the same question.

"Don't worry, I have a lot more to say than them," Prime smirked, not even letting Over speak, "Unless you're not done with your questions."

"I'm very much interested in you, Prime," Over frowned, "Your name is Lloyd Garmadon, yet you go by the name of Prime. What is the significance of that?"

"It's more of a callsign than a nickname," Prime turned the exterior display of the bubble cockpit, "I'm… well, _was_ the leader of a team defending Ninjago back home. They started using Prime as a way to refer to me when issuing orders. It stuck, and now I use it as a name to identify myself with my people."

"My name is Lloyd Garmadon, but as I've said, I would prefer to be called Prime," Prime placed his hands on his hips as he stood up and leaned towards Over, "I'm the savior of Ninjago, the victor over the Overlord, and the symbol for all those that feel despair! Invictus is the light by which anyone in fear can look up and be given hope again. Whenever they fear, they need only to look to me!"

"Is that what you are?" Over scowled, "You must have good reason to be given something from the Time Twins, 'savior.'"

"Indeed I do, but like Ophiod I wish to keep that to myself, but rest assured, the reward of keeping you in line is far worth dealing with whatever trouble you intend to cause," Prime smirked, "Nothing that you say will do anything to sway me from that."

"Funny, I used to know someone that thought on a very similar train to you," Over responded.

"And let me guess, he isn't around anymore?" Prime asked, leaning away from Over.

"If you already know that, you should know what else I'm about to say," Over continued.

"I know what my ambitions are, and I know that Invictus and I are enough to defeat anything that you throw at us," Prime declared, "And with Ophiod at my side, there is nothing that even all of you working together could do to overcome us."

"So you think," Over frowned, "Is your intention to simply wait here for us to finally challenge you?"

"My intention is to do what I am ordered, and that is to keep you from interfering with the Twins," Prime grinned, "Even if you could find them, you wouldn't be able to stop them."

"I see," Over nodded, "I assume then that you and you mech and far closer than you like to let on."

"You can't fight evil without a weapon," Prime explained, "Mine is simply larger than yours… oh," Prime chuckled, "I should also make something very clear, Ophiod."

Prime stepped forward to put his face right in front of Over's own, "Just seeing you sitting inside of Invictus is making me want to destroy you where you stand. I despise every bit of your existence. When I heard you were one of the people we were chasing… heh…" Prime leaned back, "Let's just say that I have a personal motive here in making sure your filth is scrubbed from every single universe you ever _dare_ to touch."

Before Over could respond, a small screen flashed up on the glass by Prime. Over suppressed a 'tssk' as Prime moved over and began to tap several buttons. Ophiod looked over at it, a clear mistrust brewing in his eyes that was directed right towards the man he'd almost attacked.

"Seems as though something is going on in the core," Prime sighed, "Probably nothing, but I should still check it. Ophiod, think you can keep watch on our guest until then?"

"I wouldn't call him a guest," Ophiod shook his head, "But yes. I can."

Prime smiled apologetically at them, as though simply running to get them something for a meeting, rather than leaving Over alone with an enemy. It was a clear sign of his confidence in his ally, so Over chose to see it. As Prime left, it either stated he trust Ophiod's power, or was simply not seeing Over as something worth even considering a threat to leave behind. Either explanation was an insult, just the degree to which being the confusing aspect.

"I must ask you something now that we have been given this chance," Over turned his head, "What exactly is your relationship with Prime?"

"He is nothing more than an ally that I have been paired with," Ophiod explained, "I know about as much about him as you do."

"I see, and it has been a rather long time since you have met each other?" Over paused, "The Twins must have contacted you both in the past, relative to our standing, and deployed you when your past encountered our present. A rather tricky play by them. Do you trust your superiors?"

"Do not call them that!" Skales frowned, "They're nothing more than temporary allies to us. We have no reason to follow them outside of our own goals."

"Loyalty to another is a greater motivator than something internal," Over pointed out, "Does that mean you both have no loyalty to them at all?"

"Our loyalties lie with ourselves, and they have aligned it with their own goals," Ophiod responded, "Do not think I know what you are trying to do. I am no stranger to people attempting to outmaneuver me with words. If you goal is to expose a weakness of loyalty, I suggest you pry elsewhere."

"You're far smarter than I gave you credit for," Over nodded, "You should pass that knowledge on to Skales. He would benefit from learning when to hold his tongue."

Skales all but looked ready to jump right at him. Ophiod reached out and placed his hand on Skales' shoulder, staying him. While Skales backed down again, it was still with a burning anger in his eyes. The nature of that relationship was one that Over had to simply nod his head towards and accept.

"Skales is my knight, it is not his place to be involved in discussion and politics," Ophiod explained, "I trust him with my life, and he does me. There is no reason for me to stay his tongue. In fact, you will find that applied in the right areas, it can expose one's true intentions."

Over wasn't sure what it was about that line, but he felt as though Ophiod was staring right through him. As the two locked gazes -by this point he wondered if Ophiod knew any other way to communicate his thoughts- he felt the Dark Matter he'd sent out returning to him. Feeling this, Over walked forward towards Ophiod until they were less than a foot apart.

"I sense that you are not one that deceives, nor are you one with intentions that I could say are impure," Over scowled, "Which makes you standing against me far more intolerable. You claim to act as something of justice for yourself, and yet now you will take this chance to antagonize me. You stand with those that are murderers, liars, ones that would rip apart the lives of countless people without regard for what they desire, out of some ill-gotten belief they are strong against the void. I would say that almost makes you hypocritical to the ideals you wish to present, Ophiod."

"And what does it say about your allies, to stand beside you?" Ophiod didn't miss a beat, "Someone that forced his anger upon Ninjago because of his own mistakes? You let you selfishness consume the land in darkness and turned all those that used to be your friends into bitter foes. If you think standing up to the Twins will somehow redeem someone as vile as you, then you truly are lost to your own darkness."

"I have no intention here of redemption, and if my allies think that, they are mistaken," Over placed his hands behind his back, allowing Ophiod to look upon his shining black and twisted body, "I am darkness itself. I simply will move towards light. That does not mean that I will ever embrace it."

"So it would seem," Ophiod stated, ending the conversation. The two backed away towards their seats, with Over feeling the Dark Matter he'd sent out waiting for him. When he sat down, his hands behind his back opened to let the Dark Matter and, most importantly, what he'd retrieved from the massive source of power that was the core of this mech. As soon as the piece of metal he'd ripped from it entered him, however, he felt a searing pain going through his body. His expression didn't change, but his hand felt as though he was holding an open flame. He forced the piece of metal he'd taken down inside of his body, despite the agony it was forcing on him.

"Alright!" The glass slid aside an opening for Prime to enter again, 'Looks like it was nothing. Well, nothing serious. Just a power fluctuation most likely. Now, where were we?"

"I think it's time for me to leave, actually," Over sighed, "I've learned nothing about you, as it stands, and it seems that we should keep it that way."

"I think that's for the best," Ophiod frowned, "So long as you return to that world, we won't push anymore hostilities on you."

"Yes," Over stood up once more, forcing his still searing hand to move along with the others, "That would be for the best."

"Ah, I'd hoped to ask you a bit more!" Prime shook his head, "But if you think it's time to leave, then I wouldn't be opposed to getting you off Invictus. In fact, I've been holding back from smearing you over the mountain already. So maybe it's best you leave now."

Over walked towards the exit of the cockpit. As he did, however, he turned to Ophiod and reached his hand out to place it on Ophiod's shoulder. Skales started to brim with fury while Ophiod did nothing. Over gave him a small smile, the first one that he'd given when the Overlord wasn't in control.

"Though we may be enemies, I will say I feel your conviction," Over pulled his hand back, "From one leader to another… I wish you luck in our coming battles."

That was all that Over left him with. When he pulled that hand away, he now held a stray scale taken right from the snake's shoulder by a deft application of shadow. With the metal piece still burning harshly in one hand and the scale hidden in another, he walked past them both. As soon as he had stepped out from the cockpit, he jumped down from the mech, landing firmly on the cliff below. A moment later, his four blades landed behind him, thrown by Prime.

"The same goes to you!" Prime called out, "The luck, I mean! You'll need it more than us!"

Over said nothing, instead just making his way back up the path that led to where he'd entered Mage's world from. He had no interest in seeing more of this place, and to do so would likely instigate a battle between himself, Prime and Ophiod. When he arrived at the cliff, he waited for the portal to open.

The portal did not open. Harumi had stated that she would be waiting here with a portal for him. Monty was meant to open it exactly twenty minutes after he arrived. Now, there was nothing that was opening.

"Is something wrong?" Prime's voice was echoed from Invictus' head across the rocks, "Why aren't you leaving? The longer you stay in my sight, the more I'm itching to blast you."

"Because it appears that my allies are busy," Over responded, "Give them time."

So he did. He waited. And waited. All the while, the metal he had inside his hand was burning him to the point of his arm going numb. It took more and more strength to hold it up and not look suspicious. Minutes passed by. Several of them. Then, those minutes turned to a half hour. Then an hour. All the while, Over waited, without any sort of look on his face.

"This is a trick," Ophiod stated to Prime inside the mech, "Why has he not left yet?"

"I'm not sure… I'm starting to believe you," Prime dismissed the makeshift chairs and instead moved to summon the controls of his mech, "If he doesn't leave soon, we'll attack."

Over's growing sense of confusion began to blossom into worry. Yet he did not allow that worry to take him. Instead, he waited. He waited until it had been almost an hour and forty minutes since he'd arrived. He could hear Invictus trying to move to draw one of its guns, readying it to fire at him.

Then, suddenly, the portal opened on the rockface. Out of it stepped Monty with the SoS firmly on his back, while behind him was Lulloyd, heaving hard as though he'd just rushed there. Over scowled at them as they both looked up to him, one apologetic and the other apathetic.

"Where have you been?" Over asked calmly, "These two mercenaries were about to blast me in the back for waiting too long."

"Busy," Monty waved his hand, "Let's go." Lulloyd said nothing, a guilty expression on his face.

Over nodded his head, stepping forward into the portal and leaving behind the mech and its pilots. A small trip through the void later, a feeling that he'd begun to find more tolerable now that he wasn't being ferried through it as an injured heap, he was standing in the middle of Dareth's shop. Waiting there was Harumi, pacing back and forth and tapping things into her watch as she did. When she saw the three of them there, she gasped out in shock.

"There you are!" Harumi jumped towards them, "Where were you?! We've been looking everywhere for you, Monty! We were afraid that those two had hurt you!" She looked over them, then blinked, "Lulloyd? Why are you here?"

"I uhm… I was helping Monty with… something," Lulloyd explained. Harumi blinked, then shook her head.

"Did you get what we needed?" Harumi asked. Over nodded, extending his hands. In one of hers, he dropped Ophiod's scale, and in the other the torn piece of metal.

"Monty's description of there being a core inside the machine correct… as well as it relating to your power," Over frowned, "Carrying that burned me in a way that only power derived from the source of light can. It seems your hypothesis that these two are variations of us are not inaccurate."

Harumi scanned them both with her watch, her eyes widening as she saw two different wavelengths appear, "This… is exactly what we need! I'm… you actually did it."

"Of course I did," Over scoffed, "Do not allow your own misgivings about me by your own prejudice to assume that I will fail a mission that is vital to our success. Go and figure out the use you have for these. I will explain to you what I have learned about them after I heal from the pain of carrying those."

With that, Over left the room. Harumi looked as though she'd been called out, a feeling that left her burning with shame. That shame, however, quickly was melted away as she felt memories stirring inside her. It was enough that she left the room without asking Monty where he'd been again, allowing him to sigh and cross his arms.

"You… You need to tell them about this," Lulloyd turned to Monty, "It's, not good for you to hide this."

"There's nothing to hide," Monty growled, "It doesn't concern them. And remember your favor."

"...Okay," Lulloyd groaned, "I… I don't want to do this again, okay? We could have caused them a big problem by being gone. Don't make me do this again, please?"

"Fine," Monty sighed, "Just go and do something else. I have to think about what that guy said."

Lulloyd, still looking guilty but hesitant to respond, just nodded and left the room. Monty moved and drew the SoS from his back, looking down into its gaze. His thoughts drifted to what he'd just learned about the blade and, more importantly, the implications this now held for him. He put those aside in his mind, exiting the small building and taking off with a blast of air to leave the others behind.

* * *

In Cloud Kingdom, Fennwick sat. He was in an office of ivory and gold, a small fireplace behind him casting a small glow onto the floor. His desk was once filled with scrolls for review, yet now was empty of all but his own arms. The walls were lined with shelves stacked with scrolls, all now for those that no longer needed his attention. His beautiful white robes blended perfectly into the atmosphere around him. He sat with his back to the entrance, chair turned away.

"I had figured you would come back to me soon, once I heard why those intruders had come for the sword," Fennwick spoke as someone entered, "Though, I had expected it to be under a less dire circumstance."

"So you were expecting me?" Monty asked. He stood there in his own Cloud Kingdom, the SoS in his hand. Behind him, Lulloyd entered, nervously looking around.

"Uhm… sorry about, breaking in, uhm, again," Lulloyd spoke up, "I'm uhm. I'm just here to repay a favor."

"You do not need to explain, I already know of why you are here," Fennwick explained, "Would you mind leaving us, though? And, do try not to fly your dragon through the city again. The people of our kingdom are already rattled enough as is."

Lulloyd felt ashame blossom as heat in his chest. Flying the mechdragon right from Ninjago towards the Blind Man's Eye at full speed had been a challenge, and then having to rapidly rebuilding the jets from the junkyard on it to rocket back inside the kingdom was even harder. Thankfully, according to a report he'd read, the Blind Man's Eye had remained, oddly, stationed right above the Wailing Alps. Almost, as though it was waiting for them. Slowly, Lulloyd nodded his head, backing out of the room, giving Monty a small worried look before shutting the door.

"On edge, really?" Monty scoffed, "What do a bunch of pencil pushers like you have to worry about?"

"The fact that your actions have now caused the very fabric of all universes to be distrubed," Fennwick turned his chair around, that eerie smile plastered to his lips, "All those in Cloud Kingdom are attuned to the flow of destiny. We have all felt this. The loss of one world does not just affect those inside of it, Monty."

"I'm not here to talk about that," Monty ignored Fennwick's words, "You already know why, don't you? You arrogant brats always seem to know."

"I can assure you, it is no foresight, just knowing how to guess what is coming next," Fennwick explained, "You're here about the sword, yes?"

"Yeah, it isn't working," Monty walked forward towards the desk, then plunged the sword's blade right down through the wood so close Fennwick could see his reflection, "Fix it."

"Fix it?" Fennwick blinked, "Why do you assume it is broken?"

"Because it was working fine until just a bit ago, so clearly it's broken," Monty scowled, "And you guys were protecting it. So you must know about it. Fix. It."

"There's nothing to fix," Fennwick shook his head, "For it is not broken."

"Then why isn't it working?" Monty growled, moving to pull a pistol from his armor and point it towards Fennwick, "Think about your answer really carefully."

Fennwick looked down the barrel of the gun. There wasn't much fear in his eyes, rather a look of amusement. He looked to Monty coyly before sighing.

"I remember the first time you came here," Fennwick recalled, "You had arrived with the others to seek the sword to help stop Soul Archer. He was possessing Morro at the time yes? And you had your deal with Ronin that you would protect him from Soul Archer. Our encounter was one that I will never forget. That was when you had learned about the part you played in the change that we were forced to undergo. As well as when I learned what it was like being shot."

"No, that was when you spouted some stupid stuff about my scroll and didn't let me figure out anything," Monty frowned, "You're walking on thin ice here. I shot your right leg last time, don't make me even out the scar."

"Impatience will be your vice," Fennwick shook his head, "I will tell you why your sword is not obeying your wishes, but to do so I must tell you of the blade's history. Will you allow me to do so without threatening to hurt me?"

"I figured you'd need some stupid long explination," Monty groaned out, sheathing his gu, "Make it quick. I have to get back and play ferry duty for our new guy. I'm taking time out of Harumi's plan to do this."

"Very well," Fennwick slowly stood up, gesturing to the sword, "We in Cloud Kingdom were not the ones that created that sword. In fact, while it was the First Chi Master that entrusted us with it, it was not he who created it. If you have heard that in the past, it is a lie. The sword was created after the formation of Ninjago, and by a man that wished to surpass his creator."

Monty moved to slump into a large circular chair inside of the office, letting Fennwick begin his tale in earnest. Fennwick walked around the desk and placed his hands together, letting his sleeves cover his hands and taking the seat across from Monty.

"When the First Chi Master created the life that would populate his realm, he taught to them the skills he had learned from both his upbringing and his battle with the Overlord," Fennwick began, "It was intended to simply give them a means of defense, should the forces he encountered come for those he now cared for. One of the men that he created, however, wished to challenge the First Chi Master."

"This man grew to become the greatest swordsman of all of Ninjago," Fennwick continued, "And he wished to proclaim himself the greatest swordsman of all creation. He challenged the First Chi Master, and lost. The man could not understand why he, one that had overcome all in the land, would lose to someone that none had ever seen wield a sword. This man trained for decades, working to perfect his craft. Soon, no mortal blade could touch him. No matter how intense his training, or how hard he pushed, nothing would ever break the guard of the First Chi Master."

"With this desire in his heart, this man stole the Realm Crystal and traveled to the land of the First Chi Master's birth. There, he found a mighty dragon, one that held as much resentment for the First Chi Master as the swordsman. After proving himself to the dragon, the swordsman told the dragon of his plan: to forge a blade that would allow him to surpass any attack and any guard by knowing the every move of his opponent. The dragon agreed to help him."

"That sword would become the Sword of Sanctuary," Fennwicked gestured to the blade on Monty's hip, "It was forged from the golden scales of the dragon's hide and imbued with the powers of the land. In order to complete the sword, however, the two learned of a ritual that could grant a blade power. It required a sacrifice, trapping the soul of those killed and awakening the latent power that the soul held. The dragon volunteered for this role, and thus, the ritual was completed."

"As the dragon's soul came to reside inside the blade, the swordsman realized his blade could now see the future. With this, he challenged the First Chi Master again. The battle between them is said to have been so intense, the clashing of their blades was heard from all corners of the land. The two battled to a draw, pushing both to the limits of their bodies. It was here that the First Chi Master and swordsman agreed to end their duel, both satisfied with what they had managed to achieve from one another."

"When that swordsman grew old, he entrusted the blade to the First Chi Master," Fennwick concluded, "And in doing so, asked for him to allow the will of the blade to choose its master. The First Chi Master entrusted the sword to us, and we agreed to keep it safe." Fennwick concluded his story, causing silence to fill the room.

"...Okay," Monty growled, "And what's that got to do with my sword?"

"I have just told you," Fennwick explained, "The sword is not simply a weapon, Monty. Inside of it is a soul that wills its master. The swordsman became the master of the blade, and brought its power to the fullest. You have used the blade for so long, the sword has decided you wish to become its master."

"And?" Monty scoffed.

"And," Fennwick continued his smile, "It has rejected you."

"Rejected me?" Monty held the sword up so he could see his reflection in it, "Are you lying to me?"

"You have already seen for yourself that its foresight will no longer show itself to you," Fennwick nodded, "Is that not proof enough of my tale?"

"So, this blade has got the soul of some long dead dragon in it that choses a master for the blade, and it decided I didn't make the cut?" Fennwick nodded.

"Screw that," Monty spat, "I need what this thing's power. I'm not going to let it just say no."

"You intend to force your will upon that of a blade that has lived through centuries?" Fennwick asked in surprise.

"Yeah, this thing doesn't just get to choose to have some random moment to say it doesn't like me," Monty sheathed the sword, "I'll make it like me."

"In that case," Fennwick stood up, "I believe you will have need for this."

Fennwick walked to one of the bookshelves of scrolls, searching for one in particular. He handed Monty a small and freshly rolled scroll, one that had his personal seal on it holding its pages together. Monty frowned and slowly reached out and took it. Before he could open it, Fennwick shook his head.

"If you wish to communicate with the blade, I have written the steps passed down to us Head Writers by the First Chi Master for you," Fennwick gestured to the scroll, "When you have need for it, read it."

"And you didn't just give me this to begin with, why?" Monty hissed.

"Because you must understand the blade's significance," Fennwick shook his head, "All that you have seen, all of its abilities, is merely an echo of the true potential that lies within it. Only one that the sword has declared its master will be able to use the power within it. If you wish to overcome the might of the Twins, reaching that power may be your only option."

"Sure, I'll just make this sword knock off the attitude and accept me then," Monty turned to leave. Fennwick rushed in front of him, blocking his path.

"Monty," Fennwick shook his head, "You must know that this blade is something of significant power. If you are unwilling to acknowledge its might, then it will never accept you. You must know what it is capable of!"

"I already do," Monty stepped forward, phasing through Fennwick, sword held out to his side to pass right by Fennwick's arm. Fennwick shuddered at the cold sensation it left him, but turned to speak regardless.

"Monty-" Fennwick started to speak. As soon as he did, Monty drew his pistol and fired it. The bullet was so close to Fennwick's head, he could hear it as it shot by. Fennwick stiffened up as Monty lowered the gun.

"I already heard enough from you," Monty hissed, holding up the scroll, "I got what I came for. I know how to get this sword working for me again. I don't listen to whatever stupid thing you try to tell me anymore. I'll do this dumb ritual or summoning or whatever, and then get on with this. I have universes to save."

Monty turned and left the room, the gunshot having scared Fennwick to silence. Monty threw open the door and then stepped out, using his wind to slam the door shut and make his cape flutter up behind him. Fennwick waited until Monty was gone, then he sighed.

"That is what worries me," Fennwick turned away from the door, walking back to his chair and relaxing to try to calm his nerves.

Outside the room, Lulloyd saw Monty turn down the hall and quickly begin to pace away. Lulloyd hefted up his mechdragon brick and hurried after him, looking around in case there were any guards in the way. Monty didn't give him time to catch up, forcing Lulloyd to race after him.

"Monty!" Lulloyd gasped, "What happened?"

"Nothing important," Monty spat, "Get your dragon ready, we've already wasted enough time."

"Y-Yeah, it's, actually it's already passed when we were supposed to go and get him," Lulloyd gulped, "We need to hurry back!"

"Yeah," Monty growled, "Let's go get that guy and see what Harumi has planned for us."

* * *

Back in the cockpit of Invictus, Prime piloted the mech through the skies of an unknown world. Staying in the world of the child wasn't going to do him any favors. He needed to focus. He had to clear his head. Being so near him, being so near someone that shared that power… it was enough to make every ounce of his body burn in rage. And as such, as the dull hills of hte world below rolled by him, he focused all he could on keeping his mind firm.

"Prime," Ophiod slithered up behind him, "May I speak with you?"

"Now is not a good time," Prime stated firmly, "That meeting rattled me. And I'm not used to being rattled. I rattle my enemies, not the other way around!"

"Then I'll make this brief," Ophiod frowned, "Your comment to Over… what did that mean?"

"Hrmm?" Prime turned his head to face Ophiod, "Why does it matter to you?"

"Because you already went off as a loose cannon once," Ophiod shook his head, "You can't do that again. What did you mean?"

Prime waited a long while before responding, turning to look back out of Invictus, "I won't let anyone that shares that dark power roam this world, or any world. He already made me suffer once. I'm not going to let anyone else suffer," Prime's fist gripped tightly, "But I will make sure that he suffers for what he did."

"..." Ophiod frowned, "But he isn't him. He's someone else."

"Anyone who would walk onto my mech with powers like that is all the same to me," Prime laughed, "You don't have to act like you're somehow better than me, Ophiod. You told him that you were given that scroll, right?" Prime grinned, "Do you want to tell me why Skales looked at you like that?"

Ophiod said nothing. He held onto the staff tightly, the scroll still wound up on it. After a few moments, he looked away. Prime said nothing more, indicating he was done talking. Ophiod took a moment to think of something else to say, then simply shook his head and turned around.

"Just tell me when we get there again," Ophiod frowned, "I'll… be waiting."

"Skales is in the core chamber, if that's where you were thinking of," Prime declared.

Ophiod nodded his head. He raised his staff and cut a small portal open within the wall, slithering through it to teleport into the chamber inside the mech. Prime watched it happen out of the corner of his eye, then turned back around. As Invictus flew across an unknown world, the two allies both readied themselves for what was to come, be it what it may.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a slower chapter, but one I thought was necessary! Prime and Ophiod are permanent additions to the cast, ones that I'm eager to show more of! Thanks for reading the story, and as always, NINJA-GO!


	54. Chapter 54

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone that's confused about the layout of Ninjago City, I own the Ninjago City and Ninjago City Docks sets and used those as reference! Also, yes, any references you can spot are intentional!

Ophiod slowly moved his hand up and down the staff he carried. As he did, the scroll unfurled with his touch, and refurled when he pulled away. He stared at the golden metal and the scroll planted on its ed, his eyes attempting to decipher what meaning they held. The more he stared at it, the more he couldn't make out the words. The more that it all became nonsense to him.

"Ophiod?" Skales' voice made the Viper raise his head. The hypnobrai was standing in the entrance to the core chamber. The green core of Invictus was suspended in the air between two conducting rods, blasting power in and out in arcs that were captured by the rod sand sent out to the machine. Being so close would make one's hair stand on end. Fortunately, neither of them had any.

"Skales," Ophiod used the staff to stand up, "Is everything alright?"

"Prime said he was going to make a 'trip' or something, said I should tell you," Skales waved his hand, "Just as cryptic and annoying as ever."

"I believe that's just his personality," Ophiod dipped his head, "I was just studying the scroll."

"Again?" Skales scoffed, "If you didn't learn something the first ten times, what makes you think you'll learn something now?"

"I will find out what it takes to use it," Ophiod shook his head, "I will use its power. I will master it, no matter what."

"If you ask me, you should spend more time worrying about where we're going," Skales crossed his arms, "This trip is getting rather hard to follow, personally."

"We'll handle it as it comes," Ophiod nodded, "Is that all you needed to tell me?"

"I also need to make sure you get some sleep," Skales frowned, "I know you've been neglecting it. Use one of your spells and rest."

"But-" Ophiod started. Skales walked forward and crossed his arms.

"Sleep," Skales turned his head to the side, "A Prince like you shouldn't go into battle barely able to stay awake. Put the scroll down and rest."

"...You're right, Skales," Ophiod sat the staff down, sighing and leaning his head back, "I don't need a spell. You can leave."

"Hrmmm, I'll be back to check on you, then," skales shook hi shead, "And if you aren't resting, I'll knock you out myself."

"Alright, alright," Ophiod closed his eyes, "Thank you, Skales."

Skales took a moment to look over Ophiod, watching as his chest began to rise and fall. He reached out and brushed his hand over Ophiod's head, then turned and began to leave the room. He opened a compartment in the wall and climbed up a ladder to take him back to the main cockpit. Ophiod waited until Skales was gone, then sighed.

"A Prince like me…" Ophiod slowly sighed as he drifted off into rest.

* * *

"This is the dumbest thing I've ever done…" Monty growled, sitting down beside the pond of water, "Of course it had to be put in water. Why not just ask me to go scuba diving while I'm at it? I don't even need the air tanks!"

In the midst of the Uncrossable Jungle, far from the Ninjago City that Lulloyd called home, a golden sword was placed on a small body of water. Why the water in this world wasn't made of bricks like the rest of the world, or the plant life for that matter, Monty couldn't have cared less about. He was focused now on the reason he was here, a reason that filled him with no small amount of aggravation. Floating on the surface of the pond was none other than the SoS, glistening in the low light of the morning. Beside the pond was the unfurled scroll, written with a small list of steps he had to perform. This was the last one, and the previous ones had been so tedious Monty refused to acknowledge he'd even done them.

Taking a small breath and exhaling it hard enough to shake the trees, Monty slowly put his feet together and spread his knees. He places his hands on his thighs to hold them apart, then bent forward towards the sword. He was close enough to the water he could hear it rippling. He looked towards the scroll, groaning as he did.

"This probably won't even work," Monty rolled his eyes, "What do those guys in Cloud Kingdom think? There's no way this sword has a will of its own. I must have just shot it too many times."

The sword didn't respond to him. For a moment, Monty considered giving up, yet his mind reconsidered it for him. This may be a ridiculous ceremony, but it wouldn't be smart to not even try it. If it worked, he'd get the powers of this sword back. If it didn't, he'd just go back to Cloud Kingdom with Lulloyd later and curse Fennwick with bullets.

Slowly, Monty focused. A golden aura flared up around him as he called upon his Chi. It was a feeling he hated, and one that he'd been forced to use more often now than he liked. The power was the only link that he had to his past life, and one that would change everything for Morro and his stupid ninja if they found out. The golden dragon slowly curled around Monty protectively, its body visible through the ghost. Monty gave one final scoff, then pointed down at the water. The dragon obeyed, slowly slithering down his arm to fade into the water below. For a few seconds, the water glowed golden.

The small blue gem on the end of the SoS's hilt began to glow. Monty looked at it with masked interest, watching as the gem began to shine. Slowly, the golden glow in the water was sucked into the gem, causing it to flash gold. The entire blade glowed brightly, causing Monty to blink a few times in surprise.

Then, the color went out. The SoS faded back to its normal pristine sheen and the gem back to blue. It gently drifted along the surface of the water towards Monty. Monty looked down at it, then reached out and picked it up. When he held it up, he could see his reflection in it, but nothing more. With a groan, he blasted the sword dry with wind and sheathed it on his back.

"Next time I see Fennwick, I'm going to kill him," Monty declared.

"And what good would that do you?"

Monty spun around to face the source of the voice, pulling a pistol from his armor to point towards the speaker. A large ball of blue light hovered in the air behind him, formless in shape but pulsing as it spoke. When Monty looked to his shoulder, he saw the gem on the SoS was glowing in turn. With a groan, he moved to put his gun away.

"The one time I wish they were wrong, and they turn out to be right," Monty sighed, "This world is just one big joke, isn't it?"

"It seems so, my Master," The orb spoke.

Monty scoffed, "Let me guess, you're the will of the SoS, right? I gave you a big wake up call so you could speak to me? Is that what you really look like?"

"Would you like to see how I once looked?" The orb asked. Slowly, it began to colhease together, shaping itself up until it began to condense and take form. It turned into a large bulky dragon with two massive wings that slanted back against its body. A long tail ended in a spike that pulsed with some indistinguishable element. The dragon's head was thin and narrow, lined with ferocious looking teeth. The entire form was perhaps ten feet in length, just shorter than Monty's Chi when summoned, "This is but a mere projection of what I used to be."

"So either Fennwick's story wasn't total nonsense, or you're just really good at listening," Monty rolled his eyes, "Well, let's get this show on the road. I used that dumb ceremony thing to awaken you, right?"

"By infusing your Chi into the blade, you've told me you wish to claim me as your own, my Master," The dragon responded, "But I do not accept you as that."

"Oh?" Monty raised his eyebrow, "Is that why you haven't been showing me what I need to see?"

"You are an unworthy wielder for my potential," The projection responded to him, "As such, I do not give you my power unless I believe that you will die without it. I will remain in your shadow, but you will not use what I can give you."

"Alright there, Shinobu," Monty rolled his eyes, "I'm using you from now on. You're stuck with me. Get used to it."

"You guise your true feelings behind sarcasm and jokes," The dragon, which by now Monty had decided was the Sword in his mind, mocked him, "And yet you remain dishonest with yourself."

"I don't have time for this," Monty stepped forward, "I'm in the middle of a multiverse wide conflict that's already gotten way bigger than I wanted it to be. So I need you to work with me. I didn't summon you like this to argue with you. I summoned you to tell you to knock this whole acting up thing off. I'm sick of it and it's really inconvenient."

"Is that all my power is to you?" The Sword responded, "A convenience? Do you truly understand what my power can give to you?"

"Nope, and don't care," Monty shook his head, "I'm your Master now. Obey me."

The Sword paused for a long moment, refusing to talk to him. When Monty leaned forward to try to see what the projection was doing, it suddenly began to glow brightly. Monty didn't shield his eyes, but he was lost in the whiteness. When the light faded, however, the sight that Monty was left with caused him to inhale sharply and grit his teeth.

"You can't ask me to obey you," The Sword asked, now a glowing form of someone Monty had long since forgone, "When you cannot even obey yourself."

"You're really throwing a tantrum," Monty growled, "Knock it off."

"Can you not stand looking at yourself?" The Sword brushed a hand through head of golden hair, "This was once you."

"No," Monty spat, "That's not me anymore. I'm not him anymore. Lloyd died in the Cursed Realm, just like he should have. I'm not the same person. Knock. This. Off."

"Really?" The Sword shook his head, "If you can't even face yourself, how can you truly wield the sword forged from destiny?"

"I don't give a crap what you were made out of!" Monty stepped forward, "I don't know how you figured that little trick out, but I'm not laughing at it. That idiot doesn't exist anymore. Don't try looking at him like you think it's going to trick me into breaking down."

The Sword looked to Monty for a moment, then turned around. He gently adjusted the green robes he wore, colored by the blue aura that surrounded him, and then began to take a few steps around Monty. As he did, he looked Monty up and down. He spent a long while looking at the SoS on Monty's back.

"It's good to see that my form hasn't changed," The Sword nodded, "My last master spoke of potentially reforming me. I think this form is the most suited for me."

"Yeah?" Monty drew the SoS, "Maybe I should turn you into a kitchen knife."

The Sword sighed, "You truly don't understand, to you? The power that I grant those that hold me is but a fraction of what I was built to do. I am meant to grant you Sanctuary… yet, you are constantly in peril, yes? If you were to push forward to learn my secrets and become worthy of it, I would share with you a power you could never hope to lose with. You would truly be able to keep yourself safe."

"How about you quit the whole self-betterment shtick and just stop acting like a little brat?" Monty responded curtly, "I'm your Master now. I'm going to wield you until the end of time. I can't age, so you're stuck with me. Get over it."

The Sword thought for a moment, then shook his head. Monty felt taunted as the Sword walked over to stand on top of the surface of the water where the SoS had floated. He slowly sat down just as Monty had, shaking his head as he smiled up at Monty. Just seeing him sitting on the surface of the water filled Monty with an anger he wasn't used to feeling so potently.

"A worthy wielder of my power would wish to unlock my power," The Sword closed his eyes, "And would be willing to purge themselves of darkness to use me."

"And I'm saying I'm about to go fight a mech the size of a building with nothing but a toy dragon and pistols, so I don't need this!" Monty spat, "What exactly do you want me to do to unlock this dumb power, huh?! Huh?!"

The Sword opened one eye, "Accept yourself, for starters."

"News flash, I have," Monty crossed his arms, "I know who I am."

"Knowing who one is and accepting who they are can be very different things," The Sword shook their head, eyes closed again, "For you, they are as far apart as can be."

"You can know this who dumb analysis thing off," Monty turned to walk away, "Just stop disobeying me. I am your Master and I'll be treated like it. You're stuck with me."

The Sword sighed and shook their head, "Ah, my Master, you understand nothing. Perhaps if you came to understand the meaning behind your existence, you'd be willing to find the power you need to win this battle."

With that, the visage that the Sword had taken on faded with a shimmer of light. The gem on the SoS slowly dwindled out, allowing for Monty to look down at the blade. He looked at his reflection in the blade for a long few moments, then scoffed and turned around.

"Fine, be that way," Monty growled, "I'll win this stupid battle without you."

With one last angry snarl, Monty took off towards the sky, blasting him up until he'd long passed the canopy of trees. He scanned the area until he saw the distant sight of Ninjago City, the blocky structures reaching up to the sky. With a small hiss, Monty turned his hands down and blasted off towards it, dismissing the thought of the Sword's wishes in his mind even as they remained burned into him.

* * *

"Where's Monty?" Harumi asked with a tap of her foot, "We said we were getting together for this meeting at ten!"

On top of a large corner building in Ninjago City, the group of dimensional travelers had assembled. It was a rooftop sushi restaurant, and one that was quite well known at that. A man in red crab-themed clothes, a massive bushy mustache, and chef's hat was curiously turning fish pieces into dishes to throw onto a large conveyor belt that carried food around to nearby chairs. Lloyd and Mage both took a large platter of studs of 'sushi' and moved to a small orange-topped table to take a seat. Sitting on studs wasn't the most comfortable, but Lloyd had gotten used to it after the several days they'd spent here.

"You know, it doesn't look like food!" Mage tossed a pink stud into his mouth, "But it's so good!"

"Things here kinda act like what you think they are, and not always what they have to be," Lloyd took a bite with a massively oversized fork, "But yeah, it's good!"

"Mhmhmm!" Mage beamed, downing one plate and tossing it back onto the belt. The chef looked at the already large amount of emptied plates and shuddered.

"Do you know where Lulloyd is, too?" Lloyd turned to where Harumi was tapping her foot, "He said he'd be here."

"He's bringing his parents so… I guess we gotta be ready," Harumi shook her head, "Why did Garmadon decide to meet here?"

"He said something about not wanting to overuse a location," Over stepped out of a sliding door to a restroom, "I've ensured that this location is secure. There is no chance of our enemies finding us here."

"You weren't just going to the bathroom?" Mage asked in shock, "I thought you were taking a long time!"

"I have no need for such things now," Over placed one hand on his dark chest, "I am a fusion of flesh and immortal shadow. I do not need to sleep, eat, nor drink. I have the capacity for them, but they are nothing but a liability for me."

"Why?" Mage asked, "Can someone even poison you with food?"

"...The fact you thought of that first disturbs me," Over frowned, "But no. I have even attempted to inject myself with Tiger Widow Venom. It gave me a mild headache at the worst of it."

"Tiger Widow…?" Lloyd blinked, "Wait, I… I've heard that name somewhere before…"

"I would say to ask Jay, but it's a waste of time to tell stories with unsatisfying endings," Over moved to stand near Harumi, "If Lulloyd and Monty do not arrive in the next five minutes, we will start without them. It is not worth our time to reward them for tardiness."

"Y-Yeah…" Harumi still looked away from Over, tense whenever he was near, "They should be here soon! Ugh, maybe Borg installing trackers on everyone's watches wasn't such a bad idea." Lloyd opened his mouth to ask what she meant, but after the last Borg he'd encountered, he didn't feel the need to question it anymore.

"Hey, guys!" Lulloyd's voice came from the corner of the restaurant, where, notably, a small elevator led up to the location. With a double flip, he landed on top of a small stand for the manu, only to wobble and nearly fall off. With another flip, he landed on his feet. A few seconds later, the elevator arrived at the floor. He was in his casual green hoodie once more.

"Lulloyd!" Harumi gasped out with an annoyed glare, "Where have you been?! We were supposed to start awhile ago!"

"I-I was, uhm, I-I got sidetracked getting here!" Lulloyd rubbed his head, "Y-You see!"

"Helllllllooooooooo!" Unikitty suddenly came jumping over the elevator, landing beside Lulloyd, "Don't worry, Lloyd's friends, he was with me!"

A long moment of silence ran through the group as they all took in the sight of Unikitty, who happily waited beside Lulloyd. Mage put his food down, staring with an intense look on his face, while Lloyd and Harumi were stunned beyond words. Over just reached up and pressed against the bridge of his nose.

"I won't ask, I've seen enough strange things to last me a lifetime," Over sighed, "Is your father joining us today?"

"No, he's uhm, doing some other things," Lulloyd gulped, "...I also didn't tell him."

"I, kinda want him to be here but, I kinda also don't," Lloyd admitted, "And uhm, she's…?"

"Princess Unikitty," Lulloyd asked quickly, "From Cloud Cuckoo Land. We uhm, we have realms just like you guys."

"Is that why your father was badmouthing someone named Batman the other day?" Over asked.

"Uh… probably," Lulloyd moved over to one of the tables, taking a seat. When Lloyd gestured to the sushi bar for him, Lulloyd shook his head.

"That's…" Mage spoke up, his words quiet, "That's a… a… that's a pink cat with a horn, right?"

"A unicorn cat, I would assume," Over nodded, "Likely magical in some way."

With that, Mage suddenly turned into smoke, flying straight through everyone around him and appearing right in front of Unikitty. He hovered right over her, meeting Unikitty's happy smile with one of childlike wonder and excitement.

"OH MY DRAGON YOU'RE SO CUTE!" Mage gasped out, "I've seen all sorts of things but I've never seen anything like you before can I pet you please please?!"

"U-Uhm, I don't know if-" Lulloyd was cut off as Unikitty just nodded her head and sat down, her body turning into a slope. Mage was immediately moving to start petting her, causing her to thrum happily as he did. Lulloyd blinked, then just shook his head and sat down.

"And… for what reason have you brought her here today?" Over asked.

"She wanted to come, can we just get on with this meeting?" Lulloyd frowned.

"...Yes," Over nodded to Lulloyd's curt tone and turned to Harumi, "Would you like to begin?"

"Yeah, I would," Harumi sighed, moving to tap some things on her watch, "After what we learned by having Over go out and meet with Ophiod and Prime, I think we know enough now to make a plan. A plan that will help us finally start undoing what the Time Twins did."

Lloyd and Lulloyd perked up upon hearing that. Over moved to stand beside Harumi, causing her to tense back up and gently shift to look away from him. Mage looked towards her, but was still completely enthralled in petting Unikitty. Lloyd gave a small look over at the sight, but turned his attention to Harumi regardless.

"Let's start with what Over found out," Harumi nodded stiffly towards him.

"Our enemies are being given something in exchange for their services, which implies that these two have been specifically recruited by the Time Twins," Over began, "That we knew already. What I have found out is something more pressing. The Twins have been willing to use time travel to enter worlds at a point prior to when they left my former own. It is therefore assumed that these two are likely the strongest of those that they found. It is therefore also in our best interest to assume that no one else is coming to help us."

"We were going to look for other people to help us?" Mage asked in confusion.

"No," Lloyd shook his head, "We can't involve anyone else in this. We've already done a lot of damage by just, jumping after the Twins like we have. We can't just keep trying to add numbers and think that's enough for us."

Harumi and Over nodded together, much to Harumi's chagrin. Over turned to her, and Harumi nervously placed her watch on the table and gently hit a button. A projection of Ophiod came up and, beside him, Skales. The two were clearly constructed from their first encounter, with them readying to perform Spinjitzu together. In Ophiod's hand, the staff he held was glowing with power.

"I have confirmed that Skales here is nothing more than a common Serpentine," Over nodded his head, "Yet there is some connection between these two that is unknown to me at present. Ophiod called him his 'personal knight,' which seems to align with the concept that there is royalty in his world he is apart of. I have confirmed by touching him that he is indeed one that shares our own unifying thread. Meaning that in his world, he was born part Serpentine."

Lloyd stopped to think about that. Himself, born as a Serpentine? Nevermind Skales, since he had no idea what that was about, but just the idea of him being born a Serpentine was bizarre. From what he understood, the Serpentine Wars had been what had created him in the first place, so the idea of himself being, well, a Serpentine didn't even add up in his head! Still, he held his tongue. Harumi switched the projection to show Prime on one side in his form-fitting plug suit, and beside him a scaled down model of Invictus, also taken from their first encounter.

"Prime is of far more interest to me," Over shook his head, "His mech appears to have a core that is unlike anything I have seen. Monty's assertion there was one when he attempted to possess the mech stands. This core was what I retrieved a piece of that universe's energy from. As soon as I felt it, I knew that power the mech runs off of is none other than Green Power."

"So he's like us too?" Lulloyd asked, "But like, why the mech?"

"It does not seem like he has power in the way that we do, but rather it is concentrated inside of his mech itself," Over nodded, "What's more, he talked to the mech as though it was something, special to him. Which implies to me there is a bond between him and that machine that is more than just a weapon. What this means, I don't know yet. But he did not mention his team, even when I gave him chance sto. And he was happy to share details about himself that didn't say anything about his past, meaning he's hiding something. They both are."

"We already figured most of this out already," Harumi shook her head, "But as soon as I heard Over talk about the core, I knew something was going on there. And I think I have a plan now. A plan that will let us start making some headway on those two."

"The first thing we must do is figure out why they are working with the Twins," Over nodded his head, "Once we know this, we will know our enemy, and we can defeat them."

"And I think the core in that machine is what is letting those two travel worlds, since they don't have Green Power like us," Harumi nodded, "Just like how the Twins have to use a source inside of their machine. If I can get my hands on one of them, I might be able to use some of the tech I have back home and make us a device that won't let us have to rely on Monty and Dareth's Dojo anymore."

"How?" Lloyd asked. Harumi smiled at him and then took her watch back. She pulled a chair forward and sat down in it, sighing as she stretched out her back. When she did, she summoned a Rhotatae disc in her hand and gently held it in one of her palms. As the others looked to her, she gently held it up for them to see.

"The requirements for us to jump worlds are the same as they've always been," Harumi charged the disc with her element to turn it green, "We have to have Green Power or something related to it, the world we go to has to have an analog of us, and we have to have an anchor point to use. But, I started poking around with dimensional energy, and I think I've figured out why the Twins have been able to move around despite the restrictions we have."

Harumi moved to place the Rhotatae disc over her other hand like a top, "Our power acts as a way to carve the path through the void. Since our power comes from the First Master, we can create our way through to another world. In order to do this, we have to have some protection from the void. So, our power acts like a protection. Monty's chi is what we use in order to actually form the path. Now, the Twins have the Iron Doom, which acts like Monty's chi. It's basically the best way we can show what a shield looks like. But, that means if you give someone a machine that can harness Green Power and a way to make a path through the void, then anyone can do it. Meaning…" Harumi made the disc disappear, "All we need to do is get our hands on something that can harness our power and is already made to work inside of a machine. Like the core that's inside that mech."

"But, what about Dareth?" Lloyd asked. Harumi smiled a bit smugly.

"As much as I love using him as a reference, I know how we can fix that," Harumi pointed up towards the sky, "All the locations that we arrive at are linked. When you give directions, you navigate by landmarks, right? Instead of making a machine that has to go to that landmark, we can have one that will calculate our entry point relative to that anchor point. Meaning, we can arrive anywhere in the world we want, so long as we have the coordinates relative to where we first entered it. Which," Harumi tapped her watch, "I've been working on perfecting."

"Thus, now we have two objectives," Over stepped up behind Harumi, "Mage, stop petting the cat and come here."

"Awh…" Mage and Unikitty sighed together. Mage walked over towards the rest of the group, a bit of disappointment in his eyes. Unikitty hopped over beside Lulloyd.

"We split into three teams," Harumi looked around to the assembled group, "With three objectives. One of them will go to Ophiod's world and gather information on who he is and why he's here. The second one will go to Prime's world with me to find out how the cores work in his world and help me steal one to make us new devices to travel worlds without Monty. The third team will act as a diversion to draw Prime and Ophiod away from us."

"How can we get to Prime and Ophiod's worlds, though?" Lloyd asked.

"We will have Monty concentrate his chi on the objects that I stole from both Ophiod and Prime," Over informed them, "If her theory is correct, then we will arrive at their worlds by that alone."

"Who will be on each team?" Mage asked.

"Team one will be Lloyd and Monty," Harumi explained, "They both have the most experience with Serpentine, so they're the best to go to Ophiod's world. I'll be going with Lulloyd to Prime's world. I'll need his Master Building to help me get around. Mage, you'll be going with Over. It doesn't where you go, but you need to go somewhere they won't be following you."

"Where am I going?" Monty's voice caused the group to all turn to see the ghost casually hovering on the edge of the rooftop by them, his cape a massive green one flapping about behind him.

"So he decides to arrive," Over nodded.

"Can it," Monty growled, "I was busy. What's so important?"

"We're making our plan to start taking back everything on the Twins," Harumi explained curtly, "It's easier if we-"

"I heard you," Monty cut her off, "Are those really the teams you want to make?"

"Why?" Harumi asked with a huff.

"Because I think it's better if we do it this way," Monty pointed to each of them as he spoke, staring with Harumi, "You go with Lloyd to this Prime guy, that way Lloyd can pass for Prime if you get caught. Mage, you go with Lulloyd to Ophiod's world. Mage can shapeshift you so you can get around wherever you need to go. I'll take edge over here and lure those two into my world so I can learn a bit more about them."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Harumi protested, "I made these teams so we had the most chance of success."

"And I'm telling you that I'm used to breaking into places, and I know how to divide the teams up," Monty frowned, "Plus, I have some business I need to take care of back home. This way, I don't have to worry about doing it on your clock."

Harumi looked ready to fume out of her mind at Monty, but Over raised his hand. He gave Harumi a long look, causing her to go frigid, while in turn he eyed Monty up and down. The two immortal beings slowly stared at one another before Over sighed and turned back to Harumi.

"Monty is right," Over frowned, "His plan is one most likely to work. The two of us are best suited to taking on that mech. Mage's power is the only way to make those two not look out of place. And that leaves you and Lloyd by default. I believe we are in our best interests to do that."

"Wait a minute!" Unikitty suddenly shouted, making several of them flinch, "Does that mean you're taking Lloyd away from me again?!"

Slowly, the group all turned towards her. Unikitty had an expression on her face best said to be terrified and angry at the same time. She was all but fuming at them, but at the same time her eyes were concentrated on Lulloyd and bubbling with worry. ARound her head, small sparks of red wands began to emanate from her horn and vanish the next second.

"Yes, he is," Over frowned, "And who are you to say that he cannot?"

"Because you took him away for a super long time already!" Unikitty protested, "You can't just keep doing that! We all get super sad and nervous and grumpy when he's gone!"

"He has things to do," Monty scoffed, "Deal with it."

Lulloyd's eyes widened, but he was too late to stop Monty. Unikitty suddenly gave a fierce hiss, and in that moment her body flashed red for several moments. A strange heat began to gather around the area, one that began to worry Lloyd. Mage looked on in confused worry as Unikitty began to flash red more and more. The feeling of anger and rage from her only continued to spark up as an aura of malice seemed to surround her.

"You… don't get to take… him… away from. Me. AGAIN!" Unikitty roared, her body fully turning red as massive flames burned out from her tail and face, "WHAT SORT OF FRIENDS ARE YOU IF YOU JUST DRAG HIM RIGHT BACK INTO ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS OUT THERE?!"

All at once, Harumi, Lloyd and Mage scattered backwards, Mage nervously summoning ice in his hands. Over and Monty stood firm, just staring at her, one out of interest and the other out of indifference. Lulloyd, however, quickly jumped forward in front of her. He put his hands up at her, nervously staring at the flaming anger cat in front of him.

"OUT OF MY WAY, LLOYD!" Unikitty roared, "I'M GOING TO TEACH YOUR FRIENDS A LESSON IN BEING! MORE! NICE! AND! FRIENDLY!"

"Uni I-I have to go!" Lulloyd gasped out, "Please, d-don't be mad at them! Monty's just like that! Everyone here could be in danger if I don't find and stop those Twins!"

"YOU'RE NOT LEAVING ME AGAIN!" Unikitty roared. Lulloyd saw the chair beside her start to melt into studs from the heat. The sushi chef running the place quickly ran into the bathroom, giving a small glance before slamming the rice paper door shut.

Lulloyd bit his lip, then he leaned down and wrapped his hands around her front leg. Despite the burning pain in doing so, he reached up and pulled her in close, causing her to blink in shock as he did. Her body immediately turned pink again as she looked at him in shock.

"I'm sorry I left you behind t-that's on me, I was horrible to you and… y-you didn't deserve that," Lulloyd gulped, "B-But, don't take that out on my friends. You're important to me and… I-I'd never do anything to get myself hurt enough I couldn't come back to you. I care about you, Uni, and… and I'm sorry if I made you think I didn't. I, I really don't want you to be upset with them. They're… they're all, they're just here to help. Please… forgive me?"

"Lloyd…" Unikitty suddenly turned white all over, "Y-Your hands! I-I didn't burn your hands, did I?! I-I'm sorry, I don't know how to control myself when I'm like that! I-I just, I just got!"

"My hands are okay, don't worry," Lulloyd smiled as he held tighter to her leg, "Plus… I'd hold your hand like this, even if you were firey like that all the time. Cause, you're worth any amount of pain that it would take for me to get close to you."

Unikitty began to turn pink again, a massive blush spreading across her face. The two leaned in and slowly pressed foreheads together, the last of Unikitty's anger calming inside of her. Lulloyd smiled warmly to her as the two stayed like that together, letting their emotions drain from them and instead turn to a happiness.

"...Is… Is that what he was saying, back, on the speed car?" Lloyd asked in shock.

"...Y-Yeah," Harumi blinked, "I uhm. Huh. She's, not what I expected her to be."

"Huh, you guys found out faster than I thought you would," Monty leaned back against the side of the roof.

"Wait, you knew?!" Mage asked in shock.

"Don't act all shocked, this isn't some rom-com," Monty groaned, "I just found out the other day. He asked me to not tell you guys yet."

"And… you listened to him?" Harumi asked in confusion.

"Yeah, I'm nice like that," Monty leaned his head back, "Maybe if you tried showing me some respect from that side, I might just try the same." Harumi's confusion turned to ire once more.

"Normally, I would spend far more time questioning this," Over sighed, placing his hand on his head, "But I have met his father, mother, and seen where he lives. This is far more normal than I would like to admit it to be. It makes this world even more distressing than it already is."

"U-Uhm…" Lulloyd slowly turned to look at the others, still holding Unikitty's leg with one hand, "...U-Uh, yeah. This is, uhm, my girlfriend, Unikitty."

"Nice to meet you all!" Unikitty beamed, "Sorry about nearly raging at you!"

"U-Uhm, nice to meet you too," Lloyd muttered back, "Can, she do that, on command?"

"Normally not but, uh, well she kinda spent like, five years in a permanent state of rage in the apocalypse so, uh, now she can, kinda," Lulloyd smiled awkwardly, "I've only seen her do it once or twice, though. You have to be trying to."

"Great," Monty groaned, "Just what we needed. Well, now that that horrific incident of terror is over, how about we wrap this up?"

"Y-Yeah, sure," Harumi coughed, "I still don't know if this is the best plan but, If you all are good with it, then we can move forward with it."

Lloyd looked around to everyone's faces, gauging their reaction. When he was given none, he smiled to Harumi, "I think we're ready for it."

"Then let's get ready, everyone," Harumi inhaled, "From here on out, there's no turning back. We move out tonight."

* * *

Inside of the volcano, Garmadon slowly moved to pick up a newly made Warlord Staff. The Garma Tech™ staff slowly watched him as he swung it once, gauging the weight and force of its build. Satisfied, Garmadon turned to twist the top of the staff, causing it to hum and then suddenly break out several studs-not-on-top bricks to extend several blades on each side. For a moment, Garmadon grinned. When he moved to swing the staff into the nearby wall, however, the blades broke off. The GT staff immediately froze as Garmadon looked down at it and scoffed, tossing it towards them. The weight of it made the two collapse under it.

"C'mon, what am I now paying you for?!" Garmadon languished, "I need a staff that I can smack into anything! Come back when you've made a staff that I can actually use."

"Y-Yessir!" The two gasped, wriggling their way out from under it. They both moved and began dragging it away from the small platform beside the large entry pool in the base of the volcano. Garmadon sighed and turned to where the assembled group of dimensional travelers were.

"Sorry, Lulloyd," Garmadon groaned, "I was hoping they'd make you something good! All they came up with was that thing!"

Lulloyd looked down in his hands. His normal curved sword had been turned completely black, with the tassel at the bottom now being a dual moulded gold and black to better fit it. The sword was lighter in his hands, yet was at least five times stronger than his normal blade. Along with that, his mechdragon brick had been returned to him with brand new printing on both sides to better display it as a folded up dragon. It also now came with a small detachable handle on top for him.

"Uh… I think this is a lot, dad," Lulloyd slid both the brick and sword onto the back of his ninja suit, "Where'd you even get this sword, anyways?"

"Your mother found it back during our conquest of the Sep Rator Empire," Garmadon chuckled, "Used to be cursed, your mother purged it and I had the lab boys spruce it up for you."

"Wow…" Lulloyd blinked, "You know, mom was, really cool back then."

"What do you mean, back then?" Coco called out as she walked over to the group from deeper into the volcano, "Oh, you know I'm just kidding, Lulloyd. I wanted to paint that sword green for you but it didn't stay on well."

"Meh, printing quality on weapons like that is totally hit or miss," Garmadon scoffed.

"Are you leaving already?" Coco asked, a bit of nervousness creeping into her voice.

"I'm just doing a recon mission, nothing dangerous," Lulloyd smiled to his mother, "And then I'm coming straight back here. I already made sure Unikitty knows that."

"Good, don't anger your partner, ever," Garmadon stated firmly, "You'll find that your mother was always right when it came to the battle strategies."

"Don't be like that, Garmy," Coco shook her head, "Don't teach him to be afraid of fighting! Fighting with your partner can be good for you. You were right about that counterattack at Despair Canyon!"

"Oh that was a good one, we're the reason that it's now called Lava Canyon!" Garmadon laughed.

"No, honey, that was General Verx," Coco corrected him, "He was the one that counterattacked through that mountain pass and we hauled all the lava from the lower regions to chase them down into our forces. We collapsed the ends of Despair Canyon to force the surrender."

"Hrmm… nah, I'm pretty sure I got that right!" Garmadon affirmed, "Cause Vex was there, remember? He swore revenge when he left and that's why he went and raised that army of Ice Zombies."

"Maybe, I'll check the battle records later," Coco shook her head, "Right now we need to see our son off on his mission."

"Oh he'll be fine!" Garmadon asserted, "No General Number Son of mine would ever let me down."

"Mhm," Coco turned to Lulloyd, "Lloyd, if you don't think you can do this, you just tell us, okay? You've only been home for a few days. I know you were really worried when you got back…"

"I'll be okay, mom," Lulloyd leaned forward and gave her a hug, "I trust my friends. And, I want to make you both proud of me. I'll come back safe, I promise."

Coco gave a worried smile, then hugged him back. Garmadon, sensing the moment, gave him a hug as well. As the three shared their embrace, Lulloyd felt a bit of that worry and sadness from when he'd first come home. He forced it down as he indulged in their embrace.

"No matter what happens, we believe in you," Garmadon muttered, "Of all the things I've conquered, you're the thing I'm most proud of to call my own."

"If you need us, you tell us!" Coco told him firmly, "I know you're all grown up now, but there's nothing wrong with asking us for help! We're your parents, if you get in over your head, we'll help you no matter what. "

"Thanks mom, thanks dad," Lulloyd muttered back, "I'll stay safe, I promise. And, if I need you guys, I'll come and get you."

Coco and Garmadon shared a smile together, then let go of their son. Lulloyd held back a few tears as he gave them a wave, then quickly raced over to a catwalk. He looked back to give them one more wave before he raced his way down the way until he'd left them behind. Soon, he'd entered the vehicle bay, arriving at a small docking station where the other five were waiting for him.

"Sorry, guys, I was talking to my parents," Lulloyd nodded, "So, when do we leave?"

"Uh… right now, apparently," Lloyd pointed towards the water, "Look."

Lulloyd turned towards the water, then he froze. One of the Hammerhead Dropships had its troop bay hollowed out. In its place, was Dareth's studio. The small building looked as though it had been perfectly plucked right out of the docks and carried all the way there. Dareth wasn't inside, but the dropship was carrying it like a piece of cargo. The others were looking at it with confusion in their eyes.

"Did your dad do this?" Harumi asked curiously.

"I, guess so… he, probably overheard me saying we needed to go to Dareth's…" Lulloyd sighed, "I'll, have to find him and apologize later."

"Just saves us the trip," Monty nodded, "Alright, we all good?"

The group nodded together. Mage had tied his robes and now had Aevum strapped to his left hip permanently, even if he refused to touch it. Monty had left the gun bag this time, instead having two shotguns, several pistols, the SoS, and several boxes of ammo on his person. Over, Lloyd and Harumi looked mostly the same. All of them were rested, and all of them were ready.

"Alright, let's go," Monty turned and pulled out his gun. Inside the barrel, he had the scales that Over had taken from him loaded into a bullet to fire his chi through, "I'm taking you and Mage first. Then we'll handle Harumi and Lloyd. You sure they won't come for you guys first?"

"They won't expect us to," Harumi shook her head, "Just don't try to hide yourselves when you get back to your Ninjago. Even if they do split up, they can't get all three of us at once."

"Good," Monty aimed his pistol at the wall inside the dojo, "Let's go."

Monty pulled the trigger. When he did, nothing happened. He blinked in confusion, then moved to try to fire the gun again. When it didn't work, he moved and pulled the slide back, trying to see if something was wrong. He growled and unloaded his special bullet and put it in another pistol, trying ot fire that. When it didn't work, he growled and rapidly pulled the trigger.

"Why isn't this thing working?!" Monty growled.

"You uh, didn't saw 'Pew!'" Lulloyd pointed out. Monty gave him a long ludicrous gaze.

"What?" Monty growled, "Why in the heck would I ever need to say that?"

"I uh, I was kinda wondering why you weren't until now," Lulloyd shook his head, "Guns only work here if you say 'Pew!' I mean, try it." Monty gave Lulloyd another look, then aimed the gun again and looked disgusted as he voiced his action.

"...Pew," All at once, the bullet fired from the gun, flying off as Monty's chi dragon formed around the barrel and shot out along with the bullet. When the portal struck the wall, there was a moment of massive sparking, then the bullet broke apart. The scales seemed to hover on the surface of the portal, then sunk into it. The swirling portal took on a slight orange hue as they did.

"...I hate this world, I hate this world more than anything else and I don't want to spend another minute in it," Monty shuddered, "Get me out of this messed up place, now."

"Hmmph, expletive aside," Over stepped forward, "I believe this is our ride."

"Is everyone ready?" Lloyd asked. Once more, they all simply stayed silent. Lloyd took a moment to ready himself, then he inhaled sharply and took a step forward towards the portal, "Then let's go!"

One by one, the group funneled into the portal. The orange portal crackled as each of them entered, but remained firm for them. Once Monty stepped in last, the portal slowly began to fizzle, then it shut behind them. The path to new worlds for them had been opened, and now, their adventure had seemingly just begun anew.


	55. Chapter 55

As it had many times by now, a portal opened in the side of Grand Sensei Dareth's Mojo Dojo. The studio was as Lloyd would have remembered it: a single room of large mats, fake trophies and a large screen wall perfect for throwing people out of. There was a familarness to the place, one that served to offset the feeling of worry that reigned supreme in the group as they entered into this new world.

"If Harumi's whole thing checks out," Monty raised his gun, "This is that snake's world."

With a nod, Lulloyd and Mage stepped forward. Mage bounced on his feet as he looked around yet another world that looked nothing like he did, while Lulloyd had simply grown used to it by now. The two shared a small look as Mage shifted his sword back against his hip. Lloyd shifted the weight of Lulloyd's mechdragon brick onto his back.

"Are you sure those two aren't going to randomly show up?" Lloyd asked Harumi. His words sparked a moment of silence among them. They waited patiently, praying not to hear the sound of a mech's jets approaching from the distance. With how quickly those two had followed them until now, if they didn't arrive immediately, they had likely gotten away.

When no sound came, Harumi smiled awkwardly, "Camouflage. I'm still not sure about my energy theory, but if they are tracking disturbances in dimensional energy, it makes sense that when we infuse our own by entering a new world, they'd appear right away. Since we used Ophiod's scale to get here, in theory that would mean we're hidden from them."

"To cloak ourselves in the energy of the world we wish to arrive in to minimize the chance of them finding us…" Overlloyd nodded, "While I find it worrying you rely on theory over fact, thus far your words have proven correct."

"Science is just testing theories until you either make them into facts or revise them to work when they fail," Harumi pointed out with a cough, "Anyways. Do you two know what you're doing?"

"Yeah, we're gathering information on Ophiod and Skales," Lulloyd turned to Mage, "Do you think you can make us some more… permanent disguises?"

"Uh… well, after what I did when we went to Borg's place, I have an idea, but right now I think it's better if we just hide the old fashioned way," Mage looked around, "Does anyone have a cloak?"

"Do not push him," Overlloyd stated harshly, "He is a child, and to rely on his power is a folly. Use your powers sparingly. To attract attention may bring forward those two. Alone, you two stand no chance against them. Leave your weapons with us. You both are more than capable without them." As they had previously agreed to, Lulloyd and Mage relinquished their swords.

"I'll be fine, Over!" Mage chirped, "Trust me, I know what I'm doing! I've gotten myself out of some pretty dangerous situations."

"It's someone making a situation more dangerous than you're prepared for that worries me," Overlloyd's eyes began to pulse brightly, "Do not push yourself. Hide if you must."

Mage blinked at Over's intensity and, while it didn't rattle him, it did make him nervously nod, "S-Sure. I can do that. Anyways, cloak, cloak…"

"Uh, hello? I uh, wasn't aware I had classes today!" Dareth's voice rang out from the other room.

"And that's our cue," Monty waved his hand, "Come on, I'm getting sick of being your chauffeur. I have things to do too, you know. Be back here in twenty four hours."

Quickly, Harumi and Lloyd shared a last look with Lulloyd to ensure that he was alright. Lulloyd just smiled at them back, forcing confidence up to show he was ready. With that, the four quickly disappeared into the portla, causing it to evaporate against the wall. Just as it faded away, Grand Sensei Dareth in his loose fitting brown robes entered the studio.

"I am Grand Sensei Dareth, and I Dareth you…!" Dareth pointed at them, "To tell me how you got into this place. Seriously, uh, I thought I locked the door. I was out to lunch."

Lulloyd saw Mage quickly open his eyes purple, indicating he was using form to cloak them both and leaving Lulloyd to pick up the slack, "Oh! Uh, heh, it's nothing. We kinda wandered in from the street. Uh… yeah. We were wondering if we could, uh, get some directions?"

"Directions?" Dareth raised his eyebrow in suspicion, "You broke into my studio for directions?"

"Grand Sensei Dareth!" Mage suddenly shouted, a sharp enough pitch it made Lulloyd flinch, "Oh my gosh, Lloyd it's really him! It's him! Come on, introduce me, introduce me!" He turned to Lulloyd pointedly, "You said you'd introduce me for my birthday, big brother!"

"Huh…?" Lulloyd's eyes sparked with understanding, "O-Oh! Oh! Yeah, yeah, of course!" Lulloyd quickly moved forward, pulling Mage along, "Sorry, we uh, well, we weren't looking for directions. See, my little brother here… Mark, he's really, really excited to meet you! We got excited and… well, the door was open so we waited for you!"

"You… wanted to meet me?" Dareth blinked, then his suspicious glares turned into smug grins, "Well, I'm always happy to meet a fan! Even if I'm not sure who you are, little one. Ahem! Well, it's nice to meet you, Mark! You're now inside the studio of the one! The only! Grand! Sensei! DARETH!" Dareth struck a rockstar pose, then riffed an air guitar.

"LLOYD, IT'S REALLY HIM!" Mage squeaked, bouncing up and down like a true little kid, "Thank you, thank you! I didn't know he was going to be this cool up close!"

"Y-Yeah, yeah he really is!" Lulloyd tried to imagine what a brother would be like, "Just doing what a good brother should!" Mage gave him a momentary look of disapproval.

"You can do more than see me!" Dareth proclaimed, "My wednesday class has a slot open. If you act now I'll even throw in the first week, just for free!"

"...Really?!" Mage gasped hard, "You're so kind, Sir Dareth! Can I sign up now, please, please? Pretty please?" He directed his gaze at Lulloyd.

"Hrmm… I uhm, we might need to talk about it with mom…" Mage's harsh glare made Lulloyd freeze, "...B-But if it's a free first week then why not!"

Mage beamed in approval, making Lulloyd relax a bit. The next few minutes were a long blur as Mage went about getting himself signed up, getting a form signed with some fake names and more or less playing to Dareth's ego to keep his suspicion off them. Lulloyd quickly found it was better to just not talk at all. When it was finally all over, Mage was waving hard to him as the two exited out onto the streets.

"Okay!" Mage put his fists together, "Now it's time to find those snakes!"

"Y-Yeah," Lulloyd nodded, looking out over Ninjago City, or at least a version of Lloyd's Ninjago City, "...Woah."

After having seen what Monty's city looked like, Lulloyd had expected the city to be a simple modern metropolis. Instead, the two were immediately thrust into a massive throng of people that were crowding the streets. There were no cars on the streets, as the streets were filled with people. So many people, in fact, that Lulloyd felt the throng shove into him as soon as the two of them had stepped out of the dojo. Lulloyd quickly grabbed Mage's arm as the two were rapidly swept along into the throng.

A slight brown haze seemed to hang over the crowd as the two, still under Mage's guise, were swept away. What immediately struck Lulloyd was how _dense_ everything was. The city itself looked somewhat modern, with the usual buildings that one would expect, yet they were packed so tightly together that he could barely see any alleyways. To either sides of the street were large market stalls with people trying to sell all kinds of goods from food to blankets to clothes. So many people were on the streets that just seeing what someone was holding up was nearly impossible. While the road under their feet was paved, it was also incredibly narrow, making it so only bikes were able to weave their way in and out of the crowd. The ir had a strange haze in it, making it almost seem a deep yellow instead of the normally clear blue.

"Over there!" Mage pointed to a small patch of greenery amongst all of the chaos. The two all but swam their way through the people until they were able to stumble onto the greenery. At first, it looked like a park, until the two look around to see it was completely locked in on all sides by buildings. It was more than likely a lot that simply had been planted for some reason or another. The only thing making it a park was a single tree that had done well to grow with the lack of sunlight.

"What's going on here?" Mage huffed, "It's so… so tight!"

"I dunno… it doesn't look right either," Lulloyd looked around, "I don't see any phones or… really any technology like that. Is this really Ninjago City?"

"It kinda reminds me of the Time Tribe," Mage blinked. Lulloyd found the comparison apt. The Time Tribe looked as though it'd been on the cusp of true industrialization. This place looked like it had invented roads and massive cities, yet hadn't hit the modern age just yet. That fact alone struck Lulloyd as rather significant.

"Uh… here," Lulloyd looked around, "Harumi taught me how Ninjago used the Serpentine Wars to date everything. Maybe, we can see if we're like, really far in the past or?"

Mage walked up, holding a massive newspaper up to drop his element of form on them, Lulloyd decided not to ask where he got it and instead moved to peak around and look at the date.

"No…" Lulloyd frowned, "This, says that we're only a year off from when Lloyd left his universe. But, this place looks so different!"

"Hrmmm…" Mage rubbed his chin, using the newspaper to hide them both, "I guess it's just something we can find out! We just need to figure out where the Serpentine are!"

"Serpentine?" A man that the two had previously not seen in the little 'park' spoke up behind them, "Now that's a name that I wish I didn't have to hear again."

Lulloyd and Mage turned with the newspaper towards the man. The crowd behind them didn't seem that interested in them, thankfully. Mage peeked around to see a man in a thick brown jacket and long tan pants, hooked together with a massive utility belt. On his hip, he wore a massive whip. He had long black hair that fell notably over an eyepatch he had currently on his left eye.

"Uh… hi!" Lulloyd waved his hand out from the side of the newspaper, "We were uhm, you know. We were just wondering where they were. I'm Lloyd and this is Mark."

"Clutch," The man walked over towards them, "Clutch Powers. You've probably heard of me from my book, right?"

"Uh… nope!" Mage answered honestly, "We don't read much."

"What? You have to! It was a bestseller!" Clutch stalked towards them, "_Boobytraps and How to Survive Them_? _Famous Places I Will Find Before Anyone Else_? _How Not to Raid Your First Temple_? None of them?!"

"Nope, sorry," Lulloyd answered, "But, uh, you know about the Serpentine?"

"Know about them? I've been trying to get to them for months!" Clutch exclaimed, "All the good explorers sites are on the other side of the border! Course, I wouldn't need to go if those stuffy guys at the club didn't demand I keep up a quota. Sorry if all the good places have all been touched by now, Constello!" Clutch huffed at an imaginary person, "What do you have to do with them?"

"We're… wanting to explore more about them!" Lulloyd lied, "But yeah, I know, right? They're not letting anyone over the border! You know, the big huge border?"

"Ugh, tell me about it," Clutch sighed, "I've been to Nagaus I don't know how many times! It's the only place on Serpentine lands humans are allowed, but each time I try to explain I'm doing it for the good of everyone, they don't listen! I tell you, those guys can be awful."

"Nagaus?" Lulloyd asked without thinking.

"You know, Nagaus!" Clutch tore the newspaper from their hands, just in time for Mage's eyes to glow as he guised their forms, "Big trading city? Only place we're allowed to go? Uh, the Queen says it's supposed to be a big symbol of us moving forward together. If you ask me it's just a big sign of how 'powerful' and 'strong' they are."

"Right, of course," Lulloyd grimaced, "My bad. Uh… you know what, we were actually just on our way there. Need to do some, trading. We'll be going now!"

"Hmmph, well if you're trying to see more of that place, good luck!" Clutch scoffed. Just as the two turned to leave, Clutch suddenly shouted, "Wait!" They both froze, expecting him to say something about their bodies.

"You two seem like some good kids, I tell you what!" Clutch walked up and slid a business card into Lulloyd's hard, "There, that's a coupon for _Famous Places I Will Find Before Anyone Else_. Give me a call once you get it, I'll even sign it for you. It'll be worth a lot of money one day!" Lulloyd looked down, seeing the coupon was 10% one book with the purchase of two more of equal or greater value.

"Will do!" Mage tugged Lulloyd's arm, "Come on, Lloyd! Let's go! I wanna see Nagaus!" The two quickly moved to absorb back into the throng of people. Clutch Powers sighed as he watched them go, moving back to sit on the bench in the tiny carved out park in the crowded and congested city.

* * *

While it seemed that personal transportation hadn't hit a stride yet, most of Ninjago was connected by rail. Armed with the name Nagaus, the two had managed to find their way through the dim and congested city until they'd reached a large train station. With both of them lacking currency, Mage had used his metal powers to attract all the loose coins from around the area until the two had scrounge up enough for a ticket to their destination. After braving the crowd of people that lined both sides of the train station, both had found their way onto a rather antique looking train. The fact it wasn't antique now was somewhat awkward in Lulloyd's mind. Thankfully, for once Mage had some frame of reference for what a train was with the invention of the Speed Cars in his world.

Soon, the two found a small pair of seats next to each other in a crowded passenger car. Once there, Mage looked around until he found a large coat rack. He nabbed two coats and returned to Lulloyd, letting them both cover up and let Mage finally drop using form. He panted visibly as he did, shaking his head a bit to clear it from the slight wave of exhaustion from keeping them disguised for almost three hours.

"Okay, I'm using sound so nobody hears us," Mage informed Lulloyd.

"Good," Lulloyd slowly sighed as he tried to relax in the hard seat of the train, "Where, did you learn to act like that?"

"With Dareth?" Mage blinked, "Oh. I think it was Lady Chamille? She kidnapped me and kept me prisoner in her tribe. I had to learn to assume a form and act good enough to get past all her guards. I wasn't allowed to leave until I was able to fool my way past her. I've learned how to read people and figure out what I should say to them!"

"That makes sense" Lulloyd voiced, then his mind caught up to what he heard, "Wait, what?"

"I was kidnapped a lot when I was learning stuff," Mage shrugged, "Sometimes Chen arranged for it, other times it was just how they wanted to teach me. I've told you guys I know how to get out of dungeons!"

"...I'm just, gonna not think about that right now," Lulloyd looked around at the large group of people, "What do you think about what that Clutch guy was saying? He felt a bit, weird to me."

"I think it's pretty obvious!" Mage voiced, "The humans and Serpentine are in different tribes! And they have a border between them, just like back home!"

"Yeah but, why?" Lulloyd asked, "All the worlds we've been to so far, the Serpentine haven't been, around. Well, they kinda were for Harumi but, not for Lloyd, Monty or Over."

"I dunno, usually it's because of a war or something," Mage shrugged, "That's how it was back home. It all happened a long time ago for me, though."

"Yeah… I kinda wish I had one of them here to ask about," Lulloyd sighed, "We don't know much about how these places work since we're, you know… special."

"Ophiod is a Serpentine," Mage pointed out, "So it makes sense they're probably a big deal here. Nobody reacted when I called you Lloyd, so Harumi's probably right about Ophiod being us!"

"Why would they…?" Lulloyd's gears turned, "Were, you making me look like Lloyd?"

"Yeah, it was just to test some things!" Mage pointed out, "It's a trick I learned from Lady Chamille's captain, Camus. If people had a reaction to you, that tells us something!"

"Don't, do that without telling me, okay?" Lulloyd shuddered, "We don't know who Lloyd is here. Well I mean, we do but, he could be someone else!"

"That's why I did it with Dareth first," Mage pointed out, then he yawned, "Do you mind if I rest a bit? I wanna be fully charged before we get to Nagaus!"

"Huh? Yeah, sure, go for it," Lulloyd looked around, "I'll uh, keep watch."

With a thankful yawn, Mage turned and slowly leaned back, drifting into a small nap. Lulloyd wondered if he was really asleep with all his elements, but that wasn't that important. For now, he tried to look around and see what else there was to gleem about this place. Aside from the large amounts of people in various states of clothes, he wasn't quite sure of what he was looking for. The most advanced thing of technology he saw was a watch, so he had to question what was really going on here.

It was another hour before they arrived at their destination. Lulloyd didn't have the clearest map of Ninjago, but it looked as though the train was heading towards the desert. At first, the passing scenery had been crowded city after crowded city. Once they broke from the cities, however, the landscape turned into large open fields filled with crops and small communities that everyone could see from the window. The last stop was a half hour into the journey, leaving a long stretch for Lulloyd to just stare out the window and wonder about where they were. He tried to see if he could find the ocean to give him a place to see the shoreline, but they were too far inland for that.

Soon, the large fields of crops and stretches of land turned into large arid plains, and those plains into sand. They seemed to have crossed into the desert. Lulloyd recalled them flying over one in Monty's world; assuming the geography was right, and they had been going in a straight line, then they were in the northwestern part of Ninjago. Not long after the train had entered the sands, the train car arrived at their destination. Lulloyd quickly woke up Mage, who yawned at him as the two stood up so as not to get left behind. The people on the train rapidly began to disembark. When the two exited onto the large train platform, the city of Nagaus was shown to them.

What immediately struck Lulloyd was the unique layout of the city. Nagaus, from an aerial view, was shaped like a massive fan. The train tracks formed a tangent with the highest point of said fan. The city, however, was not flat. Instead, as soon as they exited the train tracks, the ground sloped down into massive stepped paths that went down towards the bottom of the fan. The entire city sloped downwards below the ground level, surrounded by a massive wall of carved sandstone which grew taller as one went down. At the very bottom of the city, the wall stretched hundreds of feet into the air. At said bottom of the city was a massive cave carved into the bottom of the wall. From the sculpted walls that formed the basin the city was built into all the way to the ground under them, it was immediately clear to Lulloyd the city was entirely hand-made and carved. The top of the rock wall on the other side of the city reached the height the train station was positioned at. In every direction around the city was a vast sea of sand, with no sign of civilization in sight. Even the train tracks stopped just past the city itself.

The train station was at the very top of Nagaus. All the paths that were spread out radially from the station all sloped downwards through the city. The city was built in layers, with large semi-circular platforms built into the side of the downward sloping walls. The city was laid out in a series of washers that stretched from one end to the other, with houses, shops and structures built on them. A total of ten of these washers were present, getting smaller in length as one went down into the city. Cutting straight through these washers were what looked like aqueducts, water pouring down in straight lines until they reached the bottom where a small lake had been built. A large beautiful plaza was built around the lake. It was at the front of this plaza that Lulloyd saw the cave that stood out so prominently against the carved out wall of the city. All in all, the city appeared as though it had been made by someone carving a section of sand out from the desert itself.

"Woah…" Lulloyd blinked, "This is… Nagaus? It's…"

"It's really pretty," Mage whispered, "It reminds me of some of the places back home but… this place looks incredible!"

"If you think Nagaus is impressive," A familiar voice caused Lulloyd to jump, "Just wait until you get me into Ouroborus!"

Lulloyd spun around, his hand almost reaching for his sword. Standing behind them was none other than Clutch Powers. The man yawned and stretched his back out, causing it to pop. Mage started to use form, but Lulloyd put his hand on his shoulder and instead just tugged their coats over their head a bit more. Mage stopped, but looked at Clutch nervously.

"Clutch?" Lulloyd tried to act calm, "What, uh, are you doing here?"

"Oh, I stowed away on the train," Clutch stated calmly, "I need to remember to write down notes about choosing the right size suitcase to hide in. I picked one too big and I think the rocking threw my neck out."

"Hi, Clutch!" Mage went back into his younger persona, "Did you follow us here?"

"Yeah, I did," Clutch sighed, rubbing his head, "Hey, if anyone asks, I'm your father, alright? I'm a bit strapped for cash right now and well, it isn't cheap to come all the way out here."

"Oh, yeah, it really isn't!" Mage chirped, forgoing the fact he'd just grabbed coins until the ticket booth let them have their tickets, "But why did you follow us?"

"Because, nobody talks about the Serpentine unless you have an 'in' with them, and I've been looking for my 'in' with them for years!" Clutch finished adjusting his neck and grinned confidently, "C'mon, you guys have to tell me how they're letting you in!"

"Oh, uh… we know some guys," Lulloyd smiled nervously, "Yeah like, some really important guys. We uh… we know… O-Ophiod."

"...You serious?" Clutch suddenly lowered his voice, "Don't lie to me. I know how to lie! I've lied my way into some pretty sweet things."

"We're totally serious!" Mage beamed, "We know Prince Ophiod! He's going to let us into Ouroborey!"

"Ourobo_rus_," Clutch frowned, "Don't mess the name up. They're really picky about that. But nevermind that, are you for real?" Clutch took a step towards them, "Can you get me into Serpentine Lands?"

"We can…" Lulloyd paused, "But! Uh, tell me, what's in it for us?"

"Hrmm, leveraging information for profit, you got some guts there," Clutch smirked, "I like it. Mark of a real explorer! Alright, fine. I can play ball. But first, we need to get off this train station. Come on, I know my way around."

Lulloyd shared a look with Mage, deciding to trust Clutch for now. The middle aged explorer smirked at them and then spun on one foot, taking a step forward. Unfortunately for him, he misjudged the stairs that went down from the station, causing him to shout and fall off. Both of them rushed to see him groaning as a bit of dust kicked up from where he landed. When he tried to sit up, his eyepatch caught on a rock, snapping back onto his face painfully.

"Clutch!" Mage put on a childish worry, "Are you okay?! That must of hurt!"

"Ugh… nothing to worry about!" Clutch stood up, his eyepatch on his right eye, "...Anyways, lead on!" Lulloyd blinked at the discrepancy in the eyepatch, but said nothing. Mage just kept up his persona as the two followed him into the city.

Clutch led them down a fair amount of stairs, following one of the massive aqueducts that went along the main path. They followed an arch that went under the flowing water, entering the second level of the city from the top. The streets here were far less crowded with people, much to Lulloyd's relief. All along the sides of the path were massive vendor stalls, giving the place the air of something akin to a bazaar. The sun above them had begun to set, however, meaning that many of the stalls were now packing down. For now, only humans were around.

The three arrived at a large square building, with a large sheet of cloth stretched out to form the roof to form a covered area. A few sparse tables were set up, which Clutch directed them to sit at. While they waited, Clutch went up to a window in the building and soon arrived back with three large bottles. When Lulloyd opened the one he was given, there was a faint sweet smell wafting from it.

"Never had this stuff before?" Clutch had just finished a swig, "Made from something called a Javarus plant. Native to the desert. It's supposed to keep you hydrated even longer than guzzling down a whole canteen of water can with just a few sips. Plus, it's really sweet."

"I thought you said you didn't have money for the train ticket," Lulloyd asked as he saw other people moving up and paying for the same drinks.

"I said I didn't have money for the ticket, I have money for local cuisine!" Clutch scoffed, "Nothing gets past you, does it?"

"Ease off him, big brother!" Mage nudged Lulloyd in the side, "He's showing us the city! Plus, this stuff is really good!"

Lulloyd looked down at the drink, then took a sip. The liquid was slightly thicker than he expected. The sweet taste was something of a mix of strawberry and mango, but was otherwise hard to describe. When he drank it, it felt as though it stuck to the inside of his throat. Even after he swallowed, it didn't seem to go away. If this was made for combating thirst, it made sense.

"So," Clutch waved his hand, "What do you two know about Nagaus?"

"Only what we've heard on the streets!" Mage answered, "It's a snake city, right?"

"Always get you information from the source," Clutch informed Mage, "You're not all wrong, though. Nagaus is the only city that humans are allowed on in Serpentine Lands. It was built around a decade ago as a symbol of progress, but like I said," Clutch took a long drink, "I see it as them flaunting their power in our faces."

"Yeah, it's, a really nice city," Lulloyd looked around, "I've never seen something laid out like this."

"It's somewhat clever," Clutch rolled his eyes, "The city was built so that big wall you see faces east. That way the people that come to the city can go to the lower levels and escape the heat in the shade. Then at night, when all the people are leaving the city, the sun's started to set so the upper levels are cooler. They pump the water up from some underground river to help with the heat."

"So that's why it's all kinda built below ground," Lulloyd nodded his head, "So, what's the cave down there?"

"That, my friend, is the one and only entrance to Serpentine lands," Clutch set his drink down, a frown on his face, "If you want to make it to the next city without going through that tunnel, you better be ready to trek across miles of scorching hot desert. Even if you are prepared for it, they'll turn you back as soon as they see you. That cave connects to an underground network that links all the major Serpentine cities. Jormun, Malcho, Maras, Crawles, Nagina…. Well, if you want to see Prince Ophiod, you'd be heading to Ouroborus."

"Right, Ouroboros," Lulloyd affirmed, "Uh… so what's the name of the Serpentine Lands all called? Act like we're stupid here."

"Ouroborus," Clutch stated casually, "It's named after their capital. I guess it'd make more sense to say it's Ouroborus City. Makes a little more sense."

"So, Ninjago and Ouroborus, those are the two big nations here…" Lulloyd mused, "And, you want to go there because… you want to explore?"

"Wrong, I want to explore and then write about it," Clutch leaned back, "All the money is in monetizing your adventures, remember that."

"I will!" Mage smiled, "I think the man at the train place said that was the last trip of the day."

"Yeah, the train is probably taking the last batch of people back from here now," Clutch stretched, "You're planning to make your way straight for the capital, right?"

"We weren't sure yet," Lulloyd pointed out, "We kinda were just making our way here. I, guess we can go?"

"Most of the Serpentine leave this place before the sun goes down, so unless you know your way around the tunnels, you best wait until you can get yourself a guide tomorrow," Clutch stood up, "Alright, I think I've figured out my offer to you guys."

"Oohh, right!" Mage turned to Lulloyd, "What he'll give us in exchange for letting him into Ouroborus!" Clutch froze in his seat for a moment, then shook himself.

"Once I get in there, I'll explore everything I can, and after that, I'll write my next book about it, this one will be sure to be a bestseller!" Clutch nodded his head, "I'll make you both coauthors with me. And I'll give you…. Fifteen percent of the profits," He paused, "No, wait. Thirteen. Or, hrmmm… oh, fine, I'll give you twenty percent, together. How does that sound?"

Normally, if Lulloyd was actually negotiating, he'd have demanded twenty percent each. Given that they had no reason to stick around after they learned more about Ophiod, he didn't feel the need to negotiate. He did stop and make it look as though he was actually thinking about it for a long while. Clutch waited impatiently, tapping his foot as he waited for them. Finally, Lulloyd rotated his body to nod his head, making Clutch grin.

"You won't regret it!" Clutch reached out and forcibly shook first Lulloyd, then Mage's hand, "Alright, I have a friend around here to give us a place to hole up for the night. You'll like him, he's an explorer, just like me! We go way back."

Clutch took the rest of his drink, downed it, then threw it in a small box filled with similarly empty bottles. Lulloyd shared another look with Mage, who kept on smiling as he downed the rest of his own drink and then went to quickly hop after the two of them.

Clutch led them through the massive market area, by now the sun having set on the horizon. With how the city was laid out, however, it felt as though it was already night. A chill had begun to go through the air as the city cooled without the direct sunlight. Everything around them seemed to be carved from stone, with the only manmade structures looking to be the stalls themselves. The houses were all carved into the side of the city, resulting in the stretches of street starting to look somewhat homogenous. Granted, once one was able to get to an open space and look down the descending levels, this was far less of an issue.

"Alright, here we are!" Clutch declared. Lulloyd couldn't tell the house that they stopped at apart from any other. Clutch smirked and walked up to the door, giving ak nock, "Hey, Speedman! It's Clutch! Think you can…"

The door opened to a man with a massive grizzled gray beard. His hair was combed into a widow's peak, and was similarly gray. He wore an eyepatch over his left eye, making Lulloyd start to wonder if wearing an eyepatch was just a common thing or not. He was in a plain set of button up shirt and shorts, looking a bit like a retiree of some kind.

"Clutch Powers..?" Speedman yawned, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh you know, on my way to another adventure!" Clutch grinned, "How'd that trip to Atlantis work out for you? Get anything good out of it? I haven't seen you talk about it to the press. Well, anyways, do you mind if we stay the night? We're heading out to Ouroborus in the morning."

"You? Going into Serpentine lands?" Speedman laughed, "Good one, Clutch. Well, I suppose I should help you out here. One of those ridiculous tips you spout on about actually saved the Neptune from crashing, so I suppose I can let you in. Are those two with you?"

Mage waved his hand while Lulloyd just blinked, letting Clutch speak for them, "Yep, they are. They're my ticket in. Thanks for this, wouldn't want to leave a fellow explorer out in the cold, right?"

"Normally, I'd tell anyone that claims to be an explorer to always have a place to rest and lock you out," Speedman corrected him with a smirk, "But seeing as you got friends with you, looks like I can't. You can stay till the sun is up."

Clutch looked momentarily offended, but between Speedman's offer and his smug expression, he didn't want to push his luck. He simply rolled his eyes and made a rather dramatic step into the large sandstone home. Lulloyd and Mage looked to one another, then nodded as they entered too. Speedman just yawned again and shut the door behind them as the sun fully set over the desert horizon.

* * *

Lulloyd had remembered hearing at some random point in school that deserts got incredibly cold at night due to the sand not holding heat very well. Until that night, it'd always been a little fact for him. Sleeping through the night in Nagaus, however, was colder than he could have imagined. Speedman's house was one giant cube with large carved walls that made one bedroom, living room and a kitchen area, so the three were made to sleep in the living space. One blanket each had seemed like enough, but by the time the moonlight was shining through the carved out windows, Lulloyd was shivering. Mage had thankfully exhaled a breath of flame to warm the space, but that had only lasted a few hours. After that, it'd been back to frigid city.

When the morning sun rose, Lulloyd was all too ready to get moving. Without waking up Clutch, however, he moved to place the side of his claw hand on Mage's lips and gently shook him. Mage, however, sprung up at the moment he was touched. Slowly, Lulloyd exited the home and stood out on the street, shivering as he spoke with Mage.

"S-So, do you think you can keep us disguised as Serpentine?" Lulloyd stammered out.

"Yeah," Mage was subtly heating his body with fire to stay warm, "I need to do it before we get there, though. I think I know how but… it's not really something I can do on the spot."

"H-How are you doing it?" Lulloyd asked, trying to keep his mind on something else.

"When I'm using an element like fire or earth, I don't actually keep focusing on what I'm doing," Mage explained, "Like. I just hit the ground once and then a rock comes up. I think if I hit us both with enough form energy at once then, maybe it'll stick in the same way. The more I hit us with, the longer it should last. So like, instead of constantly thinking about it, I just do it at the start. Chamille said she did that to you guys when you went to rescue Nya, I think."

"A-As long as it doesn't hurt, I'm in," Lulloyd affirmed, "A-Are we taking Clutch with us?"

"Why would we ditch him at this point?" Mage asked with a genuine tone.

"I uh… I just assumed we wanted him to show us around Nagaus and stuff," Lulloyd answered.

"Neither of us know a lot about Serpentine, but Clutch does," Mage pointed out, "And if he gets caught, we can just claim he snuck in with us and have him sent back. If he doesn't, he gets to explore!"

"Uh… that's, pretty reasonable," Lulloyd admitted, "Should we go get Clutch and head out?"

"Yeah, we only have until this afternoon to get back to Dareth," Mage paused, "Let's see, we arrived at what, three? We got to Nagaus at sevenish, I know that. And if the sun hasn't risen yet, that means it can't be more than six right now. So let's work with us having nine hours to do this!"

"Oh…" Lulloyd blinked, "I was just, gonna leave when it looked like we had to go back," He nervously sighed, "Was, this the sort of thing you did while traveling all over your world?"

"Yep!" Mage beamed, "Now come on, let's go get-"

From the door to Speedman's home, Clutch Powers exited with a hard yawn. Both of them blinked in surprise as he moved to rub sleep from his eyes, then stretch out and knock his back into place. Sleeping on the floor hadn't done him that many favors, it seemed. The two both flung on the coats they'd taken the previous day before Clutch saw too much of them.

"Urgh, he needs to invest in more beds," Clutch lamented, then smiled upon seeing the two, "Already getting ready to go, eh? You two really are ready for this. Almost reminds me of a younger version of myself."

"Really?!" Mage suddenly flipped back to his child persona. This only made Clutch just smugly grin and begin trekking down the road, waving his hand for them to follow.

Lulloyd decided not to respond, instead following clutch. The three made their way back to one of the massive stairs that followed the aqueducts down the radius of the city. As they descended, Lulloyd was given a bit more time to observe the city. It seemed the top half of the city was primarily there for homes, with some small marketplaces interspersed for food and small goods. Once they entered the middle levels, that was where the marketplaces truly stretched. They were empty now, but all the way down the length of the roads were massive tents, stalls and some carved homes that looked converted for larger stock. This continued for a long while of steps, and Lulloyd could only imagine what it was like when people came to trade again.

That was until they reached the bottom four levels. These were no longer made for trade, and instead looked as though they were built for a massive public space. Because of how the city was fan-shaped, the levels got smaller as they went down. By now, Lulloyd could run from one end of the level to the other without getting too winded. Large planters were filled with greenery, fed by pouring water from the aqueducts into them. These took up two levels. The bottom two, including the very bottom, were simply a massive walking area. As they approached the second to last level, Lulloyd saw a very pointed gate that was built from sandstone like the rest of the city, and on the other side of that gate was none other than Serpentine.

"Woah…" Mage blinked as he saw a large green one, "Serpentine are cool!"

"I've never seen one up close…. Well aside from, him and, all of them," Lulloyd played along, "Clutch, you know a lot about Serpentine, right? Why not tell us about some? We'd really like it!"

"Kids these days, not even learning about the basics!" Clutch lamented dramatically, "Well, I guess it can't be helped. There are five main tribes you gotta know about. Greens one as Venomari. They spit venom. Makes your mind go all funky. Red ones are Fangpyre, they bite you or something else and it'll turn into a snake. Black ones are Constrictai, they dig. Blue ones, those are Hypnobrai, kinda obvious from the name. Purple ones are Anacondrai, they're super tough and rumor has it they can turn invisible."

"Rumor has it?" Lulloyd blinked, "Why wouldn't you know?"

"Because most people don't get to see many Serpentine. This place is the only place you can and, well," Clutch gestured to the gate, "They aren't happy to let people in."

"Wait, why are the black ones called Constrictai?" Mage gestured to a rather small black Serpentine with a massive head, "That one doesn't have a tail! Don't they constrict?"

"I didn't name them, but you aren't wrong," Clutch paused, "Ah, yeah. One more kind. Vipers. You probably won't ever see them, and nobody actually knows what they look like, other than the Queen. And only the big guys have seen the Queen, so yeah. There aren't many of them around nowadays."

Mage waited until they found a planter with thick enough brush for them to hide behind. Lulloyd subtly changed their course so they stood behind them, out of sight of the Serpentine. Mage went to slowly peek around to start studying the looks of the Serpentine that filled out the bottoms levels.

"Why aren't there more of them around?" Lulloyd asked.

"Well, and don't quote me on this," Clutch frowned, "Seriously, don't, I have ot approve all citations; Vipers are said to have been around since before the tribes. Some say the tribes evolved from them. Nobody really knows. But as the tribes grew, Vipers made up the royal family. Started with King Mambo the First. The Queen is his ancestor. Most of the guys that study this stuff think Vipers just started to integrate with other tribes. They're pretty small now, but the royal family is all Viper."

"That's… huh," Lulloyd blinked, "I guess that makes sense."

"Lloyd!" Mage tugged Lulloyd's sleeve, "I'm ready to go now! I've seen enough! More than enough!"

It took a moment for Lulloyd to realize what Mage was saying. Lulloyd quickly turned to Clutch and then smiled, "Hey, Clutch, tell me more about Serpentine!"

"You haven't heard enough yet?" Clutch shrugged, "Alright. Well, the Anacondrai make up most of the royal guard and military, they're pretty-"

With a small inhale, Mage thrust his hands forward and sent three blasts of pure form energy from his hands. Normally, summoning an element like form wasn't something that acted like power, but he had tooled it enough to work. The three blasts struck each of them, causing all three to stumble back. While the element didn't hurt, Mage poured as much as he possibly could of his hands. Clutch's words had distracted him enough to take his attention off Mage. Lulloyd tensed up until Mage finally staggered and stopped, panting a bit as he did.

"Hey, what gives?!" Clutch turned to Lulloyd, "Did you just push me, kid?!"

"Sorry, I uhm, I fell!" Lulloyd lied, "I was, so focused on your speech that I was leaning in to hear more!"

"...Well, I guess in _that_ case I'll let it slide," Clutch scoffed, "But you need to learn more stable footing!"

"Hehe.. .yeah!" Lulloyd smiled, then took a step back towards Mage and whispered, "Did it work?"

"Yeah, it did," Mage huffed out in a whisper, "We look like those snake guys down there now. I'm a Constricter, you're a Venomareye, and he's a Fanger. I also added did a bit of stuff so we don't have to hide anymore."

"Right…" Lulloyd had already mixed up who was who, but gladly shirked his coat alongside Mage, "Do you think these disguises will last?"

"Long enough," Mage grimaced, "But let's not waste time."

Lulloyd affirmed Mage's words by taking a step forward and leaving the small cover of the plants. Mage followed him, causing Clutch to blink and decide to catch up. Lulloyd's faith in Mage after having seen what he could do was enough for him to be willing to march right up towards the gate where two Hypnobrai were standing guard. As they approached, the two turned their sights towards them. Clutch nervously walked up to Lulloyd and whispered in his ear.

"You sure this is going to work?" Clutch asked nervously, "Not that I'm doubting you."

"Trust us," Lulloyd smiled to him, then turned towards the two Serpentine.

"Returning from a tour of the city, eh?" One guard hissed out.

"I don't remember seeing you two leave," The second guard hissed, "Anyone going in the city is supposed to go through us."

"We left last night," Mage put his hand up, "Just looking out for some humans that wanted to sneak past the gate."

"I thought you guys said that-" Clutch started to speak, only to go silent when the first guard stared at him.

"We came here on businesssssssss," Lulloyd drew out his 's' for the snakes, "We wanted to sssssee what we could bring back with ussssssss."

"...That's a pretty thick accent you have there," The second guard pondered, "Where are you from? Nagina?"

"Nah, that's totally Maras," The first guard corrected his partner, "Those guys need a translator just for them, right?" The two shared a snicker.

"Well, next time get back before the shift change," The first guard shook his head, "Or let them know you're staying out late. Makes it easier on us. Where are you guys heading?"

"Ouroborus," Mage paused, "We have some business with Prince Ophiod."

"The Prince?!" The second guard gasped, "But, nobody has seen hi-" The first guard elbowed his chest.

"_Sure_ you do," The first guard chuckled, turning into a hiss by the end, "Just like I do. Well, if you're heading there, the first ride should get here soon. Lucky you."

"Thankssssss!" Lulloyd smiled at them. The two guards shared another look before stepping aside, letting the three of them pass. Clutch looked at both of them with a confused glance, unsure of what had just happened. The three walked past the two guards, who were already chatting about them as they went by. Once they were out of earshot, Clutch moved to put a hand on Lulloyd's shoulder.

"Those two didn't even point out you two were humans," Clutch frowned, "And they just let me in with you! How did you two get past them?!"

"Like you said," Lulloyd smirked, "We have an 'in.' We're basically honorary Serpentine."

"Impressive," Clutch smirked, "I can't believe it! I'm actually on Serpentine soil right now! Well, sand, but you get the picture! Oh I'm going to write so much when we get back!"

The small bottom later of the city wasn't very large at all, with the cave in the massive vertical wall being the only defining feature. The three made their way inside. The cave was more like a massive tunnel, lit with small lights on the walls that looked like a mix of crystal and lightbulbs. The walls were incredibly smooth, making a perfect hemisphere that stretched deep into the rock. With the precision on display, it was clear that this tunnel was entirely handmade. The three saw a small stairwell that led to a raised platform, and made their way onto it.

Not much longer after the three arrived, they heard a loud rumbling. From further down the tunnel, something was coming. When it came into sight, it was both normal and bizarre at the same time. Four large two wheeled green cycles came down the wall. The cycles had no driver, and instead looked like snakes themselves. The fronts were shaped like snake heads and blinked from large eyes in the sides. Two in the front were pulling a massive cart with almost fifty seats on it, sparsely filled with Serpentine. The other two were in the back, pushing it along. The cart was tall enough that, when they got close to the platform, the bite cycles moved to pull it up until the cart was level with the platform.

The snakes onboard disembarked, perhaps ten in total, moving to exit the tunnel. Lulloyd looked down in confusion, but then slowly moved to move down into one of the seats along with Mage and Clutch. As soon as they were seated, the two cycles that had been pushing turned around. The half snake, half vehicles extended their tails and looped them into slots on the outside of the cart. Once they had their grip, the cars began to quickly pull the group along. Soon, the three were off, soaring down the tunnels comparable to the speed of the train from earlier.

Once more, Lulloyd was left to look around. The tunnels were the same no matter how long they went, with several splits in the road. The bite cycles moved on their own, and Lulloyd only realized that he hadn't told them where they were going until they had already passed one. By then, it was far too late, and he was left to instead just sit back and wait. That anxiety began to build as he saw Mage still calmly sitting down and maintaining his persona of a young child. How he could stay calm like this, he wasn't sure. Clutch was quiet too, thankfully, but was more so scribbling down notes in a small notebook he produced from his utility belt for now.

It was somewhere between a half and full hour before the cycles went on a steady incline and soon exited out into the bright light of the desert. Lulloyd was forced to put a hand over his eyes to stop the light from blinding him as they did. Given the shorter length of travel, they couldn't have been too deep into the desert yet. For the first few seconds of his eyes adjusting to the sunlight, he was forced to look down at the cart. All around them, the desert stretched out for miles. When he finally was able to look up towards the horizon, his attention was focused on the destination the cycles were taking them to.

In the distance was a massive city. The city, like Nagaus, was carved from some sort of stone. Yet unlike Nagaus, this was built on top of the sands, and thus was far more grand. The city appeared to be laid out in a massive circle, and the buildings that made up the perimeter stretched up high enough in the sky to fall just short of skyscrapers. Four massive buildings stretched up like fingers that bent inwards towards the city's center, marking the four points on the city's circular layout. The buildings around them were nowhere near as tall, but they gradually increased in height as they approached the four massive towers, creating a sort of rippling shape to the profile of the city. The cycles were heading towards a massive gate that served as the opening, with a large rectangular space cut out of the city's foundation for them to pull into.

As they grew closer, Lulloyd was able to make out even more of the city. The buildings were all designed like wedges, creating a beautiful wheel-like shape. They all stretched into a massive center, where a large pyramid-like palace was erected. It was clear just looking at it that it was the palace. Four massive obliques marked its corners, while a large stairwell led up to the very top where the entrance seemed to lie. It was as though those four massive pillars on the city's exterior were stretching towards the pyramid's top. The entire city was easily the size of Ninjago City, just judging from how long it took for them to approach before they were able to even make out the intricate carvings that lined the four large pillars.

Clutch immediately turned to a new page in his notebook and began to furiously scribble down a surprisingly accurate sketch of the city he was seeing. Both Lulloyd and Mage, for now, were just happy to enjoy the sight of it. They soon entered the large gate and pulled into a station, where they were able to exit their ride. They stepped down together. A minute after they left, the cycles switched roles and once more pulled out of the station.

"Is this… Ouroborus?" Lulloyd asked as he looked up. Buildings stretched up around all sides, creating a pleasant shade on their area, "I-I mean we've just never been before!"

"The city shaped like the legend itself," Clutch whispered, ignoring Lulloyd's slip-up, "It sure is. Can't be anything else, even! The jewel carved from the desert itself…"

"This place is amazing!" Mage was already running over towards a path that led further into the city, "Let's see more!" Whether this was his persona or just him naturally, Lulloyd wasn't sure.

"Agreed! I have to see all of this place!" Clutch had his notebook in hand, "Everyone will have to hear about this!"

Mage traveled down the path. As they walked, the path got wider until it connected to a massive open area. As though the buildings on the outer wall acted like a barrier, once they emerged from the path, the city seemed to open up. They stepped out into a massive plaza, and all at once the splendor that was Ouroborus was laid out to them.

The small perch that they had allowed them to see all the way to the main palace. The city itself was relatively flat, with massive open areas paved over with beautiful colored stones to give the entire city a swirling mass of color. Everywhere they looked, they saw Serpentine. All of the tribes mingled together, rushing about like the people of Ninjago City. They were so thick the streets were a blend of purples, blues, greens reds and, black and oranges. The buildings on the exterior grew more and more sparse as they went in, leading to more massive spaces that emphasized the structure that was the massive palace in the dead center.

The city itself appeared to be divided into quadrants, easy to see from the general colors that each one emphasized. One area was filled with greenery, with large snake-made waterways fueling crops and beautiful flora. From this distance, it almost looked like a garden. One district was filled with large shops and homes that had an industrial feeling to it. At the center of this district was a building Lulloyd could only describe as a huge furnace. Another area looked far more like a traditional city, with shops and homes that were spread out in a blend of residential and commercial districts. The homes looked remarkably similar to those they had seen in Naguas. And the fourth was an area that took time to discern at first. Upon seeming more, it looked as though it was a blend of schools, libraries and museums. It was a place of learning, it seemed. The districts weren't as rigidly defined as quadrants, and blended together at their edge sto make telling where they began an ended more difficult. All of them, though, fed into a massive courtyard that surrounded all of the main palace.

"This place is… beautiful…" Lulloyd whispered, "It's… amazing."

"It's unlike any place I've seen before!" Mage beamed, then whispered, "Not even the tribes were this pretty!"

"Yeah… what do you think, Clutch?" Lulloyd turned, only to see no one else there, "...Clutch?"

Mage suddenly pointed down, showing that Clutch had descended some stairs and gone towards the main streets. Quickly, Lulloyd and Mage followed after him. By the time they'd gotten to where they'd seen him, though, he'd already gone rushing off into the main street, his eyes filled with excitement. Lulloyd gave a grimace and quickly went after him, urging Mage to follow.

One property of Mage's disguise was that all those that he used form on still saw each other as their normal selves, making tracking Clutch through the crowd easier. Yet once they entered those crowds, they were soon unable to locate him. Lulloyd gave a long frown while Mage looked around, trying to track where Clutch had went off to. The two saw him moving towards a large shop, and went to follow.

Being around so many Serpentine was strange. It was strange at first because they were snakes, but the further along they went, the less that was true. In fact, the more that they walked, the less odd it felt. It reminded them of the Ninjago City that they'd arrived at, with the massive crowds and throngs of people. Yet, unlike that crowded place, Ouroborus felt open and free. While the streets had been filled with harsh metals and dull colors in Ninjago City, Ouroborus was brimming with them. No two buildings shared the same colors. Vibrant designs across them made each one feel unique and pop against the massive blocks that made up the streets. The crowds were thinner too, as the space for them to walk was far greater. Even as they pursued Clutch, never did they feel packed in or rushed. The streets were simply full, and that was that.

By the time they arrived at the shop, however, Clutch was gone. Lulloyd looked around, but he wasn't able to find him. With a sigh of defeat, he frowned at Mage, "Can you see him?"

"No…" Mage whined, "If I was doing my power the normal way of using it on him, I'd feel where it was going but… not this way!"

"What time is it?" Lulloyd asked. Mage took note of the position of the sun in the sky. Given that the sun was now up and shining into the city, Mage had to think.

"If we were working on nine hours then… we're probably down to six," Mage shook his head, "And It's going to take us at least three to get back. So, we don't have that much time to go and look for him. We need to go learn more about Ophiod first!"

"I was a little worried you'd say that…" Lulloyd sighed, "I, guess we need to go and start looking for stuff on him. We don't have time to go and look for Clutch."

"Hopefully he tries to find us before then," Mage lamented, "Well, Ophiod did say he was a Prince, right? Let's go towards the palace. Maybe we'll find something there?"

Lulloyd couldn't argue with that logic. Even if leaving Clutch like this didn't sit well with him, they didn't have a choice. With one last nervous look around, Lulloyd oriented his sight towards the palace. The two began to weave their way through the city, heading towards the main sight.

As it turned out, Ouroborus was not as straightforward as Lulloyd had thought. While it looked as though all roads did lead towards the palace, the path they took was far more winding. They soon hit a large area that was filled with the smell of food, Serpentine walking around and eating things off of sticks that Lulloyd couldn't place, chatting with one another and more. While all the tribes seemed to be accounted for, Lulloyd noticed the Anacondrai were rarely seen mingling. Many of them looked like guards that were on patrol. Given Clutch's description, that seemed accurate.

Their small trip around this area led them into the fringes of the large garden area that they'd seen from the entrance. It was a beautiful place. As they weaved around foriegn and exoticly shaped leaves and trees, Lulloyd monetarily forgot that this was in a desert. There was humidity in the air, and some snakes seemed to enjoy it. Many Fangpyre seemed to be hanging around the area just to cool down, while Lulloyd also saw some Venomari doing the same. Many of them were chatting and making gestures at plants, debating what should be moved and pruned and more. They skirted the industrial sector completely, which Lulloyd was thankful for. It looked as though it was dedicated to working metal and supplies, meaning just looking at it made the heat feel unbearable. The city was oddly cool when compared to the heat of the desert, yet standing at a blacksmith shop at the same time was unfathomable to him.

After nearly a half hour of walking, the two finally approached the palace grounds. Here, the area was transformed into a communal square. There were massive areas made for Serpentine tos it, talk, and sell small goods. A large patrol of Anacondrai went through the square as Lulloyd and Mage arrived there. The numbers of Serpentine decreased as they entered it, but it made the city feel no less massive.

The base of the palace was unlike anything that Lulloyd had ever seen. It appeared to be some sort of arena, set up in one massive disc. Large stands were erected around the perimeter of the large arena, all framed by a massive statue of a large snake. The snake there was one unlike Lullyod had seen. It was far taller than him, with a large head of three horn-like protrusions swept back along its head. The main area floor was shaped with large swirling patterns. Around both sides of the statue of the massive snake were two stairwells that lead around the snake and then merged together to form the straight path that led up towards the palace's main entrance.

Speaking of the arena, it seemed that it was in use. Perhaps the reason why the square around them had been so empty was because Serpentine were crowded into the stands there. Lulloyd and Mage looked at one another in confusion, then decided to go and see what it was about. They slid their way towards a small set of stairs that led up to one of the stands (for snakes, they seemed to love putting stairs in their architecture). While the stands were packed, the two were able to find a seat at the very back and look down towards whoever was fighting.

In the middle of the arena stood a large Anacondrai. He was glad in golden armor, almost regal in its appearance. He held only a purple sword, tan running up the spine of it. Around him, five other Anacondrai were positioned, all with far heavier and far more dangerous looking weapons. Notably, all of them had tails instead of legs, something that seemed standard with Anacondrai. Lulloyd blinked as he saw the sight, wondering what was going on.

"Let the Slither Pit!" A Hypnobrai atop the huge snake statue shouted, "BEGIN!"

All at once, the five Anacondrai rushed the one in the middle. The golden-clad Anacondrai ducked under the swipe of a massive axe, sending his massive tail out like a whip to strike his attacker. Two more tried to team up and go in from both sides, but the snake pulled his tail under him and then struck up like a spring, sending him into the air to swipe both sword and tail at the two, knocking them back. The fourth tried to take this chance to backstab him, but the snake turned around and reached out with his hand, grabbing hold of his wrist and snapping it back. As the fourth warrior cried out, he grabbed his arm with both hands and swung him around, sending him flying into the fifth warrior that had been waiting for his chance.

The Serpentine in the stands let out a massive cheer as the five warriors slowly picked themselves back up, anger in their eyes as they stared towards their opponent. After a moment to breath, they all rushed him at once. The golden-clad snake swung his sword out and caught the largest weapon, then slid his sword down the length of it while twisting his body out of the way. The weapon was jerked forward, striking the guard of the one that had tried to rush in from behind. The snake then turned towards the others, taking the flat of his blade and swinging it to smack the face of one that had swung high to cleave down at him. As they stumbled back, the snake then held his arm up, catching a sharp looking sycle on a gauntlet. He traded hands with his sword to punch the one he'd caught, then swing backwards to knock down the one he'd already smacked in the face. His tail shot out and yanked the foot out from under the last warrior, sending him down to the ground with a painful thud.

"We have a winner!" The Hypnobrai spectating the event hissed out.

"ARCTURUS!" The crowd cheered out, "ARCTURUS! ARCTURUS!"

Arcturus moved to bow his head, giving an honorable nod to his fallen foes before slithering away from the arena. Lulloyd looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. It seemed that this Arcturus had been fighting in some match called a Slither Pit, but he'd never heard of what that was before. Either way, the crowd seemed to be loving it.

"Did you see that?" Mage asked excitedly, "The way he used his tail like that, and how he was predicting all their moves!"

"Yeah!" A Venomarai in front of them turned to talk to Mage, "General Arcturus is amazing! He isn't the captain of the Queen's guard for nothing!"

"Huh… well then," Lulloyd blinked, "I guess we know who he is now!"

"What is this?!" The Hypnobrai suddenly shouted, "It seems we have a new challenger!"

Arcturus stopped from exiting the arena, turning his head to see who was there. The entire crowd turned to see as well. Having entered from one of the paths through the stands was a new Serpentine. As soon as he came into view, Lulloyd's eyes widened.

"Clutch?!" Lulloyd gasped.

"You," Arcturus raised his blade and pointed it towards Clutch, "You have intruded on a Slither Pit. For what reason have you come here?"

"Oh!" Clutch spoke up in surprise, "I was just looking around here and saw the crowd…" He looked around, quickly taking stock of his surroundings, "...You know what, I think I should go."

"Have you no shame?" Arcturus slithered towards Clutch, "To enter into a Slither Pit is to challenge the one that is left standing inside of it. If you do not fight, then they will see you as a coward. Pick up one of their weapons and fight me."

"Woah, woah!" Clutch put his hands up, "Look, pal, I don't even know what a Slither Pit is. I was just looking for my friends and happened around here!"

"Lying will not grant you mercy," Arcturus picked up one of the fallen Anacondrai's swords and tossed it to Clutch, "Defend your honor in the Slither Pit. Leaving now will only bring on your shame!"

"You know, I'm totally okay with that," Clutch turned to leave, "I'm really good with that. So, if you don't mind…" When Clutch turned to leave, there were Serpentine that were now crowding the entrance he'd used to get in, having come to see who dared to challenge Arcturus. The snake himself just glared at Clutch with an unwavering gaze.

"This is bad," Lulloyd gulped, "We have to help him."

"How?" Mage asked, "We don't want to make a scene!"

"Clutch has already done that," Lulloyd stood up, "Let's help him out!"

Lulloyd turned and jumped down from the stands, causing the crowd to direct attention towards him. Mage looked down nervously before he did the same. The two jumped from wall to wall of the stands until they landed down just on the edge of the arena. Arcturus turned to see the two disguised as Serpentine walk towards him.

"Are you here to fight as well?" Arcturus asked firmly, "It is improper to enter a Slither Pit without a formal declaration. I will take you arriving like this as such."

"Y-You two!" Clutch smiled nervously, "These guys were the ones that I was trying to find! See! Alright, well, now that we're back, why don't we go and-"

Arcturus said nothing more. Instead, he moved forward, slithering straight up to Lulloyd. Lulloyd barely even registered he had before Mage had shoved them both down to the ground to avoid Arcturus' blade. As they went down, the crowd all cheered, their blood boiling to see more action. Lulloyd scrambled away from Arcturus, who turned towards them and scowled.

"Pick up a blade," Arcturus spat, "I will not take anymore cowards in this sacred arena!"

"Here!" Mage had already scrambled to take a hammer and knife from the fallen Anacondrai, tossing Lulloyd the hammer.

"H-Hey! Go easy on those two!" Clutch put his hands up, "They're not here to fight1 They have some business with Ophiod!"

"Ophiod…?" Arcturus paused, then he turned and glared at them both with a harsh gaze, "How is it you two know of the Prince?!"

Lulloyd went to respond, but Arcturus was on them. Just the force of his swing was enough to rattle Lulloyd down to the core. Mage frowned, not sure what to do without his elements. Using them would risk revealing their disguise, though, and he didn't want that. He went to drive the knife into Arcturus' arm, only to feel the Anacondrai's tail wrapped around his wrist. With a simple swing, Mage was sent into Lulloyd and both of them into the wall.

"He's… strong…" Mage coughed as he got up. The crowd had started to cheer again.

"Y-Yeah, we should get out of here…" Lulloyd turned, "Clutch!" Lulloyd saw Clutch forcing his way past the Serpentine that blocked his exit, running away from the arena as fast as he could.

"Hmmph, one coward has fled," Arcturus leveled his sword at the two, "It is now just down to two. Pick up your weapons and fight!"

Lulloyd nervously did as told. Mage did the same. Arcturus nodded his head at them, as though saying he respected their choice. That was all they saw of him before the Anacondrai had shot forward and moved down low to the ground. He spun in a circle, using his tail to sweep their feet out form under them. Lulloyd went down hard along with Mage. Once more, the crowd cheered.

"What do we do?" Mage asked. Without his powers, he couldn't fight.

Lulloyd shook his head, not knowing how to answer. Arcturus raised his sword up, earning him another cheer, then drove his sword towards Lulloyd. Lulloyd pushed Mage away as he swung his hammer like his father would his warlord staff, shout in all. The action was just unexpected enough for Arcturus to stop and block against it. When the strike connected, the crowd went wild. Arcturus glared at Lulloyd with an expression that almost looked… impressed.

"So you do have strength," Arcturus frowned, "Then I will show you mine!"

Arcturus took his sword in one hand and rushed Lulloyd. Without using his tail, he violently swung his blade striking at Lulloyd's hammer. Lulloyd was forced to go completely on the defensive, but each strike made his bottle rattle. Arcturus refused to stop pressing his assault, forcing Lulloyd all the way towards the edge of the arena again. Once there, Arcturus swung hard enough to throw Lulloyd into it. Lulloyd shouted and dropped his hammer, sliding down as the crowd cheered.

"...Perhaps it was not even worth wasting my time on you," Arcturus pushed the hammer away, drawing his sword up, "So be it. You have entered my arena. Now, you will pay for it!"

"Lulloyd!"

Arcturus turned to see a massive pillar of fire heading straight towards him. The Serpentine put his arms up over his face, gauntlets shining as the flames struck them. They carved a path through the fire, but the heat and light were intense enough Lulloyd had to look away. When the fire cleared, Arcturus stood, looking towards Mage who looked down at his hands in horror at what he'd just done.

"...You!" Arcturus pointed his sword at Mage, "I have never seen a snake that has used fire before. You called this one Lulloyd, yes," He pointed his sword at Lulloyd, eyes narrowed, "That is unlike any Serpentine name I have heard before."

"We…" Mage gulped, feeling his panic rising, "We don't want to fight! We're here to see Ophiod! The Prince!"

"And again, you mention the Prince!" Arcturus hissed, "...There is something wrong about you both. Something I do not yet know. But I will get to the bottom of it." He turned towards the fallen Anacondrai in the arena, "Seize them at once!"

As it turned out, the warriors were not as downed as they seemed. The five all stood up and swarmed Mage, who quickly turned and tried to blast with them fire and ice. As he tried to spit wildly, one of them wrapped an arm around Mage's neck. They squeezed hard, forcing Mage to gasp out as his airway was cut off. The others moved and quickly grabbed hold of his arms, yanking them out to his sides. Lulloyd shouted in fear, only to feet Arcturus' tail wrap around him. The force of it was painful enough he couldn't move. Mage tried to blast something from his hands, but the one squeezing his neck used his other arm to strike him on the back of the head. Mage went limp, not unconscious but just out of it enough the pain was too much.

"Take them to the palace!" Arcturus demanded, "We will get to the bottom of who these two are!"

* * *

With a groan, Lulloyd and Mage were dumped onto the floor. The Anacondrai had forced them to walk up the seemingly endless stairs to the top of the palace, something that Lulloyd would be happy never to do again. The Anacondrai who had carried Mage left as soon as they dropped him. Arcturus himself simply frowned and placed his hands behind his back.

Lulloyd looked around as best he could form being on the floor. The two were in a massive room, one that was truly built to be the centerpiece of a palace. The room was a deep red, something that struck him as unnatural to the space. A long path led into the room from the stairs they had taken to get there, and lining that path were small dishes suspended on poles that had beautiful orange flames lit in them. The room was lit by these flames, revealing the large pillars that held up the space.

On the other end of the room was a massive throne. The throne was beautiful, sculptured from gold and raised up enough to look down on anyone that entered. Lulloyd wasn't able to see much, as from being down on the floor, he could only turn his head to see the first few steps.

"My Queen!" Arcturus declared, "These two intruded upon a Slither Pit! They have claimed to know of your son! The small one used both fire and ice in the arena! I believe that these two are not what they seem!"

"They claim to know of my son?" A female voice hissed out from atop the throne, "That is most shocking indeed. And the little one used an element?" Her voice dropped lower, "Then let us see who they truly are."

The voice began to chant something, something deep and powerful. Lulloyd heard something gathering in the space above them, almost like hearing Jay power up his lightning mech. The Queen, as it most likely was, gave a loud hiss, and then a powerful orange glow surrounded both Lulloyd and Mage. While Lulloyd felt nothing, Mage locked up on the floor beside him. His eyes flared purple as he gripped the floor, gasping hard and straining as though fighting against something. The Queen continued to chant, causing Mage to cry out as both her power and his element fought. With one more burst of orange around them, though, Mage's eyes flickered out and he slid to the ground.

"What…?" Arcturus hissed, "You are not Serpentine!" Lulloyd froze, realizing that their disguises were now gone.

"...These are not mere humans," The Queen hissed out, "Stand them up. I wish to speak to them." Arcturus nodded, dragging to the two their feet. As soon as he did, Lulloyd was able to lay eyes upon the Serpentine Queen.

The Queen of the Serpentine was unlike any that the two had seen in the city. Her body was clad in golden robes, with a large piece of gold around her shoulder shining with a metallic gleam that betrayed it as armor. The scales under those clothing was a deep navy blue, unlike that of any of the other tribes. She had a tail underneath her torso, but not as long as that Arcturus had. What stood out the most, however, was her head. It was shaped like that of Ophiod's own, with a tiered neck of scales giving away to a flat forehead. Large flaps extended out from the sides of her neck, decorated with golden accessories. Her eyes were piercing, a beautiful glow of yellow and orange that stared into those she saw. Her two large fangs were a pure white and gleamed against her body. On top of her head was a small crown, cementing her status to them.

"Now," Queen Aspheera sat up upon her throne, "Let us discuss what it is you know about my son."


	56. Chapter 56

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our hearts go out to Kirby Morrow, VA for Cole. For those of you unaware, he just recently passed away. Let us remember him and everything both him and the show has given us.

"Be wary of what you say in the presence of Queen Aspheera," Arcturus warned Lulloyd with a hiss against his ear, "And do not attempt to lie."

Lulloyd took a long stare at the sight that was Queen Aspheera. The Serpentine was rather regal and grand, and everything about her, to him at least, spoke to the fact she was indeed the Queen that Clutch had been talking about. She'd already demonstrated her power by stripping Mage of his element keeping them hidden, and thus, the Queen was able to look upon them both with their real selves bared. But even further than that, her gaze itself felt weightier than the pyramid they stood in. Just locking eyes with her made Lulloyd feel her power, elegance, and words.

"You are both unlike any human I have ever seen," Aspheera commented, "One looks like the mural we've painted on our cities and the other… like the toys we give our young."

"Regardless of how they look," Arcturus growled, "They intruded upon a Slither Pit, and then they spoke of the Prince. They have entered our lands by some power we do not yet know."

"We're not here to fight you!" Lulloyd spoke up, forcing past his stunned silence "We're just here to-"

Arcturus suddenly struck him with his tail. The force of the smack into Lulloyd's gut threw him backwards. The air was completely knocked from him. Arcturus slithered up to him and grabbed him by the shirt (or more so his torso in general), yanking him up onto his feet.

"Silence!" Arcturus spat, "You humans think you can walk onto our lands, hide beneath our faces and then disrespect the Queen without properly addressing her?"

Aspheera slowly raised her hand from the throne's side. Arcturus suddenly silenced himself, gently moving to back away from Lulloyd. He moved to stand beside the throne, straightening his back and curling his tail around his body. He looked almost like a perfect statue with how proper his posture was.

"That is enough, General Arcturus," Aspheera declared, "You may relinquish your anger for them. If you meant to scare them, you have done so thoroughly."

"I apologize, my Queen," Arcturus bowed his head, "They must know the severity of their crime."

"And I believe that we have imparted that upon them by now," Aspheera stared down at Mage still trembling on the floor, "My magic was not meant to harm him unless he resisted. He has paid the price now," She turned her gaze towards Lulloyd, "You. Speak. How do you know of my son?"

"Ophiod?" Lulloyd asked, then shook his head, "I-I mean, Queen Aspheera, your son, Prince Ophiod, attacked us. He uhm, he was working for someone called the Time Twins and, he said that he wanted to scare us. We're, uh, not from this world and… w-we came to figure out why he was attacking us."

"You claim that my son, the crown prince, attacked you?" Aspheera asked coldly, "Did Arcuturs' words not warn you lying would result in consequences?"

"W-We aren't lying!" Lulloyd gasped out, "He attacked us! We're not from this world! He ambushed us while we were fleeing from the Twins, then he chased us all the way to my world and said we had to stay there!"

"You claim to be from another world," Aspheera sat up, "Your body may relay that clearly, but such a claim is a bold one. Is this another lie to avoid my wrath?"

"N-No, no of course not!" Lulloyd gulped, "I swear, we're not from this world!"

"Then let us see you prove it," Aspheera stood up fully from her throne, moving her hands in front of her. Lulloyd watched as she placed her hands together and began to chant in a guttural language, the same that Ophiod had. Slowly, power began to crackle between her hands. Before Lulloyd could question what she was doing, she opened her hands, causing the power to fall to the ground. When it struck, it turned liquid and ran along the ground in rivets. When they reached the two trespassers, it rose up from the ground around them. A ring of fiery chains surrounded them both, swirling mere inches from their bodies.

"These chains will sense your true intentions," Aspheera sat back down, "If you lie to me, they will tighten and burn through the hides you wish to save with your lies. My magic is absolute. Now. What is your reason for coming here, trespassers?"

"To… To…" Lulloyd looked to the flaming chains that gave no heat but swirled around him like spinning blades, "We're, we're from another world, w-well both of us are from different worlds1 Ophiod attacked us and, and we came to learn more about him and figure out why!" The chains did not stop spinning, but stayed where they were.

"So you are adamant that you are from another world, and that you hold true to this fact?" Aspheera continued.

"Y-Yes!" Lulloyd gasped, "Just look at us!" The chains stayed put.

"And you know of where my son's whereabouts are?" Aspheera asked firmly, "Is it your intention to harm my son?"

"We… we know where he's been, we know that he's, he's in one of the worlds our group is from," Lulloyd didn't pause, "We, we don't intend to hurt him! We just want to know why he's trying to hurt us!"

The chains remained where they were, again. Arcturus turned to look at his Queen, who in turn stared at those that cowered beneath her throne. Lulloyd shut his eyes, waiting for the chains to seize up and the Queen to declare them liars. If he ever saw Clutch again, he'd make sure that he felt the same fear that he was feeling right now!

Instead, Lulloyd opened his eyes to see the chains had vanished. Aspheera descended her throne, slithering up towards Mage. She moved to hold her hands out in front of her, chanting a different spell in the same odd language. The power moved to envelop Mage in an aura, who stopped trembling and slowly moved to get up to his feet. When she stopped, Mage looked down at his body, surprised to find the pain was gone.

"Then… you have seen my missing son," Aspheera sighed, "And you are people that can be trusted. My magic does not lie. Tell me what you know of my son, and I will tell you what you must know."

Lulloyd blinked, "Your… magic could tell you all that?"

"If you had lied to me, even the smallest bit, those chains would have burned through your soul," Aspheera explained with a sinister edge, "I have no time to deal with liars. You would be lucky to remember your name after I had ripped all that I needed to know from you," Aspheera allowed for Lulloyd and Mage to tense in panic before she stared directly into Lulloyd's eyes, "Speak."

"R-Right!" Lulloyd gulped, launching into what he knew about Ophiod. He quickly realized that saying all this wouldn't make sense without context, so he was then forced to explain the situation that he and Mage were in. To do that required him to first explain what he knew about the Time Twins, then about each of their worlds, the destruction of Overlloyd's world they had recently witnessed, and much, much more. By the time he was done, he couldn't tell whether or not Aspheera was bored, or simply looking passive to listen.

"That… is quite a tale to tell," Arcturus frowned, "If my Queen's spell had not already shown your truth, I would have declared you mad."

"What he has told us about the others is not important," Aspheera replied, "What is important is that we now know why my son has left Ouroborus."

"You… do?" Lulloyd asked, "We don't know anything about him. He just, left, and now he's trying to kill us."

"I know full well why my son has chosen to do this," Aspheera scowled, "And the fact I do brings me no comfort. In fact, it only sits worse knowing what is likely going through his head. I would discipline him if he were here. But… it seems he is beyond my reach."

"Can you tell us about him?" Mage asked quietly, still nervous around Aspheera, "We… we want to know why he's trying to hurt us!"

Aspheera did not respond. Instead, she moved over to her throne, moving to slowly pick up a staff. It was a slender and regal looking staff, deep copper at its core and covered in golden paint to depict a serpent crawling up from the base to the tip of the blade with open jaws. As she picked it up, the golden paint seemed to glow along with the hand she held it with.

"I will tell you what you wish to know," Aspheera frowned, "But in turn, I demand a promise from you both."

"A promise?" Mage blinked, then shook his head, "Yeah, sure! Anything! Just tell us!"

"That with the information that you learn today, you will not hurt my son," Asphera declared, "And you will use that information only to bring him home. You must swear this to me, or else I will throw you from my kingdom now and ensure you never return."

Lulloyd and Mage looked to one another, unsure at first how to respond. That was not anywhere near what they had thought Aspheera would ask of them. It was enough to make them both confused as to what was really happening, and more importantly, wondering why she would ask this in the first place. The two, however, had no other choice. Her words were ones that they shared, even if they weren't sure as to the reason.

"We swear not to hurt Ophiod," Lulloyd declared back, "And, we'll do what we can to bring him home." Mage repeated those words.

Upon hearing that, Aspheera's expression softened. A tension seemed to fall from her body, like a weight that was being lifted from compressed shoulders. Slowly, she turned around and began to slither towards her throne. When she reached it, she moved to lower the staff she held towards the bottom step. A small spot began to glow on said step, the light matching that of the golden serpent. When the two lights resonated, the stairs up to the throne suddenly slid backwards to go flush with the foot of the throne, revealing a massive staircase underneath.

"I will explain what you must know, and show you the reason that he is after you," Aspheera moved to begin slithering down the steps, "Come. Arcturus, you come as well."

"Yes, my Queen," Arcturus bowed his head. Lulloyd and Mage looked to the stairwell into the palace in confusion, but knew following was their only choice. They began to walk down the steps with Aspheera in front of them. Arcturus slithered his way down to remain firmly behind them. Once he had entered, the stairs to Aspheera's throne began to slide back into place, sealing them inside of the chamber.

Lulloyd had assumed that the massive pyramid was similar to any other palace and made of multiple floors. It seemed, however, that was not the case, or at least that Aspheera's throne was the 'bottom' floor. The stairs themselves led them down a long way, deeper and deeper into the palace. The air around them grew cold. Small bricks along the sides of the descending stairs whistled as they walked past, sourcing them air that they needed this far underground. Aspheera's staff was still glowing with enough light to help illuminate small sections of the path for them to follow.

"The story you wish to know is one I don't enjoy telling," Aspheera frowned, her back turned to them, "I won't be repeating myself. Tell me, what do you know of the Serpentine Wars?"

"Well…" Lulloyd paused, "They were started by a man named Chen, I think. And, uh, the humans fought the Serpentine. That's, all I know about them in this world."

"Hmmph, typical education for humans," Aspheera scoffed, "The Serpentine Wars were far more complex than that. Us Serpentine lived apart from humans since our creation. When the Vipers first rose from the dirt, they made a longstanding pact that humans were not to cross into Serpentine Lands. That truce had not been broken for centuries. Our lands grew in the places humans deemed inhospitable. It was a mutual relationship. That was, until the humans decided to expand their cities into our lands."

"The humans attempted to claim land that we had not settled yet for themselves, acting as though that gave them right to use what was not theirs," Arcturus continued with an angry growl to his tone, "For many years, we went and negotiated with them. It was never enough. We were forced to station our armies at the borders of our lands. I personally declared I would go to peace talks with the Emperor of Ninjago. It was our only hope to avoid war. It was on my way to Ninjago City that I received a report from my men that the humans had mobilized a force and were ready to forcibly take the land they wanted."

"My father was the King of the Serpentine when this happened," Aspheera picked back up, "And with this, he had no choice but to declare war. It seems that the humans had been given the same information, for the war broke out in earnest that very next day. For the humans, it was a war to take land that they believed was rightfully theirs. For us, it was to defend ourselves. The timing of the attack was too perfectly aligned with the report. At first, none of us questioned it."

"Many months into the war, my men intercepted a report to the human command that did not come from Ninjago itself," Arcturus scowled, "This was when we discovered Chen. That vile coward had played us both. Once we learned of this, we raided his island and destroyed everything he had built. Him, his men, and all those on the island were taken prisoner. The one that we found carrying this report was the one that told us of everything."

Aspheera led them into a large rectangular chamber. It appeared to be a simple chamber at first. Aspheera moved to place her staff on the ground and hiss another spell, causing the stones to rattle, then rapidly fall away. Lulloyd watched as a single path, perhaps only a foot wide, winded above an endless pit. Aspheera moved to slither across it, prompting them to do the same.

"That man was Ophiod's father," Aspheera's tone grew hollow, "His name was Garmadon."

Both Lulloyd and Mage tensed up hearing that name. It was a name that they both expected to hear, but it was strange hearing it come from Aspheera's lips. The implication that set was one that made them rather uncomfortable. Seeing this, Aspheera grumbled to herself.

"So you are familiar with him," Aspheera sighed, "When my father had them, he knew he had only a single course of action. If he were to let the truth loose that the war that had already cost so many lives was built on a lie, the morale of the army would crumble. For this reason, he sentenced Chen, his assistant Clouse and Garmadon to death. He would need time to prepare for it. I was still the Crown Princess when I first heard of this… and when I first met him."

Aspheera's tone grew strained, "I met him in the dungeon. I'd never seen a man so resigned to his own fate before. There was no life in his eyes. He was a man that was going to die without ever being able to see his family again. He had brought his own fate upon himself, yet he was not ready to die. He had given up, knowing if he tried to resist, he would only make his situation that much worse."

Aspheera's words kept getting weaker as she went along. Such a story was one that Lulloyd could tell was tangled up in more complicated emotions than she was trying to hold back. Just the fact she was even telling them this was enough to tell him that. He focused on her words, listening quietly.

"...My intentions were not pure in speaking to him," Aspheera's grip on her staff tightened, "I was a foolish hatchling that wanted nothing more than to grow my own power. I had never met a human before. I had dreams of taking the throne from my father and casting aside his warfare tactics to decimate the humans. They had attacked us, had ripped apart the peace they agreed to. I had seen the troops. The suffering. All I wanted… was _revenge_."

"...And then…" Aspheera stopped in front of a large door, "I spoke to him. I tried speaking to the noisy one and the rude one. Both of them wouldn't fit my plans. It was my goal to simply find the best one to exploit. It was after I heard of the story that was on his head, I realized what a foolish hatchling I had been."

The door led into another chamber, this one which had nothing unusual about it. Aspheera didn't do anything to it, instead just moving to the end. When she opened the door at the other side of the chamber, it led into a massive shaft deep into the ground with a large spiral staircase along the perimeter descending into the darkness. The only light that let them see anything about the space was the light of Aspheera's staff.

"He was a man betrayed by his family, the only thing he had," Aspheera bit her lip as she spoke, "Bitten by a snake that corrupted him. His family, unwilling to do anything to help him. A brother that refused to do anything for him. A life of isolation from the people. And then, the one woman that he loved, falling for that very same brother," Aspheera hissed, "If there was someone that destiny forsake, it was him. And as I left his cell that night, I realized what a truly despicable being I was. Perhaps not in one night, but the more we spoke, the more I felt a sickness in myself. It was only by the words we shared, night after night, that I found what a simple minded fool I almost became."

"I was but a young sorceress at the time, yet I knew I had to do something," Aspheera scowled, "Each night, I would spend hours after we spoke researching any spell I could. If the humans refused to help him, I would do so. I didn't know why I did, but I kept at it. Until the day that I found a spell that I tried on him. For the first time, he looked as though he wasn't in pain," Aspheera paused, "I found a spell that would halt the progression of the evil that flowed through him. I could not remove it… but I could stop him from falling further into it."

"Once I knew I could, I begged my father to release him. Chen and Clouse had their sentences carried out, but Garmadon did not deserve that fate. He told me that Chen had tried to make him sign a letter written by his brother that would make the woman he desired fall for him. But he had refused. He had integrity, and I knew that was something my father respected. So we used that integrity and turned him into an ally for our side," Aspheera raised her head, "I was the one that turned Garmadon into the Deceiver."

"The… Deceiver?" Lulloyd asked, as though the name had some weight to it.

"It means he betrayed the humans, Lulloyd!" Mage frowned.

"The child catches on quickly," Aspheera commented dryly, "Yes. For months, Garmadon fed us information from the human side as a plant. We undermined any attempt to outmaneuver us. It was thanks to him that we were able to force almost all of the human army to think they were capturing our main force at the Battle of Birchwood. Instead, we crushed them, and Garmadon revealed himself to the masses."

"...To say that I didn't relish the look of horror on his brother's face would be a lie," Aspheera chuckled, "To see that the man he'd pushed away had finally ripped himself out of that coward's life, it was a look I can never forget. We forced the humans into conceding all land they had occupied and more. It is us that controls the fate of Ninjago. And for his efforts, Garmadon was allowed to remain in the Serpentine lands. The war ended… with us victorious."

"Why are you telling us this?" Lulloyd asked, "It… I'm not saying that it isn't important but, how does this relate to Ophiod?"

"Perhaps if you were more patient, you would learn," Aspheera hissed at him, "We've almost arrived at our destination. It will make more sense if I finish my tale before then." With all of them looking to Lulloyd with ire, he silenced himself.

"When he had settled into these lands, I decided to write a letter of my own," Aspheera looked down at her hands, "I had crafted a spell to give him peace of mind. I knew that he had left behind everything in Ninjago for us Serpentine. He could never return home, and he would remain a simple respected stranger in our lands. After all that we had been through, all that he had done, it was time for him to see words that were not meant for another, but for him." Aspheera gave a faint smile, "I took him as my lover, and together, along with my magic, was how Ophiod was born."

Asphpeera came to a stop, finally. Lulloyd and Mage froze alongside her, and it left them both wondering what was going on. Aspheera took a long few moments to stand in front of a large door, covered in symbols that looked ancient in their origin. She looked frozen in place, as though her story had taken something out of her. She reached up and placed her hand against the door, running her palm across it. Dust fell from it, something which made her grip her hand tightly around the falling particles. Lulloyd turned to look at Arcturus, who showed a similar composure.

"Let me tell you this before we go further," Aspheera hissed out, "The only reason why you were even talked of this story, you were allowed this far down into one our most sacred of places is because my spell said that you were telling the truth. I know that you have made your oaths to me. I will hold you to them. Tell me, do you truly wish to understand why it is that Ophiod is after you?"

"Of course we do!" Lulloyd stepped forward, holding his hand up like a fist, "We're here to save our worlds and, we don't want to hurt anyone in doing it."

"...The reason I have told you all of this about Garmadon is for you to understand how important that man was to myself, and to Ophiod. You must feel the weight that our actions against him were placed that day," Aspheera slowly inhaled, "And you will see the consequences of it all."

Aspheera raised her staff up, letting out a vile sounding slur of chants. The golden light from the staff suddenly detached, flying straight up in the shape of a serpent. When it struck the wall, Aspheera's entire body locked up. The serpent slowly faded into the wall, causing those symbols to glow similarly. Aspheera planted her staff in the ground and bent over it, clinging to it as the light started to pour from her hand and into the wall. As each symbol was painted in golden, she let out one final gasp. The door slowly opened, and Aspheera heaved for breath.

"My Queen," Arcturus remained behind Lulloyd and Mage, but tensed himself, "Are you alright? That spell is taxing on your body."

"Only a fool would make it so any simple-minded man with the ability to foresee a few traps could walk right into the heart of this palace," Aspheera spat, "This seal is all that is keeping that from happening."

Aspheera straightened her back and stumbled forward. She led the three behind her into a large room. On one wall was a series of painted tiles that slid in and out of their places, almost like some sort of puzzle. On the wall opposite the entrance and adjacent this wall was a large sealed door. It was massive, stretching almost twenty feet into the air. As they entered, Aspheera slowly pointed one hand towards the wall. Lulloyd blinked, but slowly walked towards it. When he stood in front of the strange sealed door, Aspheera narrowed her gaze and gestured further.

Slowly, Lulloyd placed his hands against the wall. As soon as he did, he felt something. What should have been cold stone, was warm. It was warm, like the surface warmed by breath. And in fact, the warm slowly grew and faded, just like breath. Mage, however, had an even more visceral reaction. As soon as he touched it, he jumped backwards and raised his hands in front of him in worry.

"I-I can… I can feel life!" Mage gasped, "L-Like, a huge life! A super huge thing is behind there!"

"Behind that wall lies the Great Devourer," Aspheera narrowed her eyes, "As well as my husband."

"What?" Lulloyd turned around, "I… what? How?"

"...The very thing I used to help cure him," Aspheera gave a bitter chuckle, her lips curling into an almost deranged smile, "The venom inside him isn't simply some infection. It's darkness that realized it couldn't overcome my magic. But that was then. I didn't even think of revising my spell. So I grew a hubris. And I let that venom fester inside of him for forty years. And when it broke my spell, it was determined to make up for lost time."

Aspheera began to chuckle even more, "Isn't that ironic, humans? The thing that I used to help cure the man that I loved, was what caused his downfall? He had almost no control of himself when the evil took him. His raw malice called even the Great Devourer from its slumber. Right here in this very city, the Serpentine saw the only human they had ever trusted turn on them."

"Ophiod was eight when it happened," Aspheera's hands gripped her staff hard, "He had just barely learned magic. He watched his father turn on him. It was when he heard Ophiod screaming for him that the man you know as Garmadon actually woke up again. He saw what he'd done, and he begged me to stop him. He couldn't control himself. The last words that he even spoke to me were in those few moments he begged us… to end his life."

Lulloyd and Mage could both imagine it. A dark force, a man corrupted, standing atop a city of flame with the Great Devourer -to them a giant snake- rampaging through the streets. Mage in particular could relate to the feeling of those last few words, begging for it to end. Something which made him reach up and grip his chest as the weight of Aspheera's tale came to him.

"...Instead, Ophiod and I used our combined magic to seal him in this very tomb, along with that wretched thing," Aspheera moved up to the wall and placed her forehead against it, her body quaking, "Ophiod sealed his father away, because of my mistakes. He is still as corrupted as he was, a foul magic in his body, trapped behind this very wall," Aspheera clutched her chest, her eyes wavering in their gaze and emotion. She planted her staff down and leaned fully against the wall, her words failing her.

"I will take it from here," Arcuturs slithered over to place his hand on Aspheera's arm, "Two months ago, a pair of humans infiltrated our capital, flanked by Serpentine we had never seen before. They asked our Queen to speak to Ophiod, and so they did. For days, they returned and spoke only to him. We at first were not sure of what they wished for, until the Queen discovered they matched the identities of former Elemental Masters that fell during the Serpentine Wars. Specifically, the masters of Time."

Just as Over had guessed, the Twins had offered something to Ophiod in exchange for his services. What exactly was it? Mage looked up towards the wall, towards Aspheera still pressed against it and silent as she listened to what noises lay beyond it. When he turned to Lulloyd, it was simple to figure out what they had offered him. It didn't take much for them to realize it.

"And so it seems you understand," Aspheera sighed as she saw their expressions, still pressed against the wall, "Ophiod would never have left this place otherwise. He is not allowed to."

"Wait, what?" Mage asked, "Why can't he leave?"

"Because he is the Half-Breed," Arcturus spoke that title with a venom more potent than any Venomari, "The Serpentine may have tolerated his father, but when it was learned that the next ruler over the throne would be one only half-Serpentine, they discredited his claim to it. Several of the generals at the time even declared an intention to make sure that he would not reach the throne."

"Ophiod was raised in isolation in this palace to protect him," Aspheera slowly raised herself back up, "He is not to leave this palace without Arcturus escorting him. My son would never be harmed by another like that. The fact he has chosen to leave us is the most disturbing fact here."

"Wait, so Ophiod was raised in this place, his whole life?" Lulloyd asked, "By…. both you and his dad until, well, you know?"

"Yes," Aspheera eyed him up, "What of it?"

"Oh, uh, nothing, just wanted to confirm," Lulloyd looked to the side and muttered, "Lloyd really got the short end of the parenting stick…"

"I understand," Mage stepped forward, "Ophiod wants to free his father, right? And he thinks the Twins can help him do that. So, he's attacking us thinking that if he does what the Twins want, he'll get his dad back. He's not a bad person…" Mage gripped his fist, "...And, we can't hurt good people. I understand why you made us swear that oath to you."

"I am glad to see that you do," Aspheera bowed her head, "It will ease my burden if I feel of his return if I know that there are others out there that can find him. Thank you."

"We won't hurt him," Lulloyd stepped up with Mage, "...I know what it's like, wanting to have your father back. And feeling like you have to fight something in order to get it. I really get it. And… and we can't hurt someone when we know this about them."

"There's just one more question we have," Mage continued, "Who is Skales?"

"...Skales is with him?" Aspheera asked, blinking in surprise.

"Yeah, it kinda confused us since you know, he kinda doesn't have any connection to the First Elemental, or well for you I guess it's Spinjitzu Master. And like, Ophiod seems to really like him," Mage pointed out, "Our friend met with him and he said Ophiod won't even leave the room without him."

"That… is a bit of a story," Arcturus paused, "Well, not as long as the previous. And sadly it is not ours to tell. Even we do not fully grasp the bond between those two."

"Right now, I will tell you this," Aspheera narrowed her gaze, "In all of his years of being labeled the Half-Breed and feeling as though the world was against him, Skales was the only Serpentine that truly looked past his heritage and moved to defend him. After he demanded training, I sent Ophiod to the frozen wastes to learn of the truth of being a warrior, and it was there he met Skales. Since then, Skales has never left Ophiod's side. We know little of what happened, aside from the fact that Ophiod saved Skales' life."

Lulloyd blinked, "I, guess that makes sense. Well, if we aren't going to hurt Ophiod, we won't go hurting Skales either."

"Good," Aspheera sighed, slithering to the other side of the room, "Now that you have seen what you must, it is time to leave this place. This is a room for grief, not for stories. If you wish to remain in these lands, I will grant you immunity to disguise yourselves as you had before. But do not linger here. Take what you need, and then leave this place."

"One more thing," Lulloyd spoke up, "Ophiod has this, weird scroll with him. It's on this big spear. Do you know what that is?"

Both Aspheera and Arcturus went silent. Aspheera in particular turned her head back towards the wall, pressing her hand against it. It was as though she was thinking of what to say. Lulloyd wasn't sure what their reaction menat, but when Aspheera spoke, she did so quietly.

"A scroll…" Aspheera paused, "The only thing I can think that matches that description would be the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu. But I do not know where he took it from, or much about it. You will need to find someone else more... knowledgeable on it."

Lulloyd knew there was more to this than what she said. She was omitting something, something important. But from the gaze of the two powerful snakes, there wasn't need for him to ask further questions. Instead, Lulloyd just sighed and nodded his head.

"I… think we have what we need now," Lulloyd paused, "We just have one thing that we need before we go…"

* * *

Slowly, the car of the Serpentine train rolled into the station in the city of Nagaus. Sitting in the seats across from Lulloyd and Mage was a very unhappy Clutch Powers. The man had been found in the city, as per Lulloyd's request, and been directed towards the way they had come from.

"You didn't have to make me leave!" Clutch scoffed at them, "I was learning so much in that library of theirs! Do you know how much knowledge they have that we don't?!"

"Heh… yeah," Lulloyd shook his head, "But, uh, we had to leave. We finished our audience with the Prince and it turns out we aren't supposed to be bringing visitors." Mage had shifted his power of form to reveal Clutch's normal body, but shroud both him and Lulloyd to look more 'normal' to Clutch.

"I would have been fine," Clutch rubbed his head, "Gah! This is horrible! I'm missing out on the chance of a lifetime! I should have ran from those guards!"

Lulloyd just gave an apologetic smile. If he told Clutch what was really going on, it would have likely made him even more upset than he already was. The two had more or less deceived him into coming with them, so leaving him there for Mage's power to fade and then leave him a human caught red handed was even worse. The two hadn't intended to be there for that long, after all. Once the Serpentine car had returned to the station, he helped Mage up and offered the same to Clutch. The annoyed man just ignored him and hopped out, only to frantically regain his balance before he fell back in. The transport soon had disappeared back into the tunnels.

"Heh… well," Clutch smirked, moving to pull his journal out of his pocket, "I at least got some pretty nice things from that place."

"In your journal?" Mage asked, "Wait, we didn't ask if it was okay to do that!"

"They won't find out!" Clutch sawa the Serpentine at the entrance to the tunnel walking towards them and quickly hid the book, "And they won't be finding out, got it?"

Lulloyd and Mage felt a bit of apprehension, but there wasn't much they could do. Clutch flashed them an appreciative grin before moving to greet the two guards. The Serpentine looked them over and hissed, guiding them out from the entrance and across the lowest level of Nagaus. When they reached the entrance, they gestured with their weapons for them to cross back over into the human side of the city. The three obeyed, allowing them to relax as they were back on the side of Ninjago they were meant to be.

"We need to get back to Ninjago City," Lulloyd told Clutch, "Do you want us to wait for you?"

"Nah, I need to go back since I don't have a reason to stay," Clutch gave Lulloyd a long angry look, "So I'll tag along with you two."

"Let me guess," Lulloyd frowned, "You want us to pay for your train ticket."

"Always knew you were clever," Clutch smirked at him.

With a long sigh, Lulloyd just began walking back up towards the train station. Mage was already using metal to attract loose coins as they continued up the path. The two still had their own ticket stubs, so it was just a matter of buying one for Clutch. They, unfortunately, came up rather short, forcing Clutch to pay for half of his ticket. Lulloyd couldn't help but feel some satisfaction seeing that.

Soon enough, the three were leaving Nagaus behind once again. Lulloyd sighed as he pressed his back against the seat of the train. Mage did the same, taking the time to relax from using form on their bodies once again. The sun outside had begun to reach the top of its peak, meaning they would be cutting their window here pretty close. Thankfully, they would make it as long as the train didn't have any sudden derailments.

"So, I learned some pretty interesting stuff about the Vipers," Clutch smirked, "Since you two did help me get this stuff, I'll show you the information. I'll write a book about Ouroborus. Nobody has ever seen it, so it'll sell like hotcakes! I'll make sure you two get coauthor credit."

"Thanks," Lulloyd paused, "What about them?"

"Turns out Serpentine genetics aren't as straightforward as we thought," Clutch opened his journal, which looked as though it had been half filled just that day alone, "Alright, get this. You know how most Serpentine aren't Vipers? Looks like however the Vipers were created, the gene that determines if they show up Viper or something else is recessive. You know about how that stuff works, right?"

"I know about breeding," Mage answered. Clutch shrugged.

"That works, either way," Clutch tapped the page, "Viper genes are all recessive. That's absolutely perfect for evolution. Just from what I got alone, Vipers dwinded in ranks because certain elements of their genes were just passed on into the other tribes. I'm not even sure how it all works out, but it looks like if anyone other than a Viper mates with one, well, they won't be Viper. That's why the royal family has been so big about making sure they're all Vipers. I wouldn't want to see what's going on to keep that bloodline pure."

"Uh… yeah," Lulloyd muttered, "Sounds really interesting."

"Of course it is!" Clutch declared, "This means what we know about Serpentine is all wrong! Of course, I'll make this all easier to understand in my book release. Most people aren't smart enough to get that sort of thing."

"And, you're saying you are?" Mage asked. He asked childishly, but Lulloyd detected some sly hint of annoyance in his words.

"I'm saying that you have to treat the general masses like children to make someone sell well," Clutch put his journal away, "Look, kid, when you get a book deal, you come to me and I'll help you edit. Until then, don't knock success till you have it!"

Lulloyd felt an urge to do something to Clutch rise in him. If this was how Harumi felt around Monty, he was starting to understand why Harumi was always so upset with him. Mage was doing either a very good job of hiding it, or just wasn't caring enough to put effort into thinking about it. Either way, Lulloyd decided to look back outside the train as they drove.

Before they left, Lulloyd had seen a map of Ninjago painted on the side of one of the buildings in Ouroborus as a piece of art. Seeing it gave him a sense of where the Serpentine had drawn the line. Roughly a third of all the land in Ninjago, all on the western side, belonged to the humans. The rest was Serpentine. In a sense, the humans had lost a lot during the war. He wasn't sure where they had first drawn the borders, but it was a massive disparity between them. It certainly explained why Ninjago City was so crowded and so… underdeveloped.

Not much of that was going through his head, though. What he had learned of Ophiod was sticking with him. Ophiod wasn't some evil person, just like the Twins. He was someone like them, being manipulated. If that was the case, was the same true of Prime? Not only that, but the Twins had also taken the time to figure all this out about Ophiod and then dangle it in front of him. It'd been powerful enough to make someone confined to the palace leave suddenly and just vanish from the world.

And then there was Skales. Aspheera had left what she knew about him at that. Ophiod has saved his life, and now Skales was willing to go to a brand new world with him? He wasn't sure what to fully make of that. Part of it was just because he knew that, in some way, Ophiod was like them. He was their counterpart in this world. It was odd to think of the fact that Ophiod had someone like Skales. Sure, he had his own partner back home, but he'd never done something like save her life before. Not that he wouldn't if it came to that. Maybe he needed to just drop the thought altogether.

Finally, there was his promise to Aspheera. That the two of them wouldn't harm Ophiod. They would need to extend that to the others. Once they heard of what happened, Lulloyd was fairly certain Harumi and Lloyd would back down. They were pretty firmly on the good side of the moral spectrum. Overlloyd, for now he just hoped that he wouldn't go fighting him on this. But Monty would be a hard sell. Monty didn't like being told what to do, and, well, that was pretty important to making sure that Ophiod wasn't hurt.

But, Ophiod was working with the Time Twins. Regardless of why he was doing it, he was willingly aiding them. Two men that were murderous, had already threatened to destroy them, and were already the source of the destruction of an entire world. While Lulloyd wasn't trying to think about that last bit, it was still a fact. And Ophiod… was on the other side.

His thoughts carried him until the train had arrived back in the station. By now, the sun was rising up for the afternoon, and the two were due back at Dareth's place soon. Mage hopped up to his feet and subtly summoned the element of earth so he could push a path open for the three of them. Clutch followed them until they were through the station itself and were standing on the side of the busy streets.

"Well," Clutch rolled his eyes, "I would say it was great, but it was more a waste of time for what I got. Next time you're heading to Serpentine lands, make sure you can bring someone."

"Sorry, Clutch," Lulloyd sighed, "We just couldn't' really stay any longer. We're really sorry."

"Yeah, I'm sure you are," Clutch turned to Mage, "You're still young, so remember this when you grow up more: if you're going to offer something to someone, go through with all of it."

"Sure thing!" Mage nodded his head, "I'll remember that! I'll be waiting for that 20% cut of your book!"

"...Thought you'd forget about that," Clutch muttered, "Yeah, sure, sure." He turned away from them, giving a little wave as she moved to disappear into the crowd.

"Geez, he's almost as bad a Monty," Lulloyd sighed, "At least he didn't threaten to shoot us."

"Well let's not think of him anymore," Mage dropped his naive tone and turned to Lulloyd expectantly, "We need to get back to the others."

Lulloyd nodded, realizing that Mage was right. The two quickly began to push through the crowds. The idea that this city was so crowded because of the humans losing so much land put a new perspective on everything, and explained why they weren't seeing big tech. Either way, though, the two had to get back. They continued to fight their way through the crowds until they had Dareth's shop in their sights. Thankfully, it looked like the shop was empty right now, with a big sign up saying that the owner was out to lunch.

As soon as the two stepped inside the door, Lulloyd saw the sight of the portal on the wall. Monty was leaning casually against it, tapping his foot against the floor in a silent noise. Once he caught sight of them, he put his hand up and pointed at the portal.

"You're ten minutes late," Monty scoffed, "Another two and I was gonna leave you here for another day."

"I'm sure you were, Monty," Lulloyd sighed, "Have you already picked up Lloyd and Harumi?"

"Of course I have," Monty rolled his eyes, "They found some pretty interesting things. You did get what we asked you to, right?"

Lulloyd and Mage shared a look with each other. They shared a silent moment of understanding. Monty gave them a rather long annoyed look before waving his hand again. The two stepped into the portal, disappearing back into the void. Monty looked around the small dojo before crossing his arms and groaning.

"That thing Harumi found better work," Monty grumbled, "I'm already sick of playing chauffeur." With that, Monty disappeared into the portal, leaving it to close on yet another world.


	57. Chapter 57

Normally, when Monty opened a portal, it would open inside of a building that had people inside of it. The only exception thus far had been when they had arrived in a warehouse, but that had backed up right into Dareth's place, and that no longer existed. Thus, when the portal opened up against a wall that had been half blown apart, the looks of Lloyd and Harumi as they exited into this new place were ones of people that thought something was very, very wrong.

"Is this the right place?" Lloyd asked Monty as both he and Over stepped out of the portal behind them.

"I got Lulloyd and Mage right, so clearly I got you right," Monty crossed his arms and yawned, "Go on. You have things to do. I need to go take care of my own things."

"Like you did when we needed you before?" Harumi frowned, "Don't leave us stranded here. If Prime finds us here…"

"I know what'll happen, I'm more acquainted with the concept of death than you are," Monty rolled his eyes, "Just get what you need to get done. Alright?"

Lloyd and Harumi shared a look, then nodded. Over said nothing, his words already spent on Mage and without need to repeat them. Monty and Over disappeared into the portal, allowing Lloyd and Harumi to turn around and truly take stock of their surroundings.

The building that the two were in wasn't simply missing half the wall, but was rather almost completely destroyed. The concrete framing of the second floor could be seen in the one remaining corner above them, but otherwise most of the building looked as though it'd been blown apart. The only sign that this was, in fact, owned by Dareth was the fact the floor they stood on was brown and tan. Yet even that was covered in chunks of rocky rubble, obscuring a large amount of it.

Without other walls around them to block their view, the view of the immediate street was all they could see. The sky above them was dark with clouds, framing the destroyed street for them. Not one building was left fully standing. The entire street was cracked and split, with part of it sunk into the ground to create a massive ledge between the split pieces. Massive scorch marks were burned into almost every standing structure they could see, radiating outwards from the main street on the pieces that carried the marks.

"Did… something happen here?" Lloyd asked. Harumi slowly got down on one knee and placed her hand against the scorch marks on one of the pieces of rubble in front of them.

"There was an explosion in the street," Harumi assessed, "From the patterns, it looks like multiple ones. It might be bombs," She slowly stood up, "...I, can't believe this is Dareth's Dojo."

Lloyd looked up and pointed to the bit of second floor that remained above them, "We can see it better from up there," Lloyd extended his hand to Harumi. She reached out and took it, allowing Lloyd to twist into Airjitzu and send them shooting up into the air. By now, he'd grown quite used to doing it. Once they landed on the floor, the two looked out into the streets.

Normally, there would be massive buildings that would mean the two couldn't see the entire city. The two were able to look all the way out across the landscape. The very sight was enough to make Lloyd freeze. There was nothing to block their view, because there were no more buildings left standing. All across the city, there was nothing but destruction. Once mighty tall skyscrapers were torn down and left to crumble against the ground. No structure greater than two stories seemed to have survived the destruction. The patterns of blast marks were present all throughout the city. There was hardly anything that even made it look like it was Ninjago City.

"It's… it's been razed to the ground…" Harumi spoke first, breaking the silence, "The whole city…"

"I, I don't understand," Lloyd turned around, seeing that the destruction continued behind him, "None of the places that we've been to have been like.. .like this! Where is everyone?"

Harumi pulled her watch out, scanning the area. The dimensional wavelengths diverged a fair bit from the baseline, but the baseline was still there. This was indeed an alternate version of their world. Yet nothing about it even looked the same. Her watch wasn't able to discern any road layouts or make a rough map due to so many roads being totally covered in fallen builds of concrete and glass. The cloudy sky wasn't anything like Over's unnatural shroud, and indeed a small patch of dampness covered many structures from a recent rain. But wherever they tried to look, there were no signs of life in sight.

"...There!" Lloyd turned and pointed off in the distance. Harumi turned towards it, putting her watch away. A massive washer-shaped structure broke up the landscape of ruin. It appeared to be a massive dome, one that was militaristic in its design. Large doors were spaced out among its perimeter and were set recessed a fair amount inside. Between those doors were the unmistakable sight of massive cannons, spaced out in defensive formations. The structure stood out amongst the ruins both for its size and the lights that poured from the top of it, indicating potential life.

"I think that's where we should go," Lloyd pointed towards it, "That might be where Prime is from."

"Yeah… it, must be," Harumi bit her lip, "I wouldn't have thought Prime would be from a place like this…"

Lloyd didn't want to comment on that. Instead, he moved to once more take Harumi in Airjitzu and help the two get back down to the ground. They slowly climbed their way out of what was once the entrance to the place and down onto the street. While both of them had walked down many streets, ones in both the sky and on the ground, it was unlike anything they'd actually seen before. Even seeing the aftermath of his father's gigantic Oni Titan when it rampaged through Ninjago City was nothing compared to this. That had only damaged what the Titan had struck. This was as if it had been trying to destroy everything that it saw.

The walk towards the large structure took a lot longer than the two had anticipated. Several streets were completely covered by fallen structures, and others had massive holes in them from the impact of them. They ended up having to take several detours. Lloyd's Airjitzu could only take them so high, and Harumi had instead asked him to save his energy. Their elemental dragons would be too flashy on the approach, and draw too much attention. Thus, the trek that it took to go through the rubble was far more painful than anything else.

"I don't see anyone…" Harumi muttered as they walked by what used to be an apartment complex, "Where do you think they are?"

"I don't want to think about it," Lloyd looked over a restaurant that had been caved in by a chunk of flooring, "I don't think we'll like the answer."

The two went silent after that. They continued their trek, a feeling of confused anxiety filling them both. The fact that there was almost no sign of life at all in the rubble was, worrying. What sort of place was this? They moved to start climbing up the ruins of an office building, walking horizontally over what used to be vertical walls. The action carried them almost three stories into the air, forcing them to awkwardly climb down the side of the building. Several times, Lloyd almost cut his hands on glass trying to find a perch. Eventually, Harumi had resorted to forming two Rhotatae discs in her hands to plunge into the side of the building while Lloyd used Airjitzu to go down.

It was almost two hours before the two found their way at a point they could start to make out more fine details of the structure. It seemed not even that had been spared from the attack, with what looked like large symbols being obscured by the scorch marks. Several of the cannons were actually broken, and either just locked in place or hanging limp. One of the massive recessed doors was covered in rubble. By the time they saw all of this, they found a road that appeared to have been cleared of rubble. It led straight towards the dome.

"Wait a minute," Harumi pointed to a broken storefront. Underneath all the rubble were racks of clothes, partially decayed from being left in the elements. The rack was underneath a large chunk of concrete, half covering the ruined coats. Harumi looked around and found a broken pipe small enough for her to wedge under the rubble. Gathering her elemental power in hands, she moved to the end of the pole and let her power burst against it. The rod went down and, with the added leverage, caused the piece of rubble to slide slightly. Harumi dragged the rack out, finding that the half that had been under the rubble was spared from the elements.

"Here," Harumi tossed Lulloyd a large coat and took one herself, "Smear some dirt on your face too. You look like Prime and, well. We don't want him knowing that we were here."

"Good find," Lloyd paused, "How, often do you need to disguise yourself?"

"Me? Not much," Harumi shook her head, "Everyone knows who I am. But I _am_ a ninja… even if, well, I don't always do the most ninja of things."

"Trust me, neither do I," Lloyd smiled awkwardly, "Plus, it's kinda hard to be a ninja in a city that's, well, like yours. Or, mine really," The two shared a small laugh, a moment of respite from the dreary atmosphere they were in.

Lloyd slid the coat on, shaking off bits of rock and dirt from it in the process. He ran his hands through it and then put them to his face, covering his cheeks in it and then intentionally messing and running it through his hair. It wasn't a perfect disguise, but if one didn't look too hard, it would work. Harumi didn't need to mess up her hair, but she did the same to her face as she threw on the oversized coat. Lloyd was forced to abandon his katanas so they didn't show through the coat.

The two began their walk up the road. The further along they went, the more the area looked cleared of debris. Large machines were inside the rubble, stopped in the process of shoveling away pieces of the broken buildings. A small distance was cleared on either side of the street, just leaving the broken foundation for them to see. For some reason, that was almost more depressing to see than the actual ruined structures. Nobody was manning the machines at present.

Harumi's eyes widened as she heard something moving, turning to see what it was. Lloyd turned to see something that immediately put him on edge. A small mech, perhaps ten feet tall, was holding a massive shovel and moving rubble aside. The mech was a dull gray, almost industrial in its design, with spindly arms and legs and a more massive center section that was filled with pistons and wires. The cockpit, unlike Invictus, was exposed, and instead of the holographic display that Over had described, it was instead a person sitting down controlling two handles that swiveled around them in circles to control the mech's arms. They were unable to identify the man that was inside of it.

For now, the two decided to walk past it. Further up the road, they saw another, this one a light blue, using what looked like a laser cutter to take apart a large piece of metal. Yet another small mech was working to help carrying chunks into a large machine that drove away to dump them somewhere else. There were perhaps five of these mechs around, all of them piloted by people that none of them recognized. They were working hard, almost like construction workers.

"Hey! You two!" Lloyd and Harumi froze as a voice stopped them. The mech with the laser cutter walked towards them, stepping over the mounds to stand beside them. For a moment, Lloyd considered running. Harumi reached out and gripped his hand, holding it to tell him not to move. When the two saw who was driving it, Lloyd's eyes widened in recognition.

"Are you with the cleanup crew?" Nelson asked them, "It's dangerous to be outside the Shelter." The boy was no longer such, now a teenager with messy brown hair and wearing a deep gray working jumpsuit that was stained with oil and bits of rock from his work. His gloves he wore were half caked in mud and dirt.

"We're… we're not, from around here…" Harumi spoke up, acting timid for the moment, "What's… the shelter?"

"Wait, you two are survivors?" Nelson' eyes widened, "Wow. I haven't seen any for… You two must have been tough to make it here," Nelson moved to lift the mech's arm to point towards one of the massive doors to the dome they now knew as the Shelter, "Head there and tell them. We're always happy to have more people. They'll get you set up."

"Thank you, Nelson!" Lloyd responded without thinking.

"...Do I know you two?" Nelson asked, making the mech stand up.

"Y-you uhm, you remind me of someone that I used to know," Lloyd quickly lied, "He… he was named Nelson too." Nelson looked a bit skeptical for a moment, but then his face softened considerably.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Nelson sighed, "We've all lost people, don't worry. If anyone knows what that's like in what's left of Ninjago, it's us. Well, just follow the road and you'll get to where you need to go. You're safe now, don't worry. We have Prime guarding this city, nothing is gonna get in on his watch."

"We'll remember that," Lloyd forced himself not to react to the name, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Nelson moved to pick back up the laser cutter and turn back to where he'd been working, "We're all in this together."

Lloyd just smiled at Nelson and decided not to comment further on what was going on. Just seeing someone like him working here, and looking nothing like a kid anymore, it left him at a feeling that wasn't good. Just seeing him going back to look like he was picking through the rubble for things to cut apart, it left him with a feeling that was closer to sickening than anything else.

With them so close to the Shelter, as Nelson called it, Lloyd decided not to talk further. As he approached the massive door, he noticed that the door itself was partially open. It appeared to slide in two sections into the wall, and a gap about ten feet wide was currently opened up. There were a few people waiting around the outside, all of which looked like Ninjago citizens, but far more war weary. There was a lot about this situation that was ending Lloyd's spine in shivers.

When the two approached the gap, there was someone there to greet them. It looked like the Police commissioner, but his mustache was far less groomed and he wasn't wearing his police uniform. Instead, he was standing with a large holographic pad, tapping away at things and grumbling as he went about looking at whatever was on it with an annoyed intent.

"Jimmy isn't working his shift again…" The 'Commissioner' grumbled up until the two approached, at which point he looked up, "Hrmm… haven't seen you two before. Are you coming back from a shift?"

"We're, survivors," Harumi clutched her coat tightly, "We were sent here by Nelson."

"Survivors!?" The Commissioner perked up quickly, "You must have come a long way, haven't you? Well, come with me, I'll take you to get registered," He turned towards a man standing on top of a small guard post up further on the wall, "Jimmy! Get down here and watch the door! I got to handle something!"

"What, sir?" Jimmy called down, "I don't see anything!"

"That wasn't what I!" The Commissioner's eye twitched, "Ugh, nevermind! Come on, you two. Welcome to the Shelter." Lloyd wasn't sure if his tone was meant to be welcoming or annoyed; in an odd way, it was a mix of both.

Once beyond the wall, the sight in front of them was unlike anything they expected. The Shelter, as it turned out, did not look like a place of living. Instead, it looked like a massive compound. Past the wall, the ground was entirely metal as far as the eye could see. The entire space was several hundreds of feet in diameter, large enough to house an entire city inside of itself alone. A massive building with slanted walls took up almost half the space, with large glass windows that looked over the remaining space. At the end of one of the sides of the building, the building seemed to be built into the large door that was covered by rubble. There were hardly any defining features of the building, other than its massive size. It appeared to be a space capable of storing Invictus itself, ten times over. Lloyd saw some of the mechs that Nelson was piloting walking in a large garage-style door, and inside he saw racks where they were grabbed, raised up and stored in slots on the wall.

On the other side of the compound, meaning the side that wasn't dominated by the strange structure, was what looked like apartments. The buildings were built into the curve of the wall, and stretched up towards the very top of the wall. On top of each building was a large satellite dish. There looked to be almost two hundred apartments there, and with how deep the buildings were, it was likely even more. The buildings were very plain, each one without any color other than the blue of the glass and gray of the material used to build them. Several of them looked as though they had been recently built. They all seemed to frame a small approximation of a town square, with a comically small patch of grass for a 'park' with several vibrant flowers to make one of the only bright splotches of color in the entire complex. Sitting firmly behind this patch was a large sheet draped over something, most likely a statue.

"This way," The Commissioner turned towards one of the apartments. It was a rather long walk across the complex. If Harumi had to guess, it was likely the size of the Shelter's washer-shaped wall could fitf the downtown area of Ninjago City, and reached at least twenty stories tall. The Commissioner caught the two looking towards the apartments and sighed.

"It's probably not as glamorous as you were imagining," The Commissioner sighed, "This wasn't originally built for people. This is where Prime's squad was built and such, sure you've heard of them. Those apartments used to just be for the personnel here that actually worked on the things. I'm a guard for this facility myself. After the Razing, this was the only place left standing just 'cause those things didn't get inside. They started moving the people that were left in here. They've got food and a good water system, though, so it's better than whatever you had out there, I'm sure."

"The… Razing?" Harumi asked, "What are you referring to?"

"Pretty sure that's clear, but I've heard people call it other things," The Commissioner sighed, "That thing that happened at the end of the invasion. When all of his minions all blew up. You probably saw them. Pretty sure he figured the best way to get back at us for winning was to make it the worst victory possible."

"Right… him," Lloyd nodded, "Is, he the one that Prime defeated?" Lloyd was taking a long leap here.

"Yeah, exactly the one," The Commissioner brought them towards the bottom floor of one of the apartment buildings, which looked to be more like a large cafeteria. A large line of trays and cooking equipment betrayed its purpose, but the Commissioner instead brought them through a mess of poorly organized tables and towards a small office. The door was open, letting them see a mess of papers, computers and some other things. Notably, there was a scanner made for their hands.

"Alright," The Commissioner pointed towards the scanner, "Just pop your hands on that and we'll get this thing moving along. Just gotta get you into the system here, then we can assign you a good place to live and show you around."

"Is that a biometric scanner?" Harumi asked. The Commissioner blinked at her.

"I uh, think so, they just told me to use it," The Commissioner shrugged, "Just go ahead and scan it all and we'll get you in here."

Lloyd and Harumi looked at one another, realizing what this could mean. Given that Lloyd was an analogue to Prime, the fact the system might pick up on that and store it would be a dead giveaway of the fact they were here. For a long few moments, the two looked and tried to figure out an excuse to get them out of the situation. Their escort was none the wiser as they both racked their brains for something that wouldn't put any suspicion on their heads.

Instead, the heavens seemed to answer their plea in the form of a small siren. The siren wasn't shrill and loud, but a quiet sound that was more like a bell at a school. The Commissioner perked up when he heard it, pulling his tablet back out and tapping it to see the time. When he did, his eyes widened.

"Tell you what, why don't we do this after the speech?" The Commissioner put the tablet down, "You two mentioned you heard of Prime, right? Here's your chance to see him in the flesh. He's giving a speech to commemorate the new statue we made!"

"Prime is here?" Lloyd asked. He tried to make his voice sound excited, but it came out as worried.

"Come on, it's just outside the building," The Commissioner stretched his back out and ushered them out.

Neither of them could figure out a reason not to go, especially since it got them out of this situation. The two followed the suddenly energized guard as he led them back out the building and towards the town square. People from all around were filtering towards the covered statue, streaming from all areas of the compound. Lloyd took note that several of them descended from stairs leading into the large building taking up the other side of the compound. By the time they arrived, a crowd of perhaps two hundred people had already formed, and Lloyd intentionally slowed his step so he and Harumi would be towards the back of the group. In doing so, they lost the Commissioner to the others.

"Is he really here, do you think?" Lloyd asked Harumi in a whisper, pulling the hood up on his coat.

"We don't have any way of tracking him right now anyways," Harumi pulled her own coat hood up, "Even if we did, we wouldn't know when he was-"

Harumi stopped talking as soon as she saw him. Prime was talking towards the large crowd, causing a hushed murmur to fall over the people. He was still in the jumpsuit that the two had met him in, but its color had changed to blue. Lloyd looked around to see if Invictus was anywhere, but he saw no sign of the mech. Instead, Prime walked across the space towards the statue, where he saw a small step was erected for him to stand on.

Looking at Prime like this was a strange feeling. Until now, Lloyd had only the image of Prime hunting them down in Invictus and blasting Overlloyd through the air with his mech. Seeing him standing in front of a group of people like this, with his hands laxxd and his hair combed to the side, gave him a strange feeling of deja vu. When he was like this, Prime looked far more like who he was meant to be: Lloyd.

Harumi took the chance to look around the group. Everyone around them was silent and hushed over. Despite coming from almost every area they could, none of them looked ready to speak up. They gave Prime looks of adoration, looks that were normally reserved for heros. Nothing about how they looked at him was anything like they knew him. Prime stood there, completely silent, for several minutes. He let people come in, filtering in still. Several of the mechs they'd seen outside the Shelter walked inside, their pilots coming to stand a distance behind the crowd, Nelson among them. After almost ten minutes of waiting, Prime's voice cut the silence.

"Each of us are here today because of ourselves," Prime began, his voice carrying through the crowd effortlessly, "Each of us have put in our time and effort to do our part for Ninjago. You all standing here in front of me today have made everything that I have been able to do possible. Without you, working to keep the spirit of Ninjago alive, I would have nothing to fight for. It wasn't my actions that drove away the invasion, but each of you."

"In choosing to fight, we accept the fact that those that are beside us might not come home," Prime continued, his tone unwavering, "We chose to accept that what we want to fight for is worth everything, even our lives. For those of us that put our lives forward and lose them to the battlefield, it is a sacrifice that we can't forget. We can't let the deeds of those that came before us go without remembering them. Everything we have today is thanks to them. And for that reason, today is a day to honor everyone that fell to the invasion."

"Five years ago, I was approached by the men that founded the Core Program to become part of something far larger than who I was," Prime continued further, taking a step forward, "I didn't know what I was going to do. When I saw what they wanted me to use, I was scared. We had all seen what the Overlord's forces were capable of. We'd all lost someone by then. I was just a child who knew nothing about what was happening. But that was the day that I met my team, the ones that would eventually become my friends."

"Invictus," Prime lowered his head, "Fervidus. Immortalis. Fidelis. Arcanus. Impetus. Those were the names that we later gave to the cores that the program developed. Cores that would bond to only those that carried with them the soul of the ones that helped create them. These machines were built to help us fight against something none of us knew how to fight. I was designated their leader. And when we went into battle, there was nothing that felt as though it could best us."

"As you all know, the threats kept coming," Prime raised his head, his voice growing deeper, "They fought harder to take us down. They wanted to rip us from the land and shroud it in darkness. But we continued to fight for our home. We fought until the day we finally forced the Overlord himself to show his face. It was that battle that decided our future. If we lost, it would mean all of our fighting was for nothing. If we won, it meant the future we'd been fighting for was finally ours." Prime stopped talking. A long moment of silence filled the air. Everyone looked down.

"The Razing was an event none of us knew was coming," Prime finally continued, "Everything we had built was gone. All of us that fought watched it happen. We saw our homes destroyed. We saw our allies fall. The Overlord wished to deal us one final blow. One final way to make our victory into a defeat…" Prime inhaled, "But we survived."

Prime's voice suddenly raised to a thunderous level, "Despite everything he threw at us, we survived! We fought for our right to exist! Our right to live without someone threatening to take those lives away! And this, the symbol of our will to fight, was left standing. We honor those that fell during the Razing by continuing to live on! To show the Overlord that no matter what he wished for us, he couldn't control us! What he wished to make our end, we made our victory. And today, we honor those that fell, not because they are gone, but because it is thanks to them that we are able to stand and shout that we live!" Prime reached back to grip hold of the cover on the statue, "This day is for those that won!"

The curtain pulled away. As soon as Lloyd saw what was there, his entire body went cold. The statue was of five people, each of them styled in jumpsuits that were identical to that Prime wore. They were five familiar faces, cast as standing together in one formation, as a team. Five members left in a memorial to those that had fallen. Prime turned to look at the statue, his face suddenly becoming unreadable. His hand gripped into a fist for the briefest of moments before he turned back to the crowd.

"I, Prime, the wielder of Invictus, declare this memorial for all those that have passed," Prime stepped back, "And to the future that we have as the people of Ninjago."

The crowd gave a small round of applause. It was not a thunderous sound that showed their support. It wasn't a sound that was meant to simply give their half-hearted praise. It was a sound that fit Prime's speech perfectly. It was a sound that echoed through the compound. It echoed through Lloyd's heart as he looked upon those faces. Five faces that he knew far too well. Harumi knew them too.

Prime slowly stepped down from the spot. The crowd lingered for a long few moments, muttering and moving to closely examine the statue. Lloyd looked down at the ground, gripping his fists. This wasn't his world. This wasn't anything like the Ninjago he knew. This wasn't the dark outlook of Over's empire. It wasn't the reality of Monty's fate. It was a world that was broken. A world that he now knew why the Twins had come to.

Harumi gave Lloyd's sleeve a tug. A sad look was on her face, one that betrayed the emotions that she was feeling being similar to his own. She pointed towards where Prime had gone to, specifically towards the large building whose purpose was unknown. While Lloyd at first hesitated, Harumi tugged more insistently, directing his gaze towards the bushy facial hair of their escort still inside the crowd. Reluctantly, Lloyd decided to follow after her.

Prime made his way towards the strange building. As he approached, he was looking around for someone, someone rather expectantly. When he got closer to the massive structure, he turned to see a construction worker tapping away on a tablet. When he saw the man, Prime changed his course for him. Lloyd and Harumi followed him at a distance, using the crowd for as long as they could so as not to look suspicious.

When Prime reached the worker, he reached out and grabbed hold of his collar roughly. The man gasped in shock as Prime dragged him around the side of one of the triangular support for the building, out of the public eye. The two rushed up to press themselves against one of the nearby supports to hear what was going on. Prime dragged the man up until he pulled him into the air and slammed him into the wall, causing the breath to be knocked from the man's lungs.

"P-Prime!" The man gasped, "W-What's going on?"

"The statue," Prime growled, "You worked on the statue, right?! That's the wrong statue!"

"S-Sir, we followed the order we were given!" The worker gasped, "W-What's wrong with it?! We made sure the faces of your team were identical to their IDs!"

"She isn't there!" Prime spat, "Why isn't she there?!"

"S-She?" The man asked in confusion. Prime felt the anger suddenly melt from his body and turn to a cold lump inside him. He let the terrified man down, taking his hands from him and stepping away.

"I'm sorry," Prime shook his head, "I don't know what got to me. I, need to be alone right now," Prime sighed, "You were just doing your job. It wasn't your fault."

Prime turned and slowly walked away from the startled worker, who quickly looked around and then hurried off, confused as to what had just happened. Harumi turned to Lloyd to mouth the word 'She?" Lloyd just shook his head back at her. Whoever Prime was talking about, the two didn't know of them.

For now, the two followed him. Prime made his way up to a door that looked like a side exit. One of the scanners that they had narrowly avoided using was there. Prime reached his hand up and scanned it on the glass. A small hologram formed over it, scanning over his arm and the top of his hand at the same time. There was a small click as the door rotated open, revealing a large green hallway in front of Prime. He stepped inside, the door immediately moving to close again. Just before the door shut in full, the pair slid inside and pressed themselves up to the nearest wall to hide.

Prime was nowhere to be seen. The two took steps down the hallway, looking for any form of surveillance. There didn't seem to be cameras in place, making their trip slightly easier. The hallways were very plain, with almost nothing on the walls other than the occasional door or branch to another section. There wasn't much of anything to indicate this was a place that was for anything other than building something.

Just before the two turned a corner, Harumi saw a shadow and quickly pulled Lloyd back. The two pressed up against the adjacent wall as Prime walked directly by them, his gaze focused forward. The two held their breath as he moved over to a small panel in the wall with another scanner on it. He repeated the process of scanning, but instead of something clicking open, when he pulled his hand back a small set of buttons had appeared. He hit one button, causing a sound wave to appear on the screen.

"Send a message to Professor Julien," Prime stated formally, "We need to talk about the statue. I told you I wanted Akita in it. I know you put the order in. Meet me in room 313."

Prime removed his hand from the scanner, causing it to turn off and display the prompt for scanning his hand once more. He went down the hallway across from where Lloyd and Harumi were hiding. The two gave a small nod and waited for him to be far enough down so they could dart across the small space and into the hallway after him. Prime made his way to an elevator, taking it up. The two found a nearby stairwell and rushed to reach the top before he did.

The two followed Prime for some time. They weren't sure how deep they were into this facility, and the hallways seemed to keep going on and on. What was going on in this place, they had a few guesses, but none of them really said anything. Thankfully, Prime had a destination in mind. He found his way to a hallway filled with several doors arranged evenly across both walls. When he saw this, Prime stopped and gave a small inhale, then turned towards one that was marked with a small green stripe on the door. This door simply slid open with the press of a button on the wall, at which point he went inside. After a minute of waiting, Prime walked out, holding several papers in his hand. He walked off down the hall. Lloyd pointed at the door Prime went into, and Harumi gave a small nod to him. The two waited for him to be far away before Lloyd pressed the button and caused the door to open.

The room itself looked to be something of a living space. It wasn't large, perhaps the size of two small bedrooms put together. On one end was a large bed built into the wall that folded up into the wall, the sheets messy from now being remade after sleeping in it. A small couch was in the middle of the room, set up in front of a small table. A bathroom was in one corner of the room behind a small door. There was an area that looked like some sort of kitchen, with a sink and something approximating a stove. Despite seeming to be some sort of living space, other than the bed, it looked as though nobody lived here at all.

"Is this Prime's room?" Lloyd asked. Harumi looked around until she found a scanner on the wall. She moved to plug her watch into it and began to siphon information from it. After a moment, she nodded her head.

"Yeah, this is his room, it's registered under Lloyd," Harumi unplugged her watch, "I don't see anything here that looks like it, though. Doesn't he at least have a picture frame, or some weapons to decorate the walls?"

"I mean that's what I have, but-" Lloyd blinked, "Wait, are you saying your dad didn't change how he decorated his room?"

"He didn't care about how it looked, just that it worked," Harumi shook her head, "Anyway, just look around and see if you can find anything."

Lloyd nodded to acknowledgement and began looking around. The bed didn't have anything unusual about it. There wasn't a journal or diary to speak of in the room either. There were shelves against one wall, but other than some standard clothes, there wasn't anything in there either. The jumpsuits that Prime wore also weren't in the room either. The bathroom and kitchen were both clean and looked hardly used. It wasn't until Lloyd found a closet by fiddling around with a section of wall that he found something.

"Who's Akita?" Harumi asked Lloyd, "I've read a lot about my dad's adventures but, I don't remember that name. He might have mentioned her but… I don't know."

"I've never met her," Lloyd shook his head, "But, she must be important to me? Prime sounded really upset that she wasn't there."

"Remind me when we get back to my world, I'll look into the databases there," Harumi nodded, "She must be from someone further on my dad's timeline." Lloyd left the topic at that for now.

"What's this?" Lloyd reached out and picked something up. The only thing inside the small space was a large metal orb that had a slight yellowish-red tint to it. The orb wasn't very heavy, but it also felt like it was vibrating in his hands. He tried to run it around, but the only defining feature was a small pure yellow stripe that was slightly recessed into the orb running along its circumference to give it any real defining feature.

"Let me see that," Harumi took her time to run her hands along the length of the thing. When she found nothing, she paused and moved to pull up some notes on her watch. As she scanned over them, she gave a long nod and hefted the ball up.

"This seems like it matches the description of what Monty said was inside that machine that kicked him, him too," Harumi paused, "If this is a core… I need to take this home with me and see how it works. I might be able to do something with this. I'm not sure how these mechs here run on these things but, well. Over said they felt like elemental powers, so maybe…"

Harumi gave her hands a small charge of green power. As soon as she did, the core in hand began to glow yellow with a bright flare from the stripe. Harumi pulled her power back, causing it to stop. That alone caused her to smile widely.

"Should we really take this from him, though?" Lloyd asked, "Why would Prime be keeping a core around in his room? And, how could a mech that large run on something that small?"

"We need a way to start moving around without worrying about Prime," Harumi shook her head, "I don't feel good about stealing this from him, but… he's working with the Time Twins. We need to start getting our footing back. If the price for that is stealing something from our enemies, I think that's okay. At least, for now."

"I guess so," Lloyd paused, "Before we go, can you download any information from that scanner thing? I want to know what happened in this place. I want to know why that statue was of…" Lloyd lowered his eyes, "...them."

"Yeah," Harumi looked back to the panel, "Let me see what I can get."

Harumi plugged back in and tried to siphon some data from the system. Unfortunately, the stream of data that came back to her was nothing that she could make sense of. After a good two minutes of that, she shook her head.

"I need to get to a better computer terminal," Harumi frowned, "I got that we're in a living quarters area, but that's about it. If we go down the way Prime went, we should come to an area where I can get to a better computer."

With their destination set, the pair left the room, careful not to leave any signs that they'd been inside. Harumi stuffed the orb she was carrying with her under her coat. Thankfully, the thing was rather lightweight for something that looked pure metal. Once they reached the end of the hallway, they found themselves at a staircase that either went up or down. Harumi pointed up, and the two ascended the stairs.

Just as they reached the top of the stairs, the wall to their left became a massive pane of glass. Once they walked by, the sight that they saw was unlike anything they had ever seen. The glass appeared to be a viewing port into a massive hanger. The hanger was comparable to that for airplanes. There were six massive stations, filled with massive wires, raising and lowering platforms, and people rushing around with various tools on carts and trucks. The walls had to be at least eight stories tall, with catwalks spanning almost the entirety of the ceiling. It was immediately clear what the purpose of the bay was when they turned to see what was stored in one of the massive racks.

Invictus, the massive mech that the group had been running from, was currently suspended in the air on massive metal hooks. People on various platforms moved to repair sections of it and plug wires into its frame. The hatch to the cockpit was opened up, showing the lack of a pilot. It fit perfectly inside the rack it was in. The other racks were completely empty. Despite how large the mech was, it almost looked tiny when shown in a room that large. The wall opposite of the viewing window the pair were looking at was one of the massive doors of the Shelter. From the way it was bent and crushed in, it was clear it was the one filled with rubble. Instead, the ceiling was partially open, letting in light and showing how Invictus was able to deploy with this place in this state.

"Okay… so it looks like this place was built for repairing mechs like Prime's," Lloyd pointed out, "This isn't anything like the Ninjago we know, though. Is this place like Mage's world?"

"Yeah, but without the weird design," Harumi pointed out, "This looks more like… a warzone than anything. We need to find out more about this place."

Lloyd agreed with her, moving past the glass and towards another door. This one had a scanner to it, so the two were forced to improvise. Harumi plugged her watch in and began to send massive packets of information to the small scanner, causing its system to fill up with data. The result allowed her to press her gloved hand to the scanner and cause the door to open. The two slipped inside just before the door sealed shut again.

This room was far smaller, the size of a small office more than anything. The entire area was lined with computers, with simple stations that evenly lined each space along the wall and in two neat rows down the middle of the room. The left wall on entering was another massive viewing glass, but this had a large circular station of computers in front of it, almost like a command deck. All the computers around it seemed to be supporting the main station. Harumi frowned and ignored this for now, moving to sit down in one station and began the process of hacking the system's log-in credentials.

"Just give me a minute here… they got some good security," Harumi smirked as she saw the screen flash and brought up a simple interface, "Nothing future technology can't handle."

"Are you saying you're not actually hacking it?" Lloyd asked.

"The watch is doing most of the work," Harumi chuckled, "I just like to act like I'm the one doing it. Hacking was more Ren's thing, if you can believe it."

"Ren, as in your deputy?" Lloyd asked, "Huh, never saw her as that type."

"It's just a hobby she has," Harumi clarified, tapping away at the keys, "Alright, here we go. Documents on what happened in this place."

Slowly, Harumi began to read. The text scrolled down the page quickly, but Harumi kept reading. She read, and read, and read. And the more she read, the more that small smile she had on her face started to fade. She kept going, too fast for Lloyd to keep up. She was reading for so long that Lloyd felt his body going stiff with worry. She refused to say a word, continuing to go on despite how long what it was she was reading kept going. When she finally stopped, she took her hands off the keyboard and turned towards Lloyd. She kept her head down, as if everything she had just read was weighing on her quite physically.

"What is it?" Lloyd asked her, suddenly nervous.

"I… I know why Prime is after us now," Harumi muttered, "...He's, not doing this because he's evil. I know why the Time Twins recruited him."

"Well?" Lloyd asked, his tone going from insistent to worried, "Tell me what you saw."

"I copied the document so, if you want the full details I'll show you later," Harumi turned back to the screen, "But… these are military reports about everything. They talk about what happened. It looks like, instead of the Overlord being someone that was released because of Garmadon, he started attacking Ninjago directly."

"Six years ago, a series of massive beasts made of shadow attacked Ninjago," Harumi explained, "The initial attacks devastated entire cities. People disappeared from the cities, but no bodies were ever left behind. The monsters were driven away, but the attacks kept coming. The Emperor of Ninjago called upon everyone in the land that could help to create something to stop those attacks from happening again. The project was labeled the Advanced Auto-Immersion Mission. It looks like Wu came forward and shared what he knew about Ninjago along with Dr. Julien and created the core program.

"The cores are specialized devices that harvest raw energy from Ninjago," Harumi continued, "But they only will fully activate for one sepcific person. It, looks like that's why Prime and his team were sought out by Wu. They were the only ones that could activate the cores. They built the mechs to house the cores and fight the monsters the Overlord threw at Ninjago. Prime was Lloyd's callsign. The others are listed here too," Harumi scrolled up and pointed. On the screen, next to a headshot of five people Lloyd's friends were listed names: Prime, Degree, Power, Ray, Absolute, and Vector.

"It doesn't look like what they fought were exactly what we would see as our own villains…" Harumi frowned, "But, five months ago, the Overlord stepped foot in Ninjago to support all of the people he called out. He attacked everywhere he could in Ninjago at once. Prime went to fight the Overlord in Invictus. There's something here about him entering 'sync' with his mech. It looks like everyone else in his team were spread around Ninjago while he took on the Overlord."

"And, he won, right?" Lloyd asked. That was when Harumi's smile fully faded.

"...That's what the Razing is about," Harumi tapped the screen, her tone quieting down, "When Prime struck the final blow, the Overlord used his last moment of thought to command every monster he had to… to explode…" Harumi gripped her fist, "Prime's entire team was… they fell when that happened. That statue was to honor them for… it looks like almost every major city in Ninjago was destroyed in the blast. Prime won but… there was a reason they were so shocked to see survivors like us."

The weight of Harumi's words fully sunk in. Prime wasn't alone because he was going after them like Lloyd was. He was alone because he didn't have a team anymore. Prime had paid a cost for victory that Lloyd couldn't even imagine. This was far more than just losing someone close to him. Prime had lost almost all of Ninjago. It seemed that the Shelter had been one of the only things that was strong enough to survive the attack.

"Who… who does it say Akita is?" Lloyd asked nervously.

"It says that Akita was registered as coming from a remote village in the north that she claimed was hurt in the initial attacks, but no record of her village was found prior to her arriving," Harumi tapped away, "It, says she was labeled as part of Prime's team, as a support. She's listed as an engineer but, that's really about it."

"That's it?" Lloyd asked. Harumi just nodded her head.

"That's all," Harumi frowned, "But, this is what we needed. Prime… the Time Twins control time, right? He must want to go back in time and save his team before, all of that happened. The Razing didn't just take away his team… it, took away everything he was fighting for."

"So he won, but he lost too…" Lloyd frowned, "Make sure you have a copy of that. We need to show the others this."

"We should get going," Harumi informed him, "I got a map of the place while I was doing this too. It looks like there's a maintenance door we can go through near here. After that we can just sneak out the front gate."

"I hope the Commissioner isn't too upset with us for ditching him," Lloyd pointed out.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Harumi shook her head, "Let's just get back to the others and do it fast. Prime is still here and I don't want to run into him"

* * *

Harumi's maintenance door had been located inside the massive hanger that they now understood stored the mechs that Prime's team had used. Thanks to the massive amount of space and abundance of hiding places, they were able to sneak their way around the facility until they had found their way to the door. After letting two workers leave for their break, they slid out the door and found themselves near the massive wall that made up the Shelter. Following that massive wall lead them to the residential area they'd seen earlier, and more importantly to the statue. As they passed around it, they found themselves looking at it with a newfound melancholy.

After hiding away until the person at the gate changed shifts, the two slid back out into the desolation of the city. The thought of this city being gone because of a final attack by the Overlord was as depressing as it was revealing. Prime had fought for this place, just like they had for their own worlds. It had just been that the Overlord managed to take one last thing for Prime before he managed to stop him. Prime had truly been the perfect person to send after them.

That thought alone was worrying to Lloyd. The Twins had curated the perfect foes for them. They had found others that were the 'Lloyd' of that world to send against them, knowing they couldn't fight them in full force because of it. They found ones that had perfect motivation to go after them, and were strong enough to oppose all six of them. Invictus alone was more than any of them were equipped to handle besides Mage and Overlloyd. Ophiod just put even more of a power gap between them. Knowing more like this, almost made the situation worse.

With how long they had spent getting to the Shelter, Lloyd had assumed they would get back just in time for Monty to approach them. Instead, it had barely been over half a day since Monty had dropped them off, leaving them to have nothing to do but rest.

It had been an uneasy rest, but one that was appreciated after they had been taken hours trekking through a razed landscape. It was from this rest, though, that Lloyd felt a kick to the side of his head. He let out a hard groan and rolled to his feet, seeing Monty standing over him with one hand on the SoS and the other placed on his hip in an annoyed fashion.

"You know, Lulloyd and Mage barely even had time to get their stuff done, and here I find you two sleeping on the job," Monty groaned, "Did you two lazy ninja get what you were looking for?"

"Yea, we did…" Lloyd grumbled, "We spent hours just walking, Monty. We barely even slept.

"Sure, just like I'm sure you barely got what you were looking for," Monty turned to Harumi, holding on to the core she had, "What's that?"

"The core I was looking for…" Harumi stretched her back out, "Let's grab Lulloyd and Mage. We need to go to my world. I might be able to do something with this."

"Sure, your highness, would you like the express trip with that?" Monty waved his hand, "Let's go. You better make those transport things. I'm getting tired of ferrying you around. Ronin does that."

"You've only taken us a few places!" Lloyd protested.

"And that's already too many," Monty sighed, "Get in, or you'll have to sleep another day on these rocks."

Harumi's hands tightened around the orb she carried, but she held back from saying a word. Instead, she calmly stepped forward into the portal, carrying the core. Lloyd gave Monty a long look and stepped in after her. Monty gave a look around at the desolate landscape that was laid out before him, looked away, then stepped in after them.

* * *

"I'm not sure what happened, Prime," Dr. Julien sighed, "She should have been on that statue."

"Well she wasn't!" Prime shouted, hitting his hands on the conference table in front of him, "She wasn't there, Julien! Where is she?!"

"We'll have another one made for her," Dr. Julien assured him, "I promise you that."

Prime slowly looked up. The room the two were in was sterile and gray, with few signs of life present outside of the two men inside. The table in front of them was dusty from a lack of use. There were never enough people left behind to clean this facility anymore. Prime himself had to take care of most of the places that he used.

"This wasn't done intentionally, Prime," Dr. Julien informed him, sighing as he adjusted his glasses, "All of us know that she was important to you."

"Important to me?" Prime gripped his fists, "She was everything to me! The only reason that she should even have to have a statue made of her like this is because I… because I…" Prime shook his head, "...She fell in battle along everyone else. She, deserves it."

"Prime…" Dr. Julien's face fell, "You may have brought her into this, but she chose to fight. It was her own will that pushed her to fight alongside you. Do not forget that. What happened to her is not your fault alone."

"I know that," Prime shook his head, "But I can't get her out of my head!"

"I know," Dr. Julien frowned, "But, remember, my boy, you aren't the only one who lost people that day," Dr. Julien reached up to grip his shoulder, "...All of us, lost someone special to us."

Prime took a long moment to breathe. He focused on himself, then he fully stood up again. He straightened his back, and turned away from Julien. He focused, and focused, and pushed away his thoughts. When he turned back around, he was smiling once more, and he walked over to place his hand on Julien's shoulder.

"I know you did, he was one of our bravest and smartest," Prime informed him, bowing his head, "And truly one that never deserved to fall. I will make sure I honor his memory in how I carry myself."

"Ah… you put too much pressure on yourself for that, Prime," Dr. Julien sadly chuckled, "...I'm an old man. I don't have much life left in me to spare worrying about the past. All I can do now is build a future for you young ones… hopefully one that you can at least find some joy in."

"Wrong, _we_ will build that future," Prime nodded, "You are a brilliant man, Dr. Julien. You will forever be remembered as a hero and a figure to us all. I won't let your sorrow or anyone's here go unanswered. I will forever remember it, and I will rectify it."

"Is this about this 'mission' of yours again?" Dr. Julien looked up at him.

"Indeed," Prime inhaled, "Forgive my outburst, please. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again. Just… get a statue of her made, and I'll make sure that I uphold the right to ask it."

"Take care of yourself, Prime," Dr. Julien shook his head, "And don't forget yourself. You would do well to remember it."

"I will, sir," Prime's eyes flashed, "And I won't ever forget what happened. I'll make sure that my mission is successful… no matter what."


	58. Chapter 58

Dr. Sanders Saunders groaned as he fiddled with his mustache. Why he'd chosen to make his disguise something that required so much hassle to put on was something he questioned every day. Putting on this act as a dopey old man that cared only for how the museum looked was as taxing on Krux as it felt to try to stick his mustache on each morning. The museum was the perfect cover for him, a place that nobody would look twice at what he was planning, but it had its own disadvantages associated with it. Namely, the effort it took to keep his persona going was as draining as manual labor at times.

"Time simply can't move fast enough," Krux muttered to himself in his normal voice, "Just a few more months, then we can move forward with the plan. I just need that pesky thing to open back up for me. It'll be my reward for spending so long in this place!"

Well, the museum wasn't all bad. Even if his persona was ridiculous, the people of Ninjago needed to learn about history. So many youth were growing up not knowing the struggles their forefathers had fought to give them the peace that they had. Steering people towards learning of the past for the sake of their future was part of why he'd chosen to work in this museum. If he was going to make a disguise, it might as well be one that he enjoyed doing the work for.

Speaking of people, Dr. Saunders turned a corner to see someone standing in front of a painting at the end of one of the many hallways. Specifically, it was the painting of the battle at the Monastery he and his brother had waged against Garmadon and his pathetic brother Wu. The man was wearing a coat, his hand stuck in his pockets and his face obscured. Seeing someone look at that painting was enough to make him eager to go over and talk.

"Is museum cold?" Dr. Saunders asked in his high pitched voice, "Museum kept at even 68 degrees, no want to harm artifacts we have here! There are many priceless things in these walls."

"Oh, I think it's perfect in here," The man responded in a raspy voice, "I was just admiring your painting here."

"Ah, this thing?" Dr. Saunders turned to the painting, "You have good eye. Sadly it is no big importance to history. I hang it here because it is minor skirmish at best. The artist do very good job interpreting the scene!"

"They truly did," The man reached his hand out to point towards Krux in the painting, "Is everything here accurate to what happened?"

"Oh accounts vary, little detail to go off of!" Dr. Saunders waved his hand, "Entire story could be simple exaggeration by eager storyteller. All we know is this happen right after the Serpentine Wars! Big battle between Hands of Time. Very accurate depiction from what I've seen!"

"You know… the more I look at this, the more I don't think it is," The man turned towards Dr. Saunders, face shrouded in shadow, "You see, this painting shows Wu and Garmadon holding the Time Blades to the left side of the Monastery. The thing is…"

The man reached up and threw his hood back, showing the grinning face of Acronix, "...We both know they sent us into the Time Vortex in front of the dragon statue, brother."

"Acronix?!" Dr. Saunders fumbled out of his normal voice, "You back! I mean, agh! Stupd thing!" Krux ripped the mustache off and tossed the glasses aside, staring at his brother in shock, "You're… you're back! Brother, I thought you would be arriving later!"

"Oh, I had a chance to get out a little… early," Acronix smirked, "How have you been doing, brother?"

"I've, I've been doing well!" Krux fought to get over his shock, "In fact I've learned quite a bit about Ninjago now. I've been working on a plan to get back at those pathetic brothers. It looks like time has gone and taken our chance to get Garmadon, but we still have a shot at Wu!"

"Wu?" Acronix laughed, "Oh, brother… our ambitions have gone far beyond simply taking out that pesky brother Wu."

"What?" Krux blinked, "Whatever do you mean? Our goal has always been Wu! What more is there than that?!"

"I was thinking… the universe," Acronix smirked, "And, sadly, there isn't room for two of you."

Krux suddenly gasped as something stabbed into his back. He looked down at his red robes, seeing blood begin to blossom in two spots. When he turned, he saw someone holding the reversal blade. What he saw was enough that it made his eyes widen. He tried to turn to grab at him, but the man pulled the time blade out and stabbed him again. The action drained him of his strength, causing him to fall to the museum floor.

"I almost would like to say I would have been more prepared than that," Krux raised the bloody time blade in his hand, "But I'll instead use this as a learning experience," Krux looked down at his now dying self and scoffed, "Was such a dramatic play necessary, brother?"

"I just wanted to have a little fun!" Acronix smirked, "We've been planning for so long, I'm eager to put it into motion! Speaking of which…" Acronix gestured to the snake statue nearby, "I believe he won't be needing his little collection now, will he?"

"No he will not," Krux stepped towards the statue, turning his back to his fallen self, "It's time for us to finally get what we rightfully deserve."

* * *

With a crackle, the portal that Monty was using to ferry everyone around opened in the backroom of Dareth's studio. From that portal, both he and his newfound tagalong emerged. Once they were out, Monty looked around the room and nodded.

"Looks like this place is the same, crappy studio and all," Monty turned to Over, "Alright, first rule of business. Don't go trying to take over my place. I don't care what you do with Morro but that'd be bad for the setup Ronin and I got. Got it?"

"Do you really think so little of me that you think I would abandon my goal of revenge to take over so imitation of my own world?" Over scoffed, "I told you and that girl, it is my intention to fight alongside you until the Twins are defeated. That is my resolve. Do not make me demonstrate it to you."

"Fine," Monty looked around, "First thing we need to figure out if how we're going to get out without everyone panicking when they see you."

"You overthink things," Over scowled, "Do not laugh at me."

Slowly, Over focused. His body began to turn partially into shadows, then his armor on his body began to reshape. He shrunk in height to have only two arms. Said armor became rather large and oversized, with large bits jutting out over the shoulders in wicked blades, with a similar design for the front. His hair moved to be perfectly slicked back in a long drape around his shoulders. A similar pattern of armor formed over his legs. When he was done, he looked almost like a cartoon depiction of a dark evil warrior.

"...I'm not laughing, I'm more confused than anything," Monty pointed out.

"I wasn't talking to you," Over scowled, "I was referring to him."

"**Of all the ones to go from with that absurd comic series, you pick him?"** The Overlord scoffed from his lips, "**He was only a minor villain." **

"Yes, but he's recognizable" Over frowled, turning to Monty, "Surely you've read Starfarer."

"What? Of course I haven't," Monty rolled his eyes, "Ronin would have never let me get over it."

"I see…" Over sighed in defeat, "Currently, I look like Lord Abyss from Starfarer issue 34. He was a minor villain, but the backstory they gave him made him famous. I used to read them in my previous life, before I was reborn," Over crossed his arms over his needlessly spike-filled armor, "People will assume that I am cosplaying."

"...Right," Monty sighed, "Well, we've spent too much time on this overly long ploy. Let's just get through this city. I need to go and meet up with Ronin and then talk to someone."

"Might I ask who this, 'someone' is?" Over asked.

"No, you can't," Monty walked up to the door out of the side room, "Now come on. If I timed this right Dareth is in his break between classes, we can avoid having to talk to him."

"Funny," Over stepped forward through the door along with Monty, "I would assume all of you would be ecstatic to meet Dareth."

"They love him, I literally couldn't care less about him," Monty walked across the large expanse of Dareth's studio, the massive room currently empty of kids, "He put on a helmet, to me that's all he did. Wasn't like anybody else could have."

"...I'm going to let that comment slide," Over frowned, "Simply because I know you are trying to provoke me. Just know that even the Overlord respects him for what he accomplished."

"**If anyone else had put on that helmet, from what I saw in his memories, he wouldn't have won,"** The Overlord confirmed, "**And I myself am not petty enough to deny a victory when I see one. Even against me. It has provided me endless entertainment seeing the absurdity of his previous life." **

Monty didn't respond, instead opening the doors to the main street. He could see that the parking lot was currently roped off with construction signs, and the spots of pavement where Invictus had crashed down in the initial chase were in the process of being filled in. Monty ignored this, instead just letting his body hover over the large cracked spots. Over walked around them, placing his hands behind his back.

"WOW!" A young boy wearing a Green Ninja shirt gasped from the sidewalk, "Is that Lord Abyss?!"

"That's like, spot on!" Another boy beside him nodded, "That's so amazing!"

"I told you it would work," Over stated as the kids fumbled to begin taking pictures with their phones.

"Doesn't make you look any less ridiculous," Monty scoffed, "Don't you have any dignity?"

"Dignity is for those that retain some form of power," Over frowned, "It would be far less just for me to pretend that I have any, given what has happened to me. I am being practical."

"Pratically stupid," Monty groaned, "Walking around with you just makes me look worse."

"Is there a reason that a ghost even needs something like an image?" Over scoffed, "Everyone can see right through whatever image you cast."

"At least I'm not trying to be the living embodiment of angst," Monty spat, "You want me to play you a deep song on the world's small guitar?"

"**As much as I love listening to you two," **The Overlord suddenly cut in, "**I would prefer we stay focused on this mission. Ghost, take us to where we need to go!" **

"...Fine," Monty hissed, "Let's just be quiet then."

"Perhaps we should," Over agreed, "We have a trip ahead of us."

Monty turned his head away from Over, moving to throw one arm out so his cape flared up behind him and billowed. The cape this time was actually a deep upside down V shape, meaning that the two flaps moved independently and, while not covering up much, they made noise to make themselves known. The action just drew more ire from Over. He'd picked up on Harumi's dislike of him, and at this point he was beginning to feel like he was sharing it.

Aside from the people gawking at Over's body, the first thing he had to take in was the widespread use of Chi. Monty hadn't used his aside from the portals, which made him wonder many things about the ghost. But he didn't dwell on those. He could figure out many things just from the way that Monty spoke about himself, and what he didn't know, he didn't need to remember. He just needed to focus on getting himself to wherever Monty had to go. Aside from moving his head out of the way of a few stray animals that moved around their owners, Over had no issue with navigating the city.

Monty led them to what looked like an abandoned subway tunnel, at which point he went down inside and fidgeted around with some loose stones in the side. He pulled one out, revealing a key hidden behind the brick. He took said key and then went back up from the tunnel, going towards a large parking garage. Once he was on the second floor, he looked around until he saw a car. He pointed to it and tossed Over the key.

"Drive us to Stiix, shouldn't be more than a few hours," Monty got into the passenger seat, "And don't lose that key, it's Ronin's secret one."

"You want us to travel by car?" Over narrowed his gaze, "Isn't that rather obvious?"

"Lulloyd isn't here with his convenient dragon, and I don't have my comm to call Ronin to pick us up," Monty put his feet up on the dash, "Stop complaining and get in. You can drop that dumb look too."

Over said nothing. Instead letting his form morph back into his regal appearance, only keep the two arms for now. He sat down in the driver seat and started the vehicle, then directed them out and onto the streets of Ninjago City. It was only a small matter of time before they were out of Ninjago and out on the open road that would get them close to Stiix.

Just as Monty predicted, nobody seemed to pay them much mind. Once they were away from other cars, the worry was all but negated. Over leaned back in the seat as he drove, focusing in on driving. Monty leaned over to turn the radio on, and Over moved to quickly swat his hand down. Monty tried twice more before Over was forced to focus on a large turn, letting Monty turn it on and set it to a random station.

_It's time for trainin' and we're getting started! It's time you know. Now we wanna see you-_

"Ugh, not that song," Monty quickly went to change the station, "Play that thing every ten songs."

Monty scrambled through the stations, but couldn't find another song. With a groan, Monty turned it back to the station and let the song start playing again, turning in his seat to begin begrudgingly singing along under his breath.

"_Jump up, kick back, whip around and spin…_" Monty grumbled out.

"_...and then we'll jump back, do it again…_" A voice continued.

"_Ninja-GO… Ninja-GO…_" Monty mumbled.

"_Come on, come on, come on and do the Weekend Whip._" The voice finished.

It wasn't until the song went into the bridge that Monty realized what had just happened. He sat up from the chair, turning to look directly at Over. Over didn't move, focused on driving and not even taking the time to turn his gaze to look at Monty. Monty stared firmly at him for several moments, trying to gauge what was going on. When he couldn't find any words to respond to the current situation, Monty just gave up and sat back, letting the radio just pass on to the next song in silence once again.

It was indeed several hours before the car arrived at the town nearest sto Stiix. Given how backwater the town was, there weren't any roads that led into it, just a path wide enough for some bikes or something that could go offroad. Monty had Over parked the car at the town and then took the key from him, guiding him to a path that led out of the city and hook onto the main path of Stiix. It wasn't long until they had once more arrived at the city on the water.

Just like always, Stiix never changed. It was remarkably similar to how Over had left the place in his own world. The people there looked to be anything from hard workers to gruff fighters to criminals, with every combination there in between. The only difference was how the buildings there were slightly new, given that the Preeminent had wiped them out. Given how he had removed that possibility from happening, the Stiix that Over remembered was even worse since the buildings were old and rotting from too much exposure to moisture. The people looked the same, though, which seemed to be where most of the character of the place came from either way.

Coming to Ronin's rebuilt shop was a bit more of a surprise. This was something that was both familiar and new to him at the same time. It was clearly a new construction, but built to replicate the style of the old. The old would have been destroyed by the Preeminent, if Over remembered the timeline of events correctly. Why there was a house built on the opposite side of the walkway that led to Ronin's shop was beyond him, though.

"Ronin!" Monty shouted as he threw open the doors to the shop, "Get in here, we need to talk!"

"Ah, kid, that you?" Ronin called from deeper into the shop, "Finally back from saving the world or whatever? Great, you can help me with repairing this place!"

Monty looked around the shop. The damage from the fight with Morro's ninja had been repaired when the others were temporarily trapped in this world, making Ronin's words a bit confusing at first. Monty took the time to look around, trying to locate where he was referring to. His eye landed on the counter that he normally laid on, currently broken into bits of wood all over the floor.

"Here we… go!" Ronin slid his body through the door to the main shop, carrying several pieces of lumber in his arms and turning to see who was there, "Got a friend? Great, he can help out! Think you can help me here?"

"With… what, pray tell?" Over asked, a bit surprised at Ronin's nonchalant reaction.

"Just hold these things up, that'll be enough," Ronin turned to Monty with an apologetic grin, "Heh, sorry, kid. Those guys we stole those replica blades from? They came around wanting them back. Got into a bit of a fight, threw the big guy into here and he broke it."

"...Of course they did," monty growled, "Great. Just. Great. Is there anything else in this shop that you wanna break for me?"

"Don't say it like that, it wasn't my fault!" Ronin protested, "Those guys weren't leaving until they got what they were looking for. Good news is we still got the blades. I let them run off with some cheap swords I pawned off that guy with the big scar on his face. It'll be a few weeks before they realize their mistake."

"Those things are just cheap knockoffs anyways," Monty growled, "Why do you insist on holding on to junk? If we can't sell it in the first month, it won't sell. Period. Might as well let them take it instead of just finding new places to hoard it."

"I'm not a hoarder, trust me," Ronin chuckled, "My dad wouldn't have let me be a hoarder. He used to tell me-"

"Over, fix the counter before I smack him," Monty spat.

Over stepped forward, putting his arms behind his back and lowering his gaze to look towards the counter with malice. The shadows around the shop suddenly began to writhe as he called upon his Shadow Control ability. Said shadows moved to lash out with hands made of shadowy murk, They yanked the wood that Ronin had and began to assemble it until the hands were holding all of the pieces together in the counter. Over walked up and summoned his power on the tip of his hand. His dark power burned a small dot into the wood that would be the counter itself, then matched it to the pieces below to make a mark for reference. He removed the top, then simply let the shadows hold up the wood for the support.

"There," Over turned towards Ronin, "You should be able to construct it now."

"You know, normally I'd ask about all, this," Ronin waved to the shadowy hands, "But I've seen some weird stuff here ever since Monty started hanging out with friends. I'd rather not discourage him from making them."

"A wise decision," Over turned away from Ronin, "It is best not to question that which you do not understand until you are prepared to know the answer."

"He's not my friend," Monty groaned out, "I'd rather go be friends with the ocean outside than him. He's just an ally I picked up on the way."

"An ally, huh?" Ronin was already hard at work hammering the held up boards into the floor, "Thought you were coming back since you were done saving the world and all that."

"If I was, I wouldn't be coming back with someone else," Monty groaned, "And I'm not saving the world. I'm helping these people so I can get them off my back and stop getting dragged along in all this," Monty placed one hand on the hilt of the SoS, "We need to talk about that."

"Can you wait till I finish this?" Ronin asked him, "It'll be a few minutes."

"Fine," Monty groaned. Over continued to use his ability to let Ronin work on securing the boards into the floor. Almost five minutes later, Ronin nodded his head and Over retracted his ability.. Ronin smirked as he saw it, making the job easier.

"Alright, what's the matter?" Ronin asked Monty.

"Those Twins that I'm after got away," Monty informed him, "And they killed a lot of people. Right now, they're posed to kill you too. If you see anything here that looks odd like him, anything that looks dangerous, I want you to pack up shop and run."

"What?" Ronin frowned, "Come on, kid, are you serious? I can't just leave the shop!"

"You don't get it," Monty took a step towards Ronin, "These twins are bad. They killed an entire world just out of spite. They're not above trying to kill you too. And it's not the kill and get a chance to come back thing. It's a kill and you never existed at all thing. If you see them, run."

"...You're really being serious here?" Ronin asked.

"Yeah," Monty crossed his arms, "I came all the way here to tell you that, so you better listen. I can survive that sort of thing, but you can't. And we agreed we wouldn't let each other ever be used as leverage. So don't make me have to do that whole stupid thing of them kidnapping to get at me, got it?"

"Mhm," Ronin nodded his head, "Alright, I can tell you mean it. If I see something weird, I'll get out. But I won't let them just take my shop, got it?"

"Fine," Monty sighed, "Thanks for that. Alright, that's all I came around for. Let's go, Over. We're taking REX, Ronin."

"Ehh… REX is a bit out of it right now," Ronin shook his head, "Leak in the storage box, completely floodded. I'm working on it today. You'll have it for next time."

"Are you serious?" Monty facepalmed, "If you didnt store it underwater, you wouldn't have this problem."

"And if you didn't take it for joyrides, you wouldn't have this problem," Ronin pointed out, "All comes back around."

"Ugh, whatever," Monty turned around, "We'll just go back the way we came! Let's go."

"Actually!" Ronin stopped Monty, "Someone came around to talk to me. Just came by today. He's still here, actually. You might wanna hear what he told me."

"Well don't keep me waiting," Monty crossed his arms again. Ronin gave him a little smile and went into the back room. Over moved to stand behind Monty, watching with interest. While Ronin was the one that went in, it wasn't him that came out first. The one that Ronin brought out was someone that both of them knew, but one that shocked Over just to see around.

"Ugh, I can never understand why you live in this horrid place!" The white-scaled Pythor P. Chumsworth slithered out into the main shop, "I could understand more if you were not prone to danger by living in this place!"

"Pyt**hor?"** Over and the Overlord's voices blended together in a simultaneous surprised comment.

"So you know of me, well that's good, I do hate wasting time with introductions," Pythor gave a small bow to Over, "I've worked hard to make myself a recognizable name in this place, even if they have yet to realize my…" Pythor trailed off as he looked up and saw who he was talking to, "...Oh my."

"Good, this is who I was looking for," Monty stepped up towards Pythor, "What have you found for us?"

"...Well it's, a small bit this time, but something I think you might know something about," Pythor worked to get his tone back in line, "...You have a rather odd choice of companions, Monty."

"Come on, he isn't that shocking," Monty scoffed, then turned to Over, "Found him after a big bounty was put on his head after Chen's whole plan. We made a deal. We make sure nobody collects on that bounty, and he shows up and tells us what he hears around Ninjago," Monty turned back to Pythor, "Spill it."

"You know the Museum, yes? The one in Ninjago City," Pythor narrowed his eyes, "It appears that there's been a rather ghastly murder there. Horrible thing, done without any sort of skill. They left the body of the kind old director just laying there for the police to find. They can't seem to find anything about how it happened. I normally wouldn't think much about it, but then I heard some of my informants with the rest of my kind saying they saw a man that looked just like the museum director in the sewers after the murder happened."

"...Great, they've already been here," Monty sighed, "Alright, well at least this speeds things up. Pythor, you got a new mission from us. Keep your eyes open for those two. If you see them, you tell Ronin right away. I'm after those two, and they're pretty good at the disappearing act."

"If that's what you insist," Pythor nodded his snake head.

"I know what this means," Over informed them, "We should get back to the Museum immediately."

"Hey, we agree on something," Monty turned to leave, "You stay here for now, Pythor."

"Is there a reason?" Pythor asked, "I have other things to do, you know."

"Because I said so," Monty told him coldly as he opened the doors, "And I got about three life sentences to collect on with you if you make me mad." Monty waved his hand at Over, who gave Pythor a look that the Serpentine could only call 'hungry' before the two had left once more.

* * *

When the two arrived at the Ninjago City Museum after several hours of driving, with Monty complaining they should have heard about this when they first arrived here the entire way, the Museum was completely sealed off and surrounded by various police cars. None other than the Commissioner was talking with two of his men on the front steps, with the entire entrance currently roped off with yellow tape. The parking lot was deserted, forcing them to park a block away so as not to attract suspicion.

"Well, I can get in there just fine," Monty turned to Over, "You might as well just wait here."

"I don't think that will be quite necessary," Over stood from the car and focused on his back, "I'll enter through the roof. You can get in the way you want. I will meet you in the main hall."

Monty didn't have another say in the matter before Over had once more sprouted large dragon wings and then shot up into the sky, leaving a small wake of wind that billowed Monty's cape. The dark being shot from the side of one building to the top of the other and glided from spot to spot, circling around the museum to avoid the looks of anyone else. Monty watched the display, sighed, and walked straight towards a nearby coffee shop.

As Over glided across the sky to land stealthily on the museum roof and slip his way inside a door access, Monty shifted the SoS on his back so he could simply walk straight through the cars and the tape surrounding the building. Once he was on the Museum steps, his unguarded approach was enough to make the Police Commissioner turn towards him and immediately move to point at him.

"Monty!" The Commissioner shouted, "Is this your doing? I haven't seen you and Ronin for awhile!"

"Trust me, I literally want as little to do with this as you do," Monty walked straight by the Commissioner, passing the coffee cup to him as he went by. The ghost simply walked through all of the tape and barriers, shifting the SoS a bit to do so.

"Wait, Monty you can't!" The Commissioner tried to yell at him, but Monty had already passed out of earshot.

"Should we try to stop him, sir?" One of the men asked as he watched Monty disappear.

"No use trying…" The Commissioner groaned, immediately moving to start drinking from the coffee, "Sure he gave us this for a reason… let's just head back to the station, boys."

Monty walked his way deeper into the museum, ignoring the other police that all knew him by name enough to know they couldn't stop him either. He made his way into the main hall, where a massive statue that had once been the Giant Stone Warrior was now simply a large rendition of Morro. He stared at it with contempt for several seconds. Those seconds turned into him simply planting his feet and remaining still.

The last time he'd seen Morro, it'd been him being plugged into the Iron Doom yet again. Yet even that couldn't take the hatred he felt towards the one that took his role in life from his mind. His hands gripped into fists that began to leak compressed air the longer he stared at the statue. Everything that he was meant to be, was Morro's life now. He'd seen waht Lloyd had turned into. If that was meant to be him, it wasn't right of Morro to get it.

_Does someone who can't move beyond his past self truly have the right to claim he's something new? _The voice of the word of Sanctuary flared in Monty's mind. Monty spun around by instinct, only to remember it was coming from his own back. He growled and drew the golden blade to stare into it.

"So you're talking to me now?" Monty scowled, "Thought you were content to just stay quiet and make me mad."

_Unlike you, I only wish to talk when I have something to say,_ The sword, despite talking to him, didn't show any sign of life, _You hold resentment towards him. But does he even know why you do?_

"How exactly are you getting all this, I'm not an open book like the rest of them," monty rolled his eyes. He was working to hide his growing anger.

_I've listened from the start, since the moment that you took me in hand,_ The sword responded, _I know your feelings towards Morro. Yet Morro has no basis to understand them. He's someone you should stop your petty feelings of anger towards. _

"I'm not sure where you think you got the right to start talking about my own grudges," Monty spat, "In that case, maybe you should drop your petty feelings towards me."

_When you give me reason to, perhaps I will,_ The sword responded curtly, _Until then, my powers are sealed from you, my Master. _

"Then be a good sword and stop talking," Monty glared at his reflection in the sword, "Or I'll go forward with that threat of turning you into a toothpick."

"Talking to swords now, are we?" Over's voice cut through the air around Monty as he slowly floated down from the ceiling.

"Do you have to enter a room as dramatically as possible?" Monty sheathed the SoS on his back and crossed his arms, "Nothing you need to worry about."

"Funny, then," Over landed as his wings retracted back into his body, "You seemed quite upset when the sword refused to work for you the last time you tried to use it. Is there more to this than your eyesight faltering?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about," Monty turned away from Over, "I'm using this thing just fine, thank you very much. It was stolen for me, I'm the sword's master just like I should be. Let's go see what happened here."

"As cagey as ever, I see," Over walked past Monty towards the back of the museum, "Come. I know this place better than you. It seems you have yet to experience everything that I was able to."

Monty didn't say another word, namely because Over had just pushed him to the point of wanting to spit venom at him again. He followed his obnoxiously composed companion as he led Monty towards a hallway in the back of the place. When they came to the entrance, it was taped off in several areas, preventing access. Over summoned the tip of one of his blades in his palm and sliced through them, letting them enter.

In front of a massive painting that Over recognized was a massive dried pool of blood. Tape had been put down in the shape of a man collapsed on the ground, which was more than enough for Over to make his conclusions. Monty walked up and looked around, seeing a rather eclectic bit of displays. The only ones that drew his attention was the massive snake statue and the painting, the latter only bcause of the implied murder that had occured there.

"You may not know this, but Dr. Saunders is Krux," Over began as he walked up to the painting, just skirting the red smear on the floor, "He was ejected from the Time Vortex minutes after he jumped in, meaning that he has been in hiding for forty years. He assumed the identity that you know of and has hid here. The only ones that would know that he was that man are ones that are still cowering uselessly inside a swamp. Which means that a murder like this was preempted only by one particular group of interest."

"Quit the narrating like this is some drama," Monty hissed, "I want to know what's going on here."

"Then I will show you," Over walked up to a seemingly innocuous portion of the wall nearby. From his four arms, he extended his four blades, then plunged them into the stone. His strength was enough to drive them solidly down to the hilt. With a pull of his arms, the entire panel was ripped from the wall. His blades slid back into his body as he dumped the useless piece of wall aside, revealing an entry to a space behind it.

"...You're telling me that Lloyd knew of this exact place the entire time he was here, for months, and never even told me about it?" Monty growled, "When I get back, I'm going to pistol whip him."

"Harumi was the one that likely stopped him from action, at least above a vague threat to the man," Over explained as he bent over to step inside, "She would be the one to realize the damage to your timeline that it could cause if something like this were to happen. Sadly, it seems our little killers here don't share that same sentiment."

Monty stepped into the room along with Over. The room was almost completely empty. There were several tables set up in various places, all askew and with only disconnected wires left behind. A large tank was on one side of the room, but had been smashed open and the water spilled out over the ground. Aside from that, there wasn't anything in the room that made Monty understand what was going on at all.

"So it's an empty room, great evil lair," Monty put his hands behind his head, "Let me guess, there was something in here?"

"Yes… this is worrying," Over took several steps around the room, scouring it for anything and finding nothing, "This was where Krux bred the first Vermillion. It was here that he was building his plan and the parts needed for the Iron Doom. If they are gone, I believe the identity of Dr. Saunders' murderer is obvious."

"And why would the Twins come here without trying to destroy the place?" Monty asked with a scoff, "What's so special about this?"

"The Twins are careful about their escapades," Over explained as he walked to the other side of the room, "They would not needlessly meddle with a world. The moment they entered this place, they became part of the flow of time. What happened to my world was a result of their broken machine. Destroying a world like yours would give them nothing… but," Over went and touched a panel on the wall, causing it to slide open into a large tunnel, "If they were to alter the flow of time in your world… they could risk their own lives."

"So we made a big deal about them having the ability to mess with time in our world, and they won't do it?" Monty asked as he walked towards the tunnel, "Seems like we're getting worried over nothing."

The tunnel itself was something that Monty only vaguely recognized as old sewer tunnels. The new sewer systems were fully built by Borg for efficiency, meaning these had been decommissioned long ago. From what he got, these were just used for stormwater now. But seeing that it backed right up into the museum like this made him wonder several things about this place.

"I didn't say that," Over frowned, "These Twins are petty. They may wish to get back at us all the same. The trick they are pulling with this Ophiod and Prime are just to buy them time. For what, I don't know. But if they have come to this place for something… I think I know what it is already. You can use your wind, follow me."

Over crouched down, causing his wings to sprout from his back and give a powerful flap, sending him soaring down the tunnel. Not to be outdone, Monty gathered wind in his hands and fired off, rapidly moving to keep pace with him. Over didn't even take the time to turn around and watch, just merely soared down a likely memorized network of tunnels. Given the level of oversight he'd had on his Empire, it made sense that he would know this place, even if Monty was annoyed at how he'd just been left behind like that.

The winding tunnels soon began to turn into a far more straight path, one which Over took as a chance to gain even more speed. Soon Monty was even pushing what his own wind could carry him at. His own memory of the Overlord dragon had been one of a sluggish brute that only was fast when Morro was the one attacking him. He still followed after him, trying to catch up as quickly as he could. Just before he overtook him, Over threw his wings out to stop himself, causing Monty to cancel his wind and draw two pistols, holding them in front of him and firing several times. The force caused his weightless body to flip backwards, landing perfectly on the ground with his guns helds straight out. He stood up and spun the guns in hand, then slotted them back into his armor with a tilt of his head, causing his hair to flip and settle in place.

"Well then," Over nodded to the display of unnecessary skill before pointing forward, That is why we are here, Monty."

Monty stepped around Over, passing his shoulder through Over instead of shouldering him to the side. They were at the entrance to a massive swamp. There were wooden bridges built everywhere that led to a large massive structure. One that was currently on fire. The structure had been blown open, with massive flames pouring up into the sky in a small plume of smoke. Other than that, Monty took his time to look around the swamp. From Over's expression of surprise, it was all Monty needed to know what was going on.

There was nothing there. The swamp was entirely empty.

* * *

"Kid!" Ronin called out as Monty entered the shop once more, "You find what you were looking for? I got Pythor here if you wanna talk to him."

"Oh yes, because that is my worth now," Pythor grumbled as he moved to sweep dust into a pan in front of the newly built counter, "Being used as a common shopkeep while waiting for liberation by my overseer."

"Your own fault for committing crimes and not being smart enough to get away with them," Monty rolled his eyes as he and Over entered the shop.

"Of course it is," Pythor put the broom down and slithered over to Ronin, "There, I've finished your sweeping. Might I be let go now to continue gathering the information that you have so generously kept me around for?"

"Well, with that attitude, I might just wanna keep you around," Ronin himself was polishing a large vase, "Always good to have another ray of sunshine around the shop."

"Oh go bite a bullet," Monty growled.

"Meh, not the biggest fan of how lead tastes," Ronin shrugged, "I'm sure you'll figure out a way to make our good old pal here have it, though."

"Oh, I would rather avoid such notions," Pythor waved his hand, "Being shot is such a… brutish way of getting things done. I prefer to simply find someone else willing to do it. Pulling the trigger yourself is such an old-fashioned way to do battle."

"Really?" Monty drew one of his pistols out and spun it in his hand, "The Serpentine have been around for awhile, haven't they? Pretty sure you might know about how these 'old-fashioned' tricks work. Should we test how good you are at them?"

"Ronin, I would appreciate it if your assistant was kind enough as to not threaten to shoot me," Pythor turned towards Ronin, "He's too temperamental to handle."

"Hey, hey, you two knock if off!" Ronin thumped his hands on the counter, "Let's all play nice like good partners, huh? Monty, stop threatening to shoot Pythor. Pythor, you stop making him want to shoot you."

"Making him want to?!" Pythor spat incredulously, "Both of you are downright-"

"Yeah yeah," Monty suddenly wrapped his hand, pistol included, around Pythor's shoulder to make him go immediately silent, "Well, the information you gave us this time was useful. So good on you. Got anything else for me?"

"W-Well…" Pythor was keeping one eye on that gun on his shoulder, "T-There was one thing that I dismissed as rumor at first. I assume you may want to hear it now?"

"Go ahead," Monty nodded his head.

"R-Right," Pythor cleared his throat, "Y-You see, after the events that transpired, actually not long after, one of my informants said they saw someone… strange around the sewers."

"Yeah, you said a guy that looked just like the dead director was down there," Monty frowned, "Not new to us."

"No, something more than that, give me more credit!" Pythor moved his neck to face Over, "Someone that looked like that fellow there. They said he simply appeared there, looked around, and then left as soon as he came. They almost didn't believe they saw him at all, really. I thought it was just rumor."

"Right now, anything that's out of the ordinary is important," Monty declared, "Anything weird, you make sure it gets to Ronin. It's about more than just our little schemes, got it? Could mean your own tail. Don't let your idea of a 'rumor' make that happen."

"I will remember that," Pythor groaned, "Now may I leave?"

"Go for it," Monty let go of Pythor. At once, the snake moved to slither out the door. As he passed by Over, he turned to see if that strange look he saw earlier was there. When he saw that same hungry expression, he immediately doubled his speed and slitehred quickly back out into the salty air of Stiix, disappearing around the corner and off into whatever things he had to do.

"Right, now that's done," Monty turned to Ronin, "We need to be heading off. We gotta pick up those other guys you saw me with."

"You sure?" Ronin leaned forward on the counter, "If you need something, I might be able to help."

"Right now, no," Monty shook his head, "Later? Maybe. But for now, you remember what we said. Don't write me off. I mean it."

"You're never that serious with me, kid, I won't forget," Ronin shook his own head, "If I see something wrong, I'll stay away from it."

"Good," Monty stretched his arms out, "Well, that's all I had to do. I'm off."

"Have fun saving the world!" Ronin called out. Monty gave Ronin a death glare, who just rolled his eyes at it and turned around and went back to cleaning off his vase.

Over watched all that had happened silently, while the Overlord inside his head was snickering at the exchange. As they left the shop, Monty turned to start going back towards the car, already grumbling about the whole situation of having to drive back.

"Are you certain you don't need to talk to him more?" Over asked him, "It's been weeks since you left. You were rather… curt with him, don't you think?"

"He knows what's going on, and that I have it under control," Monty shook his head, "No need to drag it out. I told him what he has to know, now we can get back to it."

Monty made his way off into Stiix, fitting right in with the crowd despite sharing some very distinct things none of them did. As he watched him go along, Over heard a snickering inside of his head.

"What?" Over asked himself.

"**Those two remind me of how we were when we first were learning this body,"** The Overlord answered him, "**Only talking when we had to. I wonder how they'll grow?"**

"Not in a way you need to see," Over responded. The Overlord went silent, allowing him to focus on following Monty. The two were off to pick up the others, and to begin the next stage of their journey. As they went through Stiix to depart from this place, Over was forced to wonder what was going to happen now. So many of the pieces were falling into place… and he had no idea how long it would be until they all came crashing down.

* * *

On the deck of the studded Destiny's Bounty, Monty and the others had all returned from their trips. The collective information they had gathered painted a picture that had changed the very nature of their quest. Just having the thought of it all in their minds was enough to bring even Harumi to questioning what they were going to do.

"So it seems that this Prime and Ophiod are being manipulated, just like they did to me," Over nodded his head, "What are we to do about this?"

"...Right now, we can't think about that," Harumi shook her head, "Prime and Ophiod are just obstacles right now. We have the core," Harumi held up the stolen piece of tech she'd taken with her, "I need to go home and use one of Borg's labs to make this into something we can use to teleport around with."

"And then?" Monty asked, leaning casually against the main mast, "What's that going to do?"

"After that, I need to figure out something of my own," Lloyd stepped forward, "This… Aspheera said that we needed someone that knew of the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu, right? Master Wu would know about them. I need to know more about Ophiod."

"And then?" Mage asked nervously, "What do we do after that?"

"Then… we make a plan to defeat Ophiod and Prime, and figure out why the Twins stole all of Monty's Vermillion," Harumi stated firmly, "That's what we'll do."

"So, we're just running from one step to the next?" Lulloyd asked, "Is that really all we can do right now?"

"It's what we have to do right now," Lloyd assumed Lulloyd with a grip on his shoulder, "We can't go into battle without knowing our enemy. We know almost everything. And once Harumi gives us our advantage, we'll be able to face them on even terms."

"So even after all that, we're playing a game of catchup," Over nodded his head, "Truly a fun game to play."

The six shared a moment of silence together. They'd learned more of their enemy, but it was information they weren't sure what they thought about it. The sun rose and set on Lulloyd's Ninjago City as they made their plans, and their path towards the next step. For now, all they could do, just as Over had said, was play catchup.


End file.
